"A little more to the left! No, the other left! My left! No, I meant… you know what? Just leave it right there! That's fine! Right there." Glinda Upland sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Seriously, people, there's only one left!"

The servants who were setting up the large Lurlinemas tree in the grand ballroom put it down with a sigh. Two of them slumped against the wall and one of them collapsed to the floor and laid on his back, breathing deeply.

"Now it's time for the decorations!" Glinda smiled, clapping her hands as she signaled for the servants to stand up.

The servants looked at her and bit back groans as they all reluctantly got to their feet. They finally finished setting up and decorating the tree and couldn't be happier when Glinda finally dismissed them.

"Hey, Glin! How's it com- Wow! The tree looks amazing!" Fiyero smiled as he walked into the ballroom, his eyes glued to the large tree.

"Thank you," the blonde giggled as she pranced over to the prince. "How's Elphie?"

"Cranky," the prince sighed. "She's sleeping right now."

"She's not anymore," a tired voice from the doorway said.

The blonde and the prince turned and saw a very pregnant Elphaba in the doorway, leaning against the doorframe. Fiyero smiled softly and made his way over to his wife, kissing her softly. "How are you feeling, sweetheart?"

"Like I'm about to explode," Elphaba answered, through her voice was light. Her gaze drifted to the large Lurlinemas tree and she gasped. "Wow."

"Do you like it?" Glinda asked as Elphaba slowly made her way to the tree with Fiyero by her side.

"It's beautiful, Glin," Elphaba smiled as her fingers trailed one of the ornaments.

"Thank you, Elphie!" the blonde giggled. "This is going to be the best Lurlinemas Eve ball the Vinkus has ever seen."

"Thank you for coming early to help," Elphaba said, taking Fiyero's hand. "I know it's the princess' duty to help organize the ball, and I really wanted to do it, but I didn't think I was going to be able to." She placed her hand on her abdomen and smiled softly as Fiyero placed his hand on top of hers.

"Anything for you, Elphie," Glinda smiled as she gently wrapped her arms around her friend. "I would have come early anyway. I haven't seen you in forever."

"You visited last month," Elphaba deadpanned.

"But that was a whole month ago!"

Elphaba rolled her eyes. She was about to say more when she doubled over in pain, a grunt escaping her throat as she clutched her abdomen.

"Fae!" Fiyero gasped, gripping Elphaba's hand as he and Glinda led her over to the nearest chair. "Are you alright? Is it time? I'll go get Mom!"

"Yero," Elphaba said as Fiyero stood. "I'm fine. The baby just kicked really hard."

The prince blinked. "Oh." He slowly calmed down and rubbed Elphaba's back as she slowly inhaled and exhaled.

"I'm fine now," Elphaba said before Fiyero could open his mouth. She tried to get up, but Fiyero gently pushed her back down.

"Fae, maybe you should rest now."

The green woman gave her husband and exasperated look, which he met with a stern glare. After a brief stare down, Elphaba relented and allowed Fiyero to help her into the parlor to lie down.

The prince immediately went to work fluffing her pillows and making sure she was comfortable and had everything she wanted before seating himself by her feet and giving her a foot massage. The green girl moaned softly in contentment and it didn't take her very long to fall asleep.

"Fiyero, is everything alright?" the king, Raal, asked as he came into the parlor.

"I finally got Fae to rest for a bit," Fiyero said, sounding very proud of himself.

"That's good," the queen, Amalie, said as she came in behind her husband. "She needs her rest."

"Pardon me, Your Majesties, but the Governor of Munchkinland and his daughter have arrived," a servant said as he entered the parlor and bowed.

Elphaba slowly opened her eyes at the mention of her family and tried to push herself up.

"Fae, stay down," Fiyero said gently.

"Yero, I can get up to greet my family," Elphaba said with an eye roll as she succeeded in sitting up.

"Send them in," Raal nodded to the servant, who bowed before leaving.

A few moments later, wheels and footsteps were heard from the hallway and Elphaba tried to push herself up more, aided by Fiyero.

"Fabala!" Nessa smiled as she quickly wheeled into the parlor.

Elphaba smiled as she stayed seated to greet her sister. "I've missed you so much, Nessie," the green girl said as she wrapped her arms around her sister.

"I've missed you, too. How are you?"

"I'm fine," the green girl said, allowing the brunette to touch her abdomen and feel the baby kick. She looked up and saw her father standing a few feet away, his hand locked behind his back. "Hello, Father."

"Elphaba," Frex nodded, his voice awkward, yet not unkind. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," Elphaba said, then inhaled sharply.

Fiyero was by her side in a flash, then slowly relaxed when Elphaba gave him the 'it was just a kick, Yero. Calm down' look.

"Your Majesties, the caterers have arrived," the same servant that announced the Governor's arrival said as he came into the parlor once more.

Amalie nodded. "Excuse us, Governor Thropp. We must attend to this. We will have our maids show you and Miss Nessarose where you will be staying."

The Governor nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Your Majesties." He stepped behind his daughter's wheelchair and began to push her out of the room, with Nessa giving her sister an over-the-shoulder wave before vanishing from sight.

Elphaba smiled as she pushed herself up. "I'm going to bathroom," she said before Fiyero could open his mouth.

The prince smiled softly. "Okay."

The green girl smirked to herself as she slowly waddled away. The prince took the moment to collapse on the couch and took a deep breath. He knew Elphaba wanted her space, especially in her condition, but he just worried about her. He didn't want her doing anything to strenuous. He managed to relax for a bit, but after a while, when Elphaba didn't come back, he began to worry again. What had happened to her? Was she alright? How long did it take to go to the bathroom? Now on full alert, the prince jumped up and hurried up the stairs. As he hurried to the bathroom, he heard humming coming from the nursery and slowed his pace. He approached the room and slowly peaked through the ajar door.

Elphaba was rocking back and forth in the rocking chair, both of her hands resting on her abdomen. Her eyes were closed and as Fiyero watched her, he realized that it had been a while since he had seen her look so peaceful. She seemed to be humming some sort of lullaby as she rubbed circles on her baby bump. The prince smiled softly as he beheld the sight. He slowly opened the door and walked inside, but stopped when Elphaba's sleepily opened her eyes.

"Hey," Elphaba said, blinking her eyes a few times.

"Hey," Fiyero said. "Are you alright?"

Elphaba pushed herself up and smiled. "Yeah. I just wanted to come in here and… see how everything was."

"It's the same as it was yesterday, the last time we came in here," the prince chuckled as he gently pulled Elphaba against him.

"Honestly, I can't remember why I came in here. And for that, I blame the baby-brain… and for that, I blame you."

The prince smiled and kissed the top of her head. "Why don't we go back downstairs?"

"Actually, I'm feeling a bit tired. I'll just get ready for bed."

"Do you want me to bring dinner up to you?"

Elphaba shook her head. "I'm not very hungry."

"Fae, I really think you should eat a little something."

"I'll be fine. The baby and I aren't very hungry right now. Could you go down and tell everyone? And apologize to my family for me?"

"Fae, you don't have to be sorry for being pregnant. I'm sure your father and sister will understand."

Elphaba sighed, but nodded as she took Fiyero's arm and walked with him back to their room. They were halfway there when she inhaled sharply and gripped his arm. Thankfully, the prince knew what was wrong and simply rubbed her back until she relaxed.

"Thanks," the green girl whispered once they reached their bedroom.

"You're welcome, Fae." The prince kissed his wife goodnight. "Fresh dreams."

"Goodnight, Yero," Elphaba smiled as she stepped into her room and closed the door behind her.

The next evening, as everyone was preparing for the Lurlinemas Eve Ball, Elphaba looked at her reflection in the mirror. She had managed to sit through half of a hair-curling session with Glinda, but then complained that she was tired of sitting and settled for her just flipping the ends of her hair. She studied her dress, which was specifically tailored for her during her maternity months. It was a beautiful dark silver gown with a single, off the shoulder, strap adorned with flowers. The skirt of the dress was made of silk and made the green woman smile as it brushed against her legs. She rubbed her stomach gently as she continued to stare at her reflection.

"Fae, are you ready?" Fiyero asked as he came into the room, fumbling with his tie.

Elphaba turned toward him and smiled, motioning for him to come to her. The prince obliged and allowed his wife to help him fix his tie.

"Will you be alright tonight?" Fiyero asked once she finished.

"I'll be fine," Elphaba said, though her voice didn't sound as confident as she would have liked.

"We can leave anytime during the night if you've had enough."

"I should be fine, Yero," Elphaba said as she slipped her feet into her flats and took Fiyero's arm. "Besides, I'm not due for another two weeks. Let's go."

The prince smiled as he helped Elphaba walk down the stairs. Trumpets announced their arrival and the doors opened. The couple walked in to a thunderous applause. A few looked surprised to see Elphaba, knowing that she was due any day, but didn't say anything about it as they politely greeted the royals.

"Elphaba! Fiyero!"

The prince and princess turned and smiled. "Hello, Cally. Hello, Windon," Fiyero smiled as he greeted his cousins, the Duke and Duchess of Kvon Altar.

"How are you two?" Cally smiled as she gently handed the baby in her arms to her husband so she could hug Elphaba.

"We're fine. How are you?" Elphaba smiled.

"Simply wonderful. Ebaline and Dahlia are simple joys," the Duchess beamed, watching as her twin five-year-olds looked at the dessert cart with wide eyes.

"That's wonderful. And Lyle?" Fiyero asked as he cooed at his five month old nephew.

"He's getting better. His sleeping and eating schedule are starting to develop a pattern, which is a relief for me," Cally sighed, the chuckled.

"Mama, can we have cake?" Ebaline asked as she and her sister hurried back to their parents.

Cally smiled softly. "You have to have some food first, sweethearts."

"But we want cake," Dahlia pouted.

A servant passed by with tiny finger sandwiches and Cally took four. "Eat these and then ask Auntie Amalie to get you a piece of cake."

The two young girls continued to pout, but quickly ate the sandwiches so they could have some cake. They turned and saw that a lot of people had the same idea they had and began to crowd around the dessert cart. They looked at each other and turned to their mother, but saw that she was once again busy with baby Lyle. "Auntie Elphaba, can you come with us to the dessert cart?" they asked the green woman, seeing as she was the only adult not busy.

Elphaba smiled softly. "Of course."

The twins smiled as they each took one of Elphaba's hands and gently pulled her to the dessert cart.

It had only been a few minutes, and Fiyero was catching up with his cousins, when he was interrupted by a tug on his pant leg. He looked down to see Ebaline looking up at him with wide, scared eyes. "What happened, sweetie?" Fiyero asked as he knelt down to her height.

"Something's wrong with Auntie Elphaba. She's over there by the dessert cart," Ebaline said, pointing towards the dessert cart, where Elphaba was standing, hunched over, clutching her abdomen. Dahlia stood next to her, not sure about what to do. Glinda was also standing next to her best friend, looking worried, but remaining calm.

Fiyero stood up and hurried to his wife, not caring that he was spilling his wine glass all over the floor. "Kick?" he asked when he reached her.

Elphaba shook her head as Glinda rubbed circles on her back. "N-Not this time."

The prince blinked, then his gaze drifted to the small puddle of water on the floor. "Are… are you saying…"

"Yes," Elphaba breathed, inhaling deeply. "I'm in labor."

The prince was surprised about how calm he was on the outside, considering the fact that he was internally screaming. He waited until Elphaba relaxed before he helped her walk over to their parents and explained what was happening.

"I'll send someone for the midwife," Amalie said, signaling a servant over. "Fiyero, take Elphaba upstairs."

The prince nodded and led his wife out of the ballroom. He whispered soft nothings into her ear to try and help her calm down. A few heads turned and people began whispering about why Elphaba would be leaving, though it was pretty obvious that she was in labor.

The midwife arrived half an hour later and began examining the princess. Elphaba heard the music as the ball continued, but didn't pay much attention to it, seeing as she had more important things to focus on. When it was time for her to push, Fiyero was promptly shooed out of the room by both the midwife and his mother. He went back downstairs to inform the Governor and Nessa of what was happening.

"Will she be alright?" Nessa asked, her eyes swelled with worry.

"Don't worry, Nessa. She'll be fine. She's with my mom and the midwife. They'll both take great care of her," the prince reassured her.

"That's good," the governor nodded, and that was all he said on the topic.

It was nearing midnight and most of the guest went home. Only a few dignitaries, Cally and Windon, and Nessa and Frex remained. Ebaline and Dahlia had been sent to bed, with the promise that they would see the new baby in the morning. No one had sent for the prince, which meant that Elphaba was still in labor. He could hear her faint screams coming from the bedroom, but tried to block out her cries of pain. Finally, after what seemed like forever, but was only a few hours, Amalie came to find Fiyero.

"She's fine," was the first thing she said when she found her son with everyone else in the parlor. "I'm proud to announce that you are now the proud father of a happy, healthy, baby girl."

Everyone cheered as tears sprang to Fiyero's eyes. He was a father. He had a daughter. It was all so much to take in.

"I'm an aunt," Nessa whispered to herself, wiping tears from her eyes.

"I'm a father," Fiyero whispered, smiling.

"I'm a grandfather," Frex said to himself in awe.

The king and queen exchanged a knowing look. "Now, I recommend that we all turn in for the night. We can all visit Elphaba and the new baby in the morning," the queen said as Raal rose to his feet.

"We've all had a very eventful night," Raal said in agreement as he offered his wife his arm. "We should all get some rest."

'Good nights' were exchanged and everyone retired to their rooms, all talking excitedly about the new addition to the royal family. Fiyero hurried to the bedroom to visit his wife, and he was surprised to see her wide awake, holding their newborn daughter in her arms.

"Yero," Elphaba whispered when she saw her husband enter the room.

"I'm here, Fae," the prince smiled as he sat on the edge of the bed and looked at his daughter. "She's perfect."

"She is," Elphaba smiled as she traced her fingers against the baby's pale skin.

"She looks a lot like you."

Elphaba rolled her eyes, too tired to comment on the baby's lack of green skin (thank goodness!). "She looks a lot like you, too. She's a perfect mixture of both of us."

"What should we name her?"

Elphaba thought for a moment as she rocked the baby in her arms. "Neama."

"Neama?"

"It means 'gift from above' in old Munchkin."

"Neama," the prince tried as he took in his daughter's features. "I like that."

Elphaba smiled. "Would you like to hold her?"

The prince nodded immediately and held out his arms. He was completely mesmerized as he held this new living human being in his arms. "Hi, princess," he whispered as he kissed her cheek.

The clock struck midnight in the distance and the couple exchanged a look. "Merry Lurlinemas, Fae," the prince smiled as he gently leaned over and kissed his wife.

"Merry Lurlinemas, Yero," Elphaba said once they pulled away, and they both settled with contently looking at their newborn daughter, grateful that Lurlinemas that they were together as a family.

Elphaba's dress is on my blog (Just imagine that it's dark silver color)

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!