Disclaimer: Nothing has changed since the last chapter. It's still not mine.

a/n: Woah... thanks for the reviews. I was expecting, one maybe two... not as many as I got so... thankyou! For this chapter I had a choice of one short one and one a little longer, or one really long one. I went with the latter because you guys are so lovely. Also, I feel the need to point out that the Fiyero in the beginning of this story is the 'Dancing Through Life' Fiyero slightly exaggerated to fit the needs of this story. He will change... obviously... but any OOCness you may or may not be experiencing is coming from that.


It was a few days later and Elphaba was walking back to her dorm room from her Life Science class. Her bag was heavy from the books she carried and she had a habit of keeping her head down as she walked. That way she wasn't quite as aware of the stares she so often got. Though, you would think that by now the students would be used to seeing the green girl.

She walked briskly, clutching the handle of her bag before she finally got to her room. She unlocked the door and walked in, quickly throwing her bag at the foot of her bed and collapsing on to it. She had had Sorcery before Life Science and she was still tired from it. Sometimes magic took a lot out of her, though there seemed to be no real pattern to it. Some days it made her feel alive and she was fuelled for the rest of the day on some sort of adrenaline kick, and some days, like today, she drained her completely. She let her head sink slowly into the pillow and shut her eyes.

There were a few moments of blissful silence, and then… an ear-piercing giggle.

The door swung open and Elphaba could barely suppress the moan at the sight. Galinda had a fist full of Fiyero's shirt as he leant forward, their lips seemingly super glued together. All of a sudden Galinda pulled herself away and looked at her roommate.

"Oh, sorry Elphie." She said. "I didn't know you were here."

"I was about to go to the library anyway." She kept the sigh out of her voice, she'd been hoping for at least a ten minute nap before getting to her much needed study.

"Have fun." The boy attached to her roommate said sarcastically, before going to kiss Galinda again.

"Wait!" Galinda all but yelled, halting Fiyero in his next attempt to kiss her, and Elphaba from taking the final step out the door. "Fiyero, dear, didn't you say you needed some help in history?" She asked. Already they could see the twinkle in her eye, the one that said she had an idea. Elphaba had seen the look before... right before she was attacked with powder and lipstick and big pink flowers. She had come to have a disliking for that look in Galinda's eyes.

"Uh…" Fiyero blinked at her stupidly, not daring to say anything else.

"And Elphie, isn't that like… one of your bestest subjects?"

"Uh…" She echoed Fiyero. If anything, History was probably one of her weaker subjects since she didn't care as much for it.

"Oh!" She clapped her hands delightedly. "I have such a fantabulous idea." This was what they dreading. "Elphie, you can tutor Fiyero."

"What?" The both of them looked at her horrified.

"All I want is for my best friend and my boyfriend to get along. And Fiyero, you need help in a subject that Elphie is really good at… oh it's just perfect! I'm so smart!"

Elphaba watched in slight amusement as Fiyero forced a smile on his face. "Galinda, sweetheart, are you sure that this is a good idea?" He asked.

"Yeah, no offence to you Galinda," She shot Fiyero a look as if to say 'but total offence to you' "I can't really, well, be the same room as him." Even in that very moment she was finding his presence suffocating.

Galinda only let out a short squeal in reply and clapped her hands delightedly. "Exactly!" She said. "That's what's so smart about my idea. You two will learn to get along."

Elphaba and Fiyero locked eyes with the same bewildered expression. It took them less than two seconds to realise what had just happened, they'd just agreed on something. Elphaba tore her eyes away from his blue ones to look back at Galinda. That was a mistake. The blonde girl looked so joyful at the idea of the two of them getting along. Her eyes sparkled with a childish delight that only she had and she kept glancing between the two of them hopefully. In that moment Elphaba hated that just this one look from Galinda softened her. Before Elphaba could really gain control of her mouth she found herself saying the very words, "Fine, I'll give it a go."

It was as Galinda squealed again and Fiyero sighed heavily Elphaba suddenly realised the situation. She had just willing agreed to spend alone time with Fiyero. Fiyero of all people. She watched the scene before her as Galinda turned her hopeful eyes to dark-haired boy before her. He glanced up at Elphaba only briefly and sighed again.

"Fine." He said begrudgingly. "If it will make you happy."

"So happy."

And with that it was settled. Elphaba Thropp would be spending an hour a day with Fiyero Tiggular, attempting to tutor him in history.

Oh Oz, what had she gotten herself into? It was unlikely either of them would survive even the first hour…

* * *

That first hour came far too quickly for either of them, Elphaba in particular. She'd spent the entire morning with a sick feeling of dread at the pit of her stomach and it wasn't going to go away. The nervous anticipation of having to spend an entire hour with a boy she couldn't stand was getting the better of her and she hated that. She hated him for that. What she was dreading most was that he would see her... really see her.

Fiyero had been... not the kindest person to her, to put it lightly. Oh sure, she was used to people being mean and downright rude, but Fiyero... well, he had an usual talent for being able to say the right thing at the right moment that would cut straight to her core. What she was afraid of was that he would finally get to see the true impact of his words. The real effect they had on her. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing that.

She was in the Library, in the study area. They had an assignment for history focusing on the Yellow Brick Road so she'd selected a few books on the topic, from the building of it, to discussions as to whether or not it created unity in Oz. He was late.

Fifteen minutes so.

On any other occasion, had it been any other person, Elphaba would have been thoroughly annoyed and ready to tell them off about punctuality. But right now, that meant fifteen more minutes she hadn't spent in the presence of Fiyero Tiggular, and in her books, that was a very good thing. Instead, she started forming her argument for her assignment. She started to really get into it, her eyes flying over pages for quotes she could use, frequently making notes and page references in her notepad. She all but forgot about the intended purpose of this study session.

Until she heard someone clear their throat behind her.

She was startled out of her trance, her pen made a line through the middle of her page in the process.

"I didn't really scare you did I?" His smooth voice, slightly mockingly, asked.

Elphaba suddenly found her heart pounding and she tried steady breaths to calm it down, telling herself it was just the shock. "You shouldn't sneak up on people like that."

"Sneak? I barely snuck, I've been standing behind you for the past five minutes trying to get your attention."

"Oh." She had no response. "Ok, well, anyway. I thought we'd work on the assignment on the Yellow Brick Road."

"Ah, the old YBR as I like to call it."

"Yes, well, anyway, these books are about it so just pick one up and read it." With that she turned back to the page she was on. Several moments passed and she noticed he was staring at her. She shifted uncomfortably and bit her lip, trying to ignore it. When he didn't seem to stop she lifted her head and faced him. "What?"

"That's it?" He asked.

"What are you talking about?"

"Your 'tutoring' is just going to be 'read this book'." He made air quotes and she suppressed the urge to roll her eyes.

"Well, do I need to teach you how to read?"

"No..." He said slowly.

"Ok, well, since the situation is we both agreed to these tutoring session only to please Galinda, I assumed you would prefer the method of learning by reading because the books won't yell at you."

"And you would?" He asked to clarify.

She responded to him with a look, that was a cross between 'what do you expect?' and a glare. He held his hands up in defence.

"Ok, ok. Reading then." He picked up the book closest to him and opened to the first chapter.

Elphaba stared at him momentarily amazed. She expected some sort of argument as to why he couldn't just read the book, or him trying to persuade her to do the assignment for him, or for him to take the moment to make another one of his unnecessary remarks on the colour of her skin... anything but to actually do as she asked. She waited a moment, surely the punch line was coming... but he turned the page over and it didn't happen. She shrugged and returned to her own assignment.

A good ten minutes passed and Fiyero sighed heavily for the third time in a row, then stretched in arms and back, taking up as much room as he possibly could, nearly hitting her in the shoulder and yawned loudly.

Elphaba emitted a growl. "For goodness sake can you not do that?"

"Not do what?" He asked her innocently.

She didn't give him a response instead she looked at what he'd done. "You haven't taken any notes."

He clapped slowly, sarcastically. "I'm so glad I have a 'tutor' who is so smart at pointing things out to me. I never would have realised otherwise. You know, I heard once that there are guys out there who for... whatever reason... actually like smart girls. Perhaps there's hope for you yet. I personally doubt it since no male, unless he were blind, could get past... well... but you never know. Stay hopeful little Elphie."

"Forgive me, I didn't actually realise your brain was so small and your skull so thick nothing actually gets through. I was implying the question of 'why' you haven't taken any notes. But congratulations Fiyero, you've moved to a whole new category of stupid." She didn't dare dwell on his other remark.

His eyes grew steadily colder at her. "You think I really care what you think? You're sorely mistaken. I'm willing to be civil around you when Galinda is around, but don't expect the same treatment otherwise, and if you tell her, I'll just tell her the things you say to me. Do we have a deal?"

"Whatever." She agreed, wanting nothing more than for the conversation to end and to go back to the assignment she was steadily making progress on.

"Fine, and since Galinda isn't here, I'm under no obligation to be nice to you."

"Nor am I to be to you." She said briefly trying to get back to her book.

There was a pause.

"Just... one thing."

She turned and looked at him expectantly, he had a sheepish expression, and the slightest hint of fear in his eyes.

"What's the assignment?"

"It's the one Dr Dillamond gave us last lesson."

He stared at her blankly. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You were there."

"Are you sure?"

"Unless there was another Fiyero Tiggular throwing pieces of paper at my head the entire time then yes, I'm sure."

"Huh..." A look crossed his face briefly and Elphaba couldn't quite tell what it was. It seemed to be a cross between satisfaction and... something else she couldn't quite pinpoint, but disappeared just as quickly and she didn't want to dwell on it. Her time could very well be better spent than thinking about him.

"Oh for Oz's sake, here." She took a spare piece of paper and quickly copied something down. She all but threw the paper at him. "I suppose I'm obligated to say feel free to ask any questions, even though I'd really prefer you didn't."

"The construction of the Yellow Brick Road and it's effect on citizens of Oz?" He read out slowly. "I have to write an essay on how aroadaffected people? This is the dumbest assignment ever."

"I don't care." She muttered, pulling open yet another book and quickly flipping open to the chapter she needed.

"People make a bigger deal out of this road than necessary. And that song... it's so dumb."

"Find a new adjective."

"A new what?"

She rolled her eyes and snapped the book shut. "You know, I think we can cut this one short. All right? I'm sure you and Galinda have some sort of plans you'd rather be primping for."

"Artie, darling, I am naturally this beautiful, if I 'primped' I would be so dazzling it would be blinding. And while a blind world might help you it does me no favours because I'm denying people a right to gaze upon such a specimen."

"Artie?"

"My new nickname for you." He said. "You know... Artichoke... Artie. I think it suits you. Anyway, if you're dismissing class I'm off. Same time tomorrow then?"

"I suppose."

"It's a date then babe." He winked at her and sauntered off.

Elphaba had to try hard to suppress the shudder that went through her at being called 'babe' by him.


a/n: Don't be afraid to leave a review... really... they do make me happy.