AN: Hi, everyone! We're back for our second Lurlinemas fic - I can't believe it's already been a year since we started writing together! Thanks to everyone who nominated and/or voted for us in the Greg Awards - we're both really honoured and chuffed. As usual, we hope you enjoy this story! Prompt for this chapter was: "Fiyero is being cheesy and says "All I want for Lurlinemas is you" to Elphaba. ...Galinda (who was in on a plan with Elphaba) gives him a huge gift box with Elphaba inside it."

Elizabeth. xx


Struggles and emotions

Fiyero wrapped his arms around his girlfriend from behind. "What are you doing?" he whispered playfully, peering over her shoulder.

"Nothing," Elphaba said quickly, slamming the catalogue shut, causing Fiyero to frown.

"What's this?" He reached around her and dragged the catalogue towards him. "A magazine?"

Elphaba snatched it out of his grasp and tossed it out of the nearby window. "No, it is not a magazine," she told him, suppressing a shudder at the thought.

"Oz forbid," Fiyero teased.

"There are too many lying around in our dorm room," Elphaba agreed. She smoothly turned the conversation onto a different track before Fiyero could further press her on the matter. "Where have you been?"

"Out getting these," Fiyero replied, turning to pick up a couple of items before holding them up for her to see. One hand held a two paper bags; the other, a cardboard tray with two Styrofoam cups sitting precariously in the cut-out holes.

Elphaba beamed at him. "Cinnamon doughnuts and caramel coffee?" she asked eagerly.

"Naturally," Fiyero confirmed, grinning back at her.

Elphaba stretched out her hands. "Gimme."

Fiyero chuckled. "My, what lovely manners you have, Miss Elphaba," he teased her.

"I learnt from the best," Elphaba shot back, taking a bag and a cup.

"Touché."

There was a comfortable silence as they ate, until Elphaba finally asked, "Yero?"

"That's me."

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "I know it is, silly. I wanted to ask you something."

"Shoot."

Elphaba paused, wondering how one phrased such a question, before deciding it might be best to just plunge straight in. "What do you want for Lurlinemas?"

His second doughnut halfway to his mouth, Fiyero stopped and blinked at his girlfriend. "Come again?"

"What do you want for Lurlinemas?"

Fiyero put down his doughnut and thought about that for a moment. Then he shrugged helplessly. "I don't really want anything, I guess…I mean, I've got everything I want, or can easily get it myself. I hadn't given it much thought."

"Can't you give me a hint?" Elphaba asked. "I have no idea what to get you this year."

"You know something?" Fiyero put down his doughnut and pulled Elphaba close. "All I want for Lurlinemas is you."

Elphaba blushed. "You are so cheesy."

Fiyero thought about that for a moment. "True," he conceded. "But what I said is also true. You're honestly all I want."

"Well, that's a great help," Elphaba said sarcastically.

Fiyero grinned. "You know me – always helpful."

Elphaba sighed.


Galinda walked into the dorm room waving a catalogue around in the air. "Elphie, guess what –"

"Ah," Elphaba said, spying the catalogue in her friend's hand, "you found it. Thankyou," she added, whipping the catalogue away before Galinda could even blink.

"Is that yours?"

"Yep. I'm so glad you found it, otherwise I'd never have got it back."

Galinda perched daintily on the edge of her bed and looked at her friend. "Okay, Elphie, two questions. One: Are you sure that's yours? I mean, that fell out of the sky! Well, out of a window above me, anyway."

"Then it's definitely mine," Elphaba confirmed, already flicking through the pages. "And your second question?"

"What do you want with a catalogue? Not that that's a bad thing or anything," Galinda hastened to assure her friend. "I mean, I think it's great. I'm just a bit confusified here. I mean, you've always resisted my attempts to get you interested in these sorts of things; but now you're reading them of your own accordion?"

Elphaba did not bother to correct the other girl; instead, she merely looked at her with faint amusement on her face. "I'm not reading this for my own interests, Glin."

Galinda frowned. "Then what are you reading it for?"

"To see if I can find something to get Fiyero for Lurlinemas," Elphaba replied absently, her attention already back on her perusal of the catalogue.

Galinda's face cleared. "Ohhhhhhhh," she said, drawing out the word for far longer than Elphaba thought necessary.

"I don't suppose you would have any thoughts?" Elphaba asked her friend. "I really don't have any ideas."

"Have you asked Fiyero what he wants?"

"Yes, but he wasn't very helpful."

Galinda lifted an eyebrow. "Tell me. I might be able to pick up some sort of hint."

Elphaba sighed and put down the catalogue. "He said…" She blushed as she recalled Fiyero's words, and looked across to the opposite side of the room from her Galinda sat. "He said that all he wanted for Lurlinemas…was me."

Galinda opened her mouth, and Elphaba quickly put her hands out as if defending herself.

"Please don't squeal," she begged.

Galinda snapped her mouth shut, but then gave her friend a huge grin. "That's so sweet and romantic!" she squeaked instead.

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "Once you've got that out of your system, can you try and help me come up with ideas?"

There was a moment of thoughtful silence before Galinda's eyes lit up. "I think I may have an idea…"


"Do you really have to do this?" Elphaba complained as Galinda put on the finishing touches.

"Yes."

"But I feel absolutely and utterly ridiculous! And I bet you anything I look ten times more so."

"Elphaba," Galinda said sternly, "hold still, or you won't have anything to give Fiyero for Lurlinemas."

Elphaba sighed but complied. Afterall, if Galinda had resorted to using her full name…

"Okay, done." Galinda turned Elphaba to face the mirror.

The room was suddenly eerily silent, and then Elphaba whispered, "…Oh."

"Well?" Galinda looked like she was going to explode.

"I…I look…"

"I know!" Galinda squealed, unable to hold it in any longer. "You look absolutely amazifying. Don't you look amazifying? You look amazifying."

"Will Fiyero like it, do you think?" Elphaba asked nervously.

"Darling, I know he will," Galinda said confidently. "If he doesn't, then he's got no taste and doesn't deserve a gorgeous girl like you. But he will." Once she had finished admiring her handiwork, Galinda was all business again. "Now hop in."

"Galinda –"

"Hop in."

At Galinda's menacing glare, Elphaba decided it was best to do as she was told.

"I'll just go and get Ryrrikka and Boq."

"Galinda, I'm not sure I can –"

"Won't be a tick!" Galinda sang out.

Elphaba sighed.


"Come on," Galinda cried impatiently. "Hurry it up, won't you? Fiyero will be here any second!"

The two boys groaned and puffed as they heaved, pushed and pulled.

"Come on!"

Ryrrikka stopped and glared at her. "Do you want to do this?"

"No, that's why I got you two to do it," Galinda answered, making it clear he shouldn't have asked a question with such an obvious answer.

"Then let us get on with it. This isn't as easy as it looks, you know."

"You can say that again," Boq grumbled.

"But Fiyero –"

"We know," Ryrrikka said in exasperation as he returned to pushing. "That's another reason why arguing with you is a waste of time."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," Ryrrikka grunted as he gave an extra-hard shove. Unfortunately, he shoved too hard, and soon the large box was toppling forwards.

There was a squeak from inside the box as Boq cried out, trying in vain to protect himself from becoming one squashed Munchkin.

"Carefulll!" Galinda admonished Ryrrikka. "It has to be standing upright by the time Fiyero gets here."

"Gee, thanks a lot," Boq muttered, still struggling against the weight of the box. Even his patience was wearing thin.

"Look," Ryrrikka said, annoyance seeping in his voice, "if you want to be so bloody specific about everything, why don't you come and give us a hand?"

Galinda sniffed and tottered over. She examined the situation close-up and then pronounced, "It's too heavy for me. I'll break a nail. Just do your best, but be quick about it."

With a roll of his eyes and a growl low in his throat, Ryrrikka managed to pull the box upright; and he and Boq soon got it to where Galinda wanted it.

"Thanks, boys," Galinda said cheerfully, all previous grievances forgotten. She ruffled Boq's hair, and the Munchkin boy flushed.

Ryrrikka, however, had not forgotten, and stalked off without a second glance.

Once Galinda had shooed Boq away, she turned to the box. "Won't be long, now," she whispered.

Two minutes later, Galinda could see Fiyero approaching, and a beaming grin lit up her face. On tip-toes, she began waving frantically. "Fiyero!"

"Hey, Glin, what's this all a-?" He stopped short as the box came into his view. With a quizzical frown, he nodded to it. "What's this?"

Galinda giggled and kissed his cheek. "Merry Lurlinemas, Fiyero," she said, before skipping off.

Fiyero stared after her. What…? He shook his head and circled the box several times. It was awfully big…what could be in it? Well, there's only one way to find out, he told himself. He found the flap and cautiously lowered it, noting the box was painted green with blue diamonds. At first, he couldn't see anything in the box except for darkness; but then he realized there was a movement…and suddenly, standing before him was Elphaba. She was wearing a long, red evening gown with a gold sash that extended up to the shoulder and was secured with a bow. Another gold bow sat in Elphaba's hair, which has been carefully styled in flowing curls. Her eyelids glittered gold, and her lips were tinged with red.

Fiyero's jaw dropped. He could not speak. He couldn't move. He simply couldn't believe what he was seeing. His breathing began to grow a bit ragged as he took in the sight before him.

"Merry Lurlinemas, Fiyero," Elphaba said softly and shyly.

After a moment, Fiyero managed to react. "You're…stunning," he whispered in awe.

Elphaba blushed. "Thankyou." Those lessons from Galinda on accepting compliments graciously were really paying off.

"You got dressed up for me?" It was a more than a whisper this time, but Fiyero couldn't stop the slight quiver in his voice.

Elphaba nodded. "I didn't know what to get you for Lurlinemas…and when you said that you only wanted me…" She shrugged. "It was Galinda's idea," she confessed. "But I thought you might like it."

Fiyero took a hesitant step closer, then stopped, so Elphaba took it upon herself to close the gap.

"I can't believe you did this for me."

Elphaba gave an almost imperceptible one-shouldered shrug. "I love you," she said simply.

It was then that Elphaba noticed that Fiyero's eyes looked suspiciously glassy, and her suspicions were confirmed when Fiyero quickly swiped his thumb along the bottom of one eye.

"I love you, too," he choked out, before sweeping Elphaba into his arms and holding her tightly.

They stood that way for a few minutes, until Elphaba gently pulled away and took Fiyero's face in her hands. She traced his cheeks, his nose, and wiped away a stray tear; and then she pressed her lips to his. "Merry Lurlinemas, Fiyero," she breathed.

"Merry Lurlinemas," Fiyero murmured in return, before kissing her again.