So I know I said I was working on a sequel for 'Balloons', but this idea just randomly struck me and I couldn't get it out of my head. So that story is on the back-burner for the moment.

This story is based off a Hindi movie called 'Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge' (roughly translated means 'The lover will take the bride away'), which is one of my favourite romantic comedy-dramas of all time. I was thinking about it and it occurred to me how well the story would work with Fiyero and Elphaba... so here it is.

I still haven't read the Wicked book (I know, I suck) so I might get some things like the geography of Oz and the nature of their wedding ceremonies, etc wrong... I'll be making stuff up for the most part, so please bear with me.

The first chapter isn't too exciting, partly because its a lot of introduction, but it will pick up soon.

Stuck

Chapter 1

"You're kidding me!"

Galinda's horror-struck expression made Elphaba want to laugh. "You seriously haven't heard of it?"

Elphaba shrugged, "I don't get out much."

Galinda shook her head disbelievingly, making her golden curls bounce. "But... it's all anyone has been able to talk about for the last like, 20 days!"

"Well, it's the first I'm hearing of it."

"You need to start hanging out with more people."

Elphaba scoffed. "Yeah, I should stop turning away the hordes people who are dying to be friends with me." She gestured around the empty coffee shop. "Face it, Lin, you are the only person in the world who voluntarily hangs out with the green girl."

Galinda huffed, "Oh stop it Elphie, you are amazifying. People just... need to get to know you."

Elphaba gave a her small smile as she sipped her coffee.

It was odd that she was having this conversation with Galinda, when less than five months ago they absolutely loathed each other. Elphaba could still remember the angry rant she had gone on, after the first day of college, telling Nessa about the 'annoying, high-pitched, blonde' girl in her history class who kept making jokes about her skin.

"That's what I'm saying Lin," she said, "People don't want to get to know me. My skin freaks them out, so they don't even try."

"Alright, you have a point." Galinda agreed begrudgingly, "But it's also partly your fault."

Elphaba gaped, "My fault?"

Galinda nodded, "Yes, you're really hostile around people... and while I understand why, I think you need to give people a chance. I'm sure not everyone is as bothered by your skin as you think." She beamed at her, "Like me."

Elphaba snorted, "You used to be. We used to hate each other, remember?"

"Yes, but after I got to know you it only took one night for us to become good friends."

"After you got to know me, or after I got you into Madame Morrible's Sorcery Seminar?" Elphaba asked, playfully.

"Which you only did because I set Nessa up on a date!"

"Touché"

Galinda smiled and picked up her hot chocolate, taking a tentative sip.

"A lot has happened since then, huh?" Galinda mused, gazing out the window.

Elphaba sighed. It was true.

Too much had happened since that night.

The biggest change in Elphaba's life since then, took place on the night of the dance itself. Her father was furious that she had allowed Nessa to go 'traipsing around in a short dress with some boy', following which he made their house rules even stricter. She and Nessa had almost been put on house arrest - they were only allowed to leave the house during certain slots of time which were allocated by Frex. It was completely ridiculous... not to mention unfair, that this had come at a time when Elphaba finally had someone she wanted to hang out with. But neither she or Nessa had protested the rules. They were not in a habit of standing up to their father. It was just easier to remain quiet.

Elphaba recalled that once, a long time ago, she had asked Frex if she could go to a boarding school. There was one called Shiz and it sounded perfect to her. She had told him that she would take Nessa along with her and take care of her there, but he had gotten so enraged at the idea that Elphaba never brought it up again. Instead she had remained in Munchkinland, as she had her whole life, feeling more and more stifled every day.

But then again, she thought, looking at the blonde girl gaze contentedly at the trees swaying in the breeze outside their window, remaining at Winterfoote Academy had proven to be a blessing, because that's where Elphaba had ended up meeting her best and only friend in the world.

"But Elphie..." Galinda said, turning back to the lanky girl before her, "I honestly can't believe you haven't even heard of Southland Tours. They're super famous. Their newest tour takes you all over Oz. Basically, they have this route, right? And they stop for a few days at each place so you can sightsee, and they host events and it's really high class, so everything is really posh," Galinda was practically bouncing in her seat.

"You don't have to convince me, Lin. It sounds incredibly exciting. I'd absolutely love to go."

"Then what's stopping you?" Galinda demanded, "Don't say it's because you can't afford it, because your dad is the governor. That means he has money, right?"

"It's not about money. It's my father. He's not going to let me go... you know how he is," she sighed, "He's not going to let me leave Nessa."

Galinda's face fell.

"It's going to be no fun without you," she pouted.

She paused for a moment looking like a dog that had just been kicked, before her expression turned into one of stubbornness instead.

"You have to do something!" She said, resolutely, "You have to talk to him. This is our graduation trip for Oz's sake. What was all that hard work you did for otherwise?"

"Getting a job?" Elphaba suggested.

"Gross," Galinda wrinkled her nose, "That just proves it. You need some fun, Elphaba Thropp. You have to come for this."

"But I can't. You know..."

"When this trip is over I'm going to have to go back home and Oz knows when we'll see each other again." Galinda's eyes were wide, "This trip is going to be like... a goodbye for us."

Elphaba's heart sank at the reminder. Ever since graduation she had tried her hardest not to think about the inevitable - that Galinda was going to go back to her home - but it was time to face the facts. Her best friend was leaving her for an indefinite amount of time and Elphaba was going to have to go back to being stuck in Munchkinland, absolutely alone.

Galinda had been a boarder at Winterfoote, and Elphaba used to spend time in her dorm room when she needed to get away from her own house. Over time, Galinda's room had transformed from an escape to an oasis. It the only place in town Elphaba could go to - apart from the library, of course - where she didn't feel completely suffocated. Knowing that Galinda was moving back to Gillikin and was no longer going to be just a few short steps away from her, filled Elphaba with an unbelievable dread.

Now more than ever, she wanted... no, she needed... to go on this trip.

But as much as she 'needed' it, she knew that it wasn't going to change anything.

Elphaba sagged in her chair.

"But my father..."

"At least talk to him? If you don't even ask him you'll never know."

Galinda folded her arms across her chest. "You have nothing to lose. The worst he can do is say no. Right?"

Elphaba grimaced knowing that the worst her father could do was a whole lot more than just saying no, but she didn't contradict her friend. There was a long pause where neither girl said anything - Elphaba too uneasy to agree, and Galinda adamantly refusing to accept anything less than her way.

As expected, Elphaba broke the silence.

"Ok, I'll ask him," she agreed quietly.

She immediately regretted this decision however, because at her words the coffee shop filled with shrieks and her coffee was almost knocked over in the blonde girl's attempt to grab her into a hug.

Upon coming back from the coffee shop Elphaba found herself alone at home. Her father was off on a business trip for a few days, Nessa was still out with her group of Munchkin friends and the 'nanny' Frex had hired to take care of them was off doing some chores. The unexpected privacy relieved her and she took advantage of it by reading a new book she had bought called King and the Lionheart. It was a gorgeously written, poetic book that followed the story of a young sorcerer who went to work for a king. The book was set in a fantasy land, full of dragons and crystal caves with non-fantasy themes like isolation and unattainable love. Despite the fact that none of it was set in Oz, Elphaba found herself relating to the lead character, Christopher, to such an extent that there were parts where she found herself welling up with tears. In particular, she found herself weeping when Chris fell in love with the king of the land, but couldn't admit his feelings not only because they were on two different social standings, but because they both were men. Elphaba didn't consider herself a romantic, but the way the author had described Chris's yearning and melancholy made her almost believe she secretly was.

The sound of the front door opening brutally awakened her from the book's trance.

"Nessa?" She called. She leaned forward on her bed, trying to look through the open door out into the hallway. A few minutes later, her little sister wheeled herself into the room.

"Hey, Elphaba," she smiled. She stopped her wheelchair by the bed and gazed up at her sister. "A new book again? I thought you were reading Songs of Summer?"

"Oh, I finished that last night," Elphaba shut her book reluctantly, shoving it under her pillow.

"How do you read so much?" Nessa asked, mystified, "I can hardly finish a book a month. Forget a day."

Elphaba shrugged vaguely, "I don't know... I guess... I'm a fast reader."

"But why do you want to read so much?"

"It's a nice escape. From reality, you know... it's nice to get away once in a while."

"Yeah, but you do it all the time."

Her sister's words made her aware, once again, of that odd feeling that had been consistently growing inside her since she was old enough to understand it. It was kind of an emptiness, she realized, an emptiness that only went away when she was reading one of her books.

"My friends are such losers," Nessa was saying, "They keep telling me to go to this party tonight and I keep telling them that I can't because father won't allow it, and they're all like 'Nessa just wants to study all the time'," she sighed irritably, "I wish father would let us out more."

She turned to Elphaba and noticed that she was chewing on her bottom lip, not listening.

"What's the matter with you?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

Elphaba turned to look at her startled, "Nothing. Why?"

"Please, I can tell there's something bothering you. What is it?"

"I..."

Elphaba hesitated before finally saying, "There's this... trip. A graduation trip, that I want to go for with my college friends. Well, friend... but her friends are going too. Basically it's this tour throughout Oz and it sounds really good and I really want to go... and I think I'm going to ask father for permission."

Nessa's mouth was hanging slightly open in incredulity.

"How long is it for?" She asked.

Elphaba wrung her hands nervously. "A month."

"Oh, a month. I see," Nessa nodded slowly, "Listen. I'm just going to go send a note to the doctor."

Elphaba frowned at the abrupt change of conversation. "Why? Are you sick?"

"No, to tell him that you've gone insane. What is the matter with you?" Nessa demanded, "Do you honestly believe father will let you go on a trip for a month?"

"I know it's unlikely..."

"Unlikely? It's impossible! He doesn't allow us to leave the house at all during three days of the week. Do you honestly think he's going to let you go wandering around Oz for a month?"

"Well, I did just finish college, I mean... I'm practically an adult now." Elphaba said, "There has to be a point in time where he lets me make my own decisions, right?"

It sounded more like she was convincing herself than Nessa.

Nessa rolled her eyes, "You tell yourself what you want, Elphaba. But if our track-record is any indication, you're going to be stuck in this house till the day dad finds you a husband."

Elphaba slumped down into her pillows as Nessa left the room. She groaned loudly and covered her face with her hands. Nessa was right. She was kidding herself. There was no way her father was ever going to let her go on this trip.

Never ever.

Elphaba was suddenly struck by an overpowering sense of desolation.

I have to go on this trip.

I have to get away from here.

I just have to.

Please let me know what you think?