Here's Chapter One! It isn't the best stopping point, and I've already gotten quite a bit more written, but I didn't want this chapter to be ridiculously long. :) Happy reading, and please please please review!

Disclaimer: Wicked does not belong to me, I'm just playing with it.

The Charmed Circle was enjoying a lazy Saturday afternoon beside the Suicide Canal. Fiyero had brought a large blanket and spread it under a maple tree. Avaric had nicked croissants from the dining hall, and Boq had bribed a pair of large watermelons off the Crage Hall gardeners.

Elphaba was leaning against the maple tree, book in hand. Galinda lay with her head in the green girl's lap, enjoying the sunshine and Elphaba's absentminded fiddling with her golden hair. Boq sat cross-legged in the middle of the blanket, gazing enviously at Elphaba and fidgeting slightly. He was occupying himself with eating his watermelon slice, and juice kept dribbling down his chin. Crope and Tibbett were lost in a conversation of their own on the edge of the blanket, giggling madly. Fiyero was laying down, arms crossed over his chest, and he appeared to be sleeping. Pfannee and Shenshen were sitting on opposite sides of Avaric, hanging on his every word and attempting to give him massages. Nanny was also slumbering, snoring lightly, and Nessarose was propped up against the tree beside Elphaba and Galinda.

Elphaba had apparently reached an exciting part of her novel, for she untangled her hand from Galinda's hair to grip the book with both hands. Galinda looked up at her and frowned.

"Don't stop," she said softly.

"Don't stop what?" Elphaba asked, her eyes not moving from the words.

Galinda quelled her desire to grab the book from her roommate to force her to pay attention to her. "You were playing with my hair. It felt nice."

Elphaba looked surprised, as if she had not realized that she was doing it at all, but she reached down to start again. Galinda relaxed against Elphaba's thigh, tuning back into the conversation around her as she did so.

"...so then Tib tried on the bonnet and asked for a dress made to match," Crope said, holding back his laughter to get through the story.

Boq was wide-eyed. "Did she agree to make one?"

Crope nodded vigorously while Tibbett howled, "With yellow and pink piping! It'll be ready for pick-up in a week's time!"

Even Fiyero, in his resting position and eyes still closed, gave a small smile.

Nessa's lips were pursed. "You shouldn't have had her make a dress that you have no intention of paying for."

Crope looked at her as though she were mad. "Of course we're paying for it! No reason to let a perfectly good, fitted dress go to waste, I always say."

Nessa's lips pursed even tighter, and she gave a small "humph" and turned her head away.

Tibbett gazed around the circle. "We told a funny story, so now it's your turn... Avaric."

Avaric chortled and craned his neck around Shenshen who was now occupying his lap. Pfannee sat close by, looking murderous.

But before Avaric could speak, Fiyero sat up and interrupted. "I actually have a story involving Masters Boq and Avaric, if I may share it."

Everyone, even Elphaba, perked up in interest. Boq and Avaric both looked mortified.

"Tib, I think we're about to learn why no one saw Boq, Avaric, or Fiyero all last weekend," Crope said excitedly. It was clear that everyone had been waiting for an explanation for this for some time.

"Well," Fiyero began, looking around to make sure he held everyone's attention. Nanny supplied a rather loud snore. "Last weekend, the three of us hit up a few bars. Now I wasn't paying very much attention, but I suppose that Avaric had a few too many drinks, because on our way back to Briscoe Hall, he decided that nothing would be grander than to climb the dome of the Saint Florix's Cathedral."

Galinda gasped, "But it's massive!"

Fiyero nodded, pleased with her reaction. "Now, as I'm sure you're all aware, they're doing some restoration work on the cathedral this month, so Avaric found it only too easy to climb the scaffolding all the way to the base of the dome."

Elphaba spoke from behind her book. "Where were you and Boq during all this?"

Fiyero's grin got wider. "Boq was plastered, of course, and right on Avaric's heels the whole time."

Boq blushed deeply.

"I, meanwhile," continued Fiyero with a wink, "kept my feet on the ground, prepared to catch them."

"We didn't need you to catch us," snapped Avaric, "You just stayed down there because you were scared."

Fiyero ignored this and continued, "So I'm standing down there, craning my neck to see them gallivanting around on the dome, making all kinds of noise. And of course, right as Avaric leaned in to touch the pinnacle, two Gale Force officers came walking up the street. I saw them early enough that I was able to run down the alley on the other side of the street before they saw me, but mostly just because they were so distracted by Boq and Avaric's attempts at defying gravity. So I had an unrivaled view of the officers shining their lights up at the dome, trying to figure out who to apprehend. Well, Avaric clambered down the back way and ran off without them noticing."

Here Boq interrupted the uproarious laughter to mutter, "Asshole," to Avaric.

Fiyero continued, "But Boq was really stuck. He was making this face like he had shit himself and was inching around the bottom of the dome, ducking out of the light beams. Of course, that couldn't last forever, and when the sober part of his brain caught up to him, he climbed down and turned himself in."

The others were howling with laughter at this point, and Boq and Avaric were trying to look as small as possible. Boq was having more success since he had gotten a head start.

"So of course," Fiyero continued, chuckling himself, "I had to follow them to the jail and cough up bail for little Boq here. I did have half a mind to make him stay the night there to learn his lesson, but he already looked terrified."

"That doesn't explain why you three disappeared all weekend, though," Elphaba pointed out.

"Well, that's because the story isn't over," Fiyero said, over-emphasizing each word and playfully swatting at the green girl. "Turns out one of the cops had recognized Avaric because he knows his father. So even though Avaric had escaped to hide under his covers in his dorm long before this, the police knew where to find him. In exchange for not telling his father, they had him do community service all weekend. They had Boq come along too, for good measure."

ShenShen broke through her giggling to ask, "But where were you, Fiyero?"

"I went along to get my fair share of amusement. Their punishment was to serve meals to the folks at the retirement home across town. I must say, Boq and Avaric looked absolutely adorable serving apple pie in their little aprons. An old man even hit Boq over the head with his cane for taking too long."

Even Nessa was in stitches, and the loud laughter momentarily roused Nanny, but she quickly nodded off again.

"Moments like these just can't be made up," Crope said dramatically.

"I fear I'll swoon from all the excitement," Tibbett said in a mock-haughty voice before falling backwards in Crope's lap.

Avaric glared at Fiyero, twisted his neck away from the group, and spit a watermelon seed several feet. Fiyero chuckled lightly and spit one of his own, easily outstripping Avaric's attempt. Avaric reached for another piece of watermelon but Elphaba inserted drolly, "If you don't mind, I'd rather not watch your absurd displays of masculinity right now. Not while there is growing grass to observe instead."

Reprimanded, Avaric sat back, but casually flicked a seed at the green girl. "How about you, Miss Elphaba?" he taunted, "Do you have an amusing story about Quadling country to share?"