This was written at the request of Eowyn-Faith as a companion piece to Ever After. Therefore, this story is for her. I hope you find it to your liking..

To everyone else who reads, I thank you and hope you enjoy it as well.

Crash!

The abrupt slam of the heavy wooden door caused both occupants of the room to immediately jerk their heads up in surprise. Exchanging an anxious glance toward the staircase that stood near the front door of the house, two sets of eyes watched in bewildered silence as a stunning young woman began her ascent, never once looking in their direction.

When the sound of her irritated footsteps on the creaky stairs had silenced and another slamming of the door echoed through the house, only then did one of them speak.

"She's back." Liir stated the obvious before returning his attention to the heavy textbook in his lap.

Casting her eldest child a reproachful glare over the top of her glasses, Elphaba closed her own book and placed it in her lap. "I hadn't noticed." Bringing her gaze to the stairs, she mused. "I wonder what in the world that was about."

From his chair, her sixteen-year old son snorted. "Oz only knows. I stopped trying to understand girls two years ago."

His mother resisted the urge to role her eyes. Liir was a brilliant young man. There was no doubt in her mind that he was her son in nearly every way. If only he hadn't inherited his father's philosophy in a few select areas, matters of the fairer sex being one of them.

She could still remember that day. It had been just over two years when her son was barely a teenager. He had come home, his face split into the same smile he had been blessed with from birth. A young lady at school had captured his attention. While Elphaba had been cautious to accept this new stage in her son's life, Fiyero had been all for it.

"He's so young, Fiyero." She had voiced her concerns to him one night after the children were asleep. "What if she breaks his heart?"

Her husband couldn't help but chuckle at the worried expression on his green wife's face. "Then time will heal him. He's thirteen, Fae. This was bound to happen sooner or later."

While that did little to ease her fears, the Prince encouraged his son to get to know the girl. Liir had done just that and things went well for a short time.

A week to be exact.

Elphaba would never forget her son's crestfallen face as he walked through the door that day, saying that his little friend had moved on to someone new. Resisting the urge to find the girl and promptly turn her into a gnat, she simply shot Fiyero a look that promptly conveyed her victory of the justification of her concerns and went to see to her precious boy. She found him in his room staring off into space.

"Are you alright, dearest?"

He shrugged. "Sure. I'm just done with girls for now. You and Cressie are the only ones I can stand anyway." That said, he kissed her cheek and went off to find his sister, leaving his mother in a stunned silence.

The boy had stayed true to his world. He always swore he would find someone one day. Until then he was perfectly content to immerse himself in his studies.

As she now watched her son from her chair, Elphaba felt her heart tighten within her chest.

If only 'one day' was as far away now as it had been then.

Releasing a sigh, the green woman stood and placed the book on the table beside her chair. "I suppose I should see to your sister." Casting a glance to the stairs once more, she moved forward, stopping to affectingly ruffle her son's light brown hair. "Don't be up too late."

'Don't worry, Mom." Liir never raised his eyes from the book. ""By the way, what time is Papa coming home?"

"He didn't say." She was on the landing now. "But when he does come home, let me know, alright?"

"Sure."

Shaking her head, Elphaba grasped the banister and climbed the stairs to the second story of the house. Upon reaching the top of the stairs, she noticed that the door to her daughter's room was slightly ajar and a light was burning.

She was still awake.

Peeking through the doorway, the green woman saw the small form of her daughter curled up on the bed. While Liir resembled her in most of his ways, her daughter was the mirror image of her father. Except for her ebony hair and quick temper, Cressida Tiggular favored her father in just about every aspect. She was the daughter he had longed for and the day she was born, Elphaba could have sworn she had seen tears in Fiyero's eyes.

Of course, he had denied it

Whether that was the case mattered not. With this addition their family was complete. They were happy.

At least most of the time.

Knocking softly on the door, Elphaba offered a slight smile when her fourteen-year-old daughter met he gaze. "Can I come in?"

Cressida Tiggular shrugged, but scooted over to make room for her mother. "I guess."

Moving to take a seat beside her, Elphaba smoothed an ebony strand of her daughter's hair behind her ear. "What happened, Cressie? This night was all you could talk about for ages. I know you went with a group of your friends, but what about the one boy? What was his name?"

Between her daughter's sniffles, she managed to hear "Odan"

"That's right." Elphaba murmured as she watched the girl carefully. "Talk to me, Cressie. What happened tonight that caused this."

Wiping the few stray tears that were left on her face away, Cressida kept her eyes focused downward. "We were all sitting in the café, waiting for our drinks to come when a few of the ones that I didn't know started talking. At first I didn't pay much attention, but when I began to listen, I found the subject to be one that I cared about and they were talking as though it were the scum of the earth. And..Well…I got mad and…"

Elphaba felt her eyes slide shut. Her hair and temper weren't the only things her daughter had inherited from her.

Repressing the urge to groan, Elphaba gathered her daughter to her. "Cressie, I'm sorry. I never meant to pass this on to you. Oz, I never even wanted it in the first place."

Her daughter shook her head. "I'm not blaming you, Mom. I just wish there were some way to control it."

The green girl pulled back to face her. "There is, my sweet. It just takes time. I promise you." Wiping another tear from her daughter's cheek, she urged her on. "Then what happened?"

Cressida's eyes, as blue as her father's, met her mother's, tears welling up once more. "What do you think? Everyone looked at me as though I had sprouted a second head. And Odan……He called me a freak! I thought he liked me!"

Wanting to give the boy a healthy piece of her mind, Elphaba pushed that thought aside and focused on her daughter in front of her. "I'm sure he does, Cressie. Maybe you just…startled him."

"How can he, Mom? You've never scared off the boy you like because of something you can't control!"

Elphaba chuckled inwardly. Honey, if you only knew…

Beside her, Cressida let out a snort. "Maybe I should just adopt Liir's philosophy."

Her mother smiled. "Maybe not quite that extreme. But you have plenty of time, my love. The right one will come. Just promise me one thing?"

Her daughter arched a brow. "What's that?"

Elphaba reached out to place a green hand alongside her daughter's face. "You are a very special girl, Cressida. A girl any man would be lucky to have. But don't give yourself away freely. Hold out for a hero, my sweet. You deserve nothing less."

Reaching over to wrap her mother in a hug, Cressida spoke softly. "I know. I remember those fairy tales you used to tell Liir and I when we were little. I used to dream of my prince coming for me. There was always a hero in my dreams." She laughed. "Now I just have to see about finding a flesh and blood one."

'And you will." Elphaba squeezed her tightly "One day."

Her daughter's was silent for a moment and then "But what if I don't?"

Before she could answer, a voice in the doorway caused them both to start slightly. "Am I interrupting something?"

Cressida's face immediately brightened at the sight of her father and she leapt up from the bed to throw her arms around him. Fiyero caught her easily and hugged her tightly. "And how are my two favorite girls this evening?"

Elphaba smiled as he dropped a kiss on her lips and moved to take a seat beside her. "Just fine, thank you, my love. Where's Liir? I asked him to let me know when you arrived home."

Her husband only shook his head. "The boy is out cold in the living room chair. Must have been all that reading finally put him to sleep." Turning his attention back to the ladies, he took his wife's hand in his and she leant back into him as Cressida returned to her previous place on the bed. "So what are we talking about?"

Mother and daughter shared a poignant smile, but simply said. "Girl stuff."

Fiyero's brow immediately arched. "I understand." Turning his gaze to the clock on the wall, he regarded his daughter with a pointed stare. " As fascinating as that sounds, don't you think it's getting rather late?"

Over the groan that came from the recipient of the stare, Elphaba conceded. "I think your father has a point, Cressie." Leaning forward, she placed a kiss on her forehead. "Goodnight, my love. Sleep well."

"Goodnight, sweetheart." Fiyero kissed his daughter as well and then claimed his wife's hand, leading her from the room.

"Mom?" The sound of Cressida's voice stopped her.

The green girl stopped in the doorway "Yes, Cressie?"

The girl hesitated before saying. "You never answered my question. What if there aren't any more heroes out there? What will I do then?"

Elphaba sighed. "I can't answer that." A small smile crossed her features. "I wouldn't be too worried though." Casting a smile behind her, she squeezed the hand that held hers firmly in its grasp. "Something tells me there are still a few lingering somewhere out there."