Author's Note: This story is a continuation of "Anticipations", a Fiyeraba fic I have just finished. Please read that one first if you have not and hello again! if you have! It would help, there will be a lot of references to things that happened in the previous story!

This chapter is epistolary, in the form of correspondance and every letter/note is important so read them all!

Enjoy! xx

Dearest Elphaba,

I cannot express to you how excited I am to attend Shiz University. I had always hoped to have such an education and now that Father has allowed that wish to be fulfilled I am more than ready to focus on gratefully assuming the role of a student with you. I hear you are performing exceptionally from Nanny (as Father is not one to boast, I am sure you are aware) and I am so proud to be following in your footsteps.

I have been a little worried about making friends, but I was reminded by Father that simply remaining true to myself will ensure I form acquaintances with only the very best people. I know you have made very good friends Elphaba, and I am so glad (truth be told I was concerned that you would throw away your reputation just to experiment with dangerous people, but thankfully you have not. It is the work of the Unnamed God, no?).

I digress, I merely wished to accompany Father's letter about my impending arrival with my own words. I love you, my dearest sister, and I shall see you and the towering heights of Shiz University very soon.

Sincerely,

Nessarose Thropp, Fourth Thropp Descending.

Colwen Grounds

Munchkinland.

Evard,

I'm not for discussing your crass hints towards my relationship with Elphaba, knowing her temper she would kill us both before I could put pen to paper. Watch out for her silhouette on your horizon. I will tell you that we are very happy. I love her. There, and that's an end to it!

I want to explain the reason for such a prompt response: I know usually I am leaving you with months between letters that are quite unnecessary. Now I write with a very firm purpose in mind and I have to intention of setting it aside or leaving it to wither and die from ever coming to fruition (Elphaba's words). I know this winter you are returning to travel with the tribes for their journeys across the mountainlands and deserts, and since hopefully my career after Shiz will centre around performing diplomatic duties etc for The Wizard and yourself, I am asking to join you. Don't rush to groan, I thrashed you at hunting last season and I can do it again. I trust you know I'll be a worthy addition.

If I'm honest, this was not my idea, but Elphaba's. She was told firmly in her father's last and quite honestely fairly abrupt letter that she was to spend Lurlinemas with her own family. I hasten to add he was not very pleased about her staying with us last year, and now is determined to hear all about Nessarose's first semester. Well, I'll be damned if he makes her do that every year. Anyway, since we're not to be together, I don't look forward to being alone in the house. Occupy me, please.

Fiyero

Shiz University

My Dear Galinda,

Open your eyes, sweetheart. You live in the manicured pastures of the Upper Uplands as you so carefully and regularly remind us. Your hillocks and woods are so verdant that you may be in more danger of losing me were I with you than you with such a distance between us. Darling Galinda, what has happened to those parties at which you are such a featured player? Learn to appreciate what you have and stop yearning for what is out of reach, and then may you be happy.

I do love you, dearest. I miss you. Though I would never word this in a letter to Fiyero, I suppose I trust that you keep my heartache to yourself (that is a warning Galinda). I miss him terribly. I've drawn scribbled sketches on the wood of a tree and written him a thousand kisses in my head. Do I jest? You decide.

My only consolation is that he and yourself, Glinny-dinny, are thoroughly occupied with whatever business you like to carry out at home. So do not write me of being bored when you both have so many people throwing themselves at you to join their games and drinks. But behave, my good girl, and do not do anything that would make me frown at you. Myself, this is my first half hour I have had alone all week: I am just so well looked after (I do housework, I care for Nessa, you know my role and my enjoyment of it). I shall write Fiyero something kinder now.

My heart and head are full.

Yours, Elphaba.

Fiyero,

I have packed the ring in with your things. You may do with it what you will, but keep it safe and only trust it into the possession of another whom you can guarantee will guard it with her heart.

Minas.

NB Give Elphaba our love.

Dearest, Most Beloved Mother and Father,

Well, what a month it has been! This last week was especially thrillifying and you can tell that to our nasty Aunt Suava!

You will be pleased to hear about my success in my continued efforts towards the improvement of Elphaba's wardrobe. I did tell you how she dresses quite carelessly? She was quite impossible on the subject before but since I have helped so well with her social life (she now has many people smiling at her - how wonderful!), she has been more amiable whenever I suggest small alterations to her closet. Stupidly, she often worries that I will dress her ridiculously inappropriate colours! I mean, really! It is as if she does not know me at all (which is nonsense, of course, oftentimes she may as well be reading my mind)!

Now I know what you are going to say! "Miss Galinda, you must make allowances for the feelings of others!" I know this, and I certainly know Elphaba's issues with her self-esteem: she has had such a terrible time, but now that I am her best friend I am here only to help and in doing so, I aim to make her more comfortable with the idea of beauty. Her own beauty. She really is very beautiful!

Fiyero Tiggular - you remember the boy I dated a few times last year? The Vinkus Prince! - is my sworn ally in my venture to make her wear more flattering lines and cuts. That reminds me! I must appeal to you for the address or telephone number or something of that nature of Mme. Vassilee's designs. She is still in business, is she not? I assume so, she was so very talented! Fiyero does not want me to put in writing why I need such assistance from you as he says "I do not put it beyond Elphaba to go reading your letters!". How funny! I mentioned she can almost read my mind and I am so terrible at keeping secrets! Hello, Elphaba, if you are reading this! Oh no, avert your eyes!

Dearest Mother and Father, we have been written to personally from the Wizard of Oz several times asking after our health and our progress in Second Year! How wonderful! He is very attentive to details concerning our interests of study and how we spend our spare time. Elphaba seems to be enjoying what such attention implies for her career and mine (and Fiyero's of course, you know he receives letters, too!) but she told me she feels spied on by his constant appeals for attention. She has said something to him in one of her replies I am sure of it! I would worry about his angered response to such words from a student, but he seems so very enraptured by our Elphie's talents that I think he may just do as he is told! Imagine that!

Mother, I am pleased to hear that the Opera Guild seem to be courting you so amiably! I hope we shall be receiving complimentary invitations and tickets very soon! You know yourself how very much of an asset you already are to many of the best organisations. Do inform them of your daughter working for the Wizard! I trust you not to sound boastful, though you do it so elegantly!

Papa, thank you for your packages sent to me! I am eternally grateful. Kisses! And I do not like to hear of you slacking off your exercises! Take the dogs for a walk - for me!

I shall love you always, and now Elphie calls me to dinner!

Yours,

Galinda

Frexspar Thropp, Governor of Munchkinland,

I write to you, Gorvernor Thropp, for happy reasons. I am aware you know of the continued relationship between my son, Prince Fiyero and your eldest daughter, Miss Elphaba Thropp. We have met the young lady on several occasions and are extremly happy to know her. My wife, Queen Nanda and myself look forward to meeting your kind self in the future.

To that end, as we believe it would be very cruel to separate the young lovers over the summer period, I ama extending an invitation to both the Misses Thropp for the duration of their holiday from Shiz University. I understand from Miss Nessarose that you intend to travel for ministerial purposes for the next four months and it would be inconveniant and odd to have the girls either with you or at home alone when there so many people wishing for their company here.

Of course we offer you a suite in our home should you decide to cut your trip short or cancel it altogether. I hope to hear from you very soon, and in the positive.

Sincerely,

King Minas of the Vinkus

SECOND YEAR EXAM RESULTS BOARD - SHIZ UNIVERSITY

ELPHABA THROPP - LIFE SCIENCES 100 (A) SORCERY 99 (A) HISTORY 100 (A)

GALINDA UPLAND - SORCERY 92 (A) HISTORY 87 (A) HISTORY OF ART AND ARCHITECTURE 89 (A)

FIYERO TIGGULAR - HISTORY 81 (A) POLITICS 90 (A) PHILOSOPHY 95 (A)

Fae I can't concentrate with you looking so beautiful over there. I know I just got up to give this to you, but won't you come over here, away from the window where people can see you and sit with me? Surely the Vinkun library ain't so interesting that you don't want a kiss from me.

Also, you frown when you read and I love it.

Fiyero, from acorss the room.

Yero, your library is almost on a level with those at Shiz, except more interesting because it is the personal collection of a thousand-year dynasty. I love it. Of course, not as much as I love you. This book I am skimming through cannot give me a kiss, so yes, I will come over and let you kiss me. I may even enjoy it.

Fae, from your lap.

NB. Next time, don't waste pen and ink.

SHIZ UNIVERSITY - HONOURS YEAR COURSES

ELPHABA THROPP - SORCERY

- LIFE SCIENCES

GALINDA UPLAND - SORCERY

FIYERO TIGGULAR - POLITICS

Dear Nanda,

I hope I haven't made you wait too long, though if this has taken more time than you expected it is the fault of the adiminstration at Shiz and not of my lack of communication (I assume you would have guessed this. I won't keep you in suspense: we are all accepted into the applied for classes and are very happy to be doing so. Fiyero is glad to be able to focus on one subject, though I hastened to add that it would not necessarily mean his workload would decrease. Galinda still frets over her missing 8 marks in Sorcery and so our tutors have prescribed her to work on calling her powers, and making that area of difficulty her dissertation study. I am allowed to continue with both Life Sciences and Sorcery. I fully intend on amalgamating them both for my dissertation, and have been allowed unprecedented access to the files of the Ministry for additional research into the attitudes towards Animals for Life Sciences and the History of Sorcery.

I am not afraid to tell you how ill at ease this freedom with such sensitive information makes me. I do not understand how the Wizard can trust us all so much, when he truly knows us so little. He may know when we were born, and what we were studying, but that does not give him the monopoly on our behaviour. I dislike a person, even Fiyero, thinking they know me so well. I know in myself that we would never abuse such trust. That is, unless I find something incriminating. I have promised Fiyero to think of you, however, before I let my temper run away with me. I will, Nanda, I promise.

Sincerely, Elphaba.

Dearest Elphie,

Your letter waiting for me when I wrrived home was touching and worrying in equal measures. I won't shy away from telling you that it did worry me to see that you had contacted me so quickly after I had left, but I understand that there are some things more easily written in pen than said with your voice.

Please feel better soon, and let Fiyero coddle you. I know you hate the word, but if you'll permit me to say I do believe it is what both of you rneed after such a sudden wash of feelings. You don't sound particularly frightened or panicked, which is good. After all, it was only a suspicion, and you are always late every month in any case. Still, please tell me next time.

Maybe you won't agree with me, but it sounds as though Fiyero is acting like he wanted you to tell him you were pregnant. I wouldn't be surprised if he is upset now just because he is realising that he would have really wanted what he now knows is not going to happen yet. He loves you very much, Elphie, so try not to be too mad at him for this.

I don't think you will be, thought. You don't exactly sound over the moon about not being pregnant yourself. are you keeping something from me? Would you be happy to know you were going to have a baby? Picture it, Elphie.

Write me back, quickly please! I want to hear that everything is alright if it is so, and if it is not so, then why?

Yours,

Galinda

Evard,

I'm not gonna beat about the bush with this letter. You know I write to you for advice so I'm telling you now that Elphaba told me she thought she might be pregnant. I can barely write that, Evard. It makes my hands seize and shake and I'm not sure it's for a bad reason.

I thought she was, I really did. I went with her to the doctor, where she was examined and they took blood tests. But a few days later she was told "not to worry". Thing is, I guess I assumed she would be thrilled at this news because she looked so ashen beforehand. It's almost the opposite. She's quiet and relfective and I miss her sarcasm and her jibes at everything I do that might irritate her. Her behaviour made me think she would have liked to have had a baby.

I did think perhaps she had lied, and she was pregnant but didn't want to tell me, so when the doctor informed us that she wasn't then it meant she had miscarried. This was not true, I asked her. As you can imagine she was fairly angry and I even made her cry - something I hate and regret more than anything. She did understand eventually why I had thought something so extreme of her. No explanation from her, though.

Yesterday I saw her in a second hand bookshop and went in to surprise her. She was reading a baby name book. I didn't really know what to do, but I took the book and bought it for her. She told me then, that she really thought she would be happy to know it was nothing, too, and that she can't explain why now she feels sad. I said it was perhaps because she wanted to be pregnant. She didn't say anything, but she hasn't left my side since then. She's only gone to the loo now, so I decided to get this out to you.

Sincerely, Fiyero.

Dad,

I've had more than a few letters from Fiyero over the past few months, all of course about Elphaba. This is just to note to encourage you to do whatever is in your power to keep them together over the holidays. I know Miss Upland has invited them to her home in the Pertha Hills: perhaps it wouldn't be bad idea for him to be one of the party. Mam will need some convincing maybe, but just remind that by this time next year they may even be married, so it would be worth everyone's while not to separate them.

Sincerely, Evard.

Dearest Galinda,

I shall rebuke you, young lady, not to have so much fear in asking for things in future! Of course your friends may come with you for Lurlinemas! It has been far, far too long since we last had such a gathering! With you all doing so well this year in your studies and your future's so bright I can barely look at them for fear of being blinded! Your father and I agree that it would be a cruelty of the highest sort to separate Miss Elphaba and Prince Fiyero for the holiday, especially when there is such a simple solution!

Now, I must plan for all your guests, my dear! I would be very grateful if you would send me a full list of the company we shoudl expect, including any dietary requirements etc etc and any favourite dishes! Also, we shall not have our guests without gifts, so do allow me their home addresses so I might send couriers to fly them to our house.

I look forward to seeing you, my dearest girl!

Lots of Love and kisses!

Mother

FROM THE DESK OF OSCAR DIGGS

Miss Elphaba Thropp, Miss Galinda Upland and Prince Fiyero Tiggular.

I write my congratulotions on your successful graduation from Shiz University and extend my heartfelt wishes that you will enjoy a summer break before returning once more to the Emerald City to discuss your future in our wonderful land.

I hope the gifts I sent were acceptable, especially to you, Elphaba. It is not often such intelligent young minds are discovered and I intend to shout about yours!

Oscar.

A lots has happened since we last saw them, yes.