AN: I meant to do this earlier this week but it has been a bit crazy. I apologize. Anyway, in defense of what I did here (which is a bit different) with their physical relationship: I have always seen Elphaba as being a sexual person. Once she REALIZES she likes something, she sees no shame in something that most of society considers to be as taboo as sex. So her wanting to? That doesn't surprise me. Anyway, that's not the only change I've been making, but you shouldn't notice anything else too crazy. I did change how I did their wedding night, but that's not for quite some time so why don't we wait until we get to that?

CHAPTER FOUR: Tradition

They sat in his room, the windows open. The fresh spring breeze wafted through the curtains. "Are you going home for the spring holidays?" Fiyero asked her.

She grunted. Elphaba wasn't looking forward to it. Nessa and Nanny had found out about her relationship with Fiyero and had written home to her father. Apparently he wished to talk to her about it when she returned. "Unfortunately. What about you?"

"I am. That's too bad. I liked the winter holidays."

They had both stayed on campus then, and had spent most of their time in her room, kissing on her bed. Her face flushed just thinking about that. With Fiyero, her body did traitorous things, wanted things she had sworn she had no interest in. Those feelings didn't bother her, but they did surprise her. "Maybe a break from each other will be good."

"I'm not too excited to see my family, either," he added.

"Why not?" Elphaba was curious. He didn't talk about his family much.

"I haven't told my parents about you. It's not that I didn't want to. I just wanted to speak to them about it in person. I'm sure it will be fine, but they're so traditional. They won't be pleased that I'm not marrying the girl they chose."

"They won't force you to, though, will they?"

"Of course not."

But she could tell there was something he wasn't saying. "Then why does it bother you so much?"

"Life in the Vinkus, Elphaba, is a little different than it is here. They aren't nearly so progressive. My parents were horrified when they learned that women studied here, too."

Elphaba frowned. "I don't think they'll like me very much, then."

"I don't care. Who I go with is my decision, not theirs. They'll have to live with it."

"They can't veto it?"

"I marry who I want. I'm the prince."

On the word 'marry,' Elphaba turned away. That was too much to think about so quickly.

"Sorry. I didn't mean that we'd… I just…" Fiyero grabbed her hand.

"It's fine, Fiyero," she turned back to him. "It's just a little soon. It has only been six or seven months."

"Feels like longer," he observed, cupping her cheek.

Elphaba reached up and kissed him, tugging him back on the bed like she had done many times before. She felt his hands eagerly go to the buttons on her dress, and her body thrummed with delight as he removed the top half of it. She loved the way his hands felt on her body, like they were devouring every inch of her, sending electricity through her blood. This time, he pulled the dress all the way off and her breath caught in her throat as his lips began to travel her skin. He'd touched his lips to her torso before, but neither his hands nor his mouth had dared go below her waist. As his tongue traveled back up from her navel, she felt his hands slide between her legs, pressing them apart gently. He sucked at her neck and she moaned helplessly, grabbing for his shirt and tugging it over his head.

His fingers touched her, tenderly at first, then they pressed against her more roughly. Her hips pressed towards him as one finger slowly dipped into the wetness between her thighs. She cried out softly. Suddenly she wanted him. Before she could reach to undo his trousers, his mouth traveled downwards again and she had no desire to stop him. He pushed her thighs further apart and settled between them, his kisses burning her flesh, his finger still inside of her, thrusting quickly. He kissed the tender nub of flesh below her waist and pleasure flooded her body. When he replaced his finger with his tongue, she grasped the sheets in ecstasy, whimpering softly with each gentle movement. When his kisses finally made their way back up to her throat, she reached for his trousers, wanting more.

"We can't," he murmured, grabbing her hands.

"Why not?" She pleaded. Elphaba was not ashamed to want him. Perhaps her feelings scared her, but the physical aspect was different. She welcomed it.

"Because by Vinkun tradition, the girl I marry must be a virgin."

And who said they were going to be married? But that wasn't what she said to him. "How will they know if I'm not? I am, by the way."

"I know that, Elphaba. And they'll know by the sheets."

"They still do that? Display the sheets to the entire village? That's ancient." She pulled her dress back on.

"I told you, there's a lot of tradition in the Vinkus. Sex is part of it."

"Nothing awful, I hope."

"Not that I know of." He pulled his shirt back on and kissed her cheek. "Believe me, I want to, Elphaba. Don't ever think I don't."

"I could tell," she said softly. "And I'm sure you could tell I wanted to."

"I could practically taste it," he murmured in her ear.

"Please stop teasing me with something I can't have." She moaned, pressing her face into his chest. "It's not fair."

"You can have it. Just not now. And believe me, it's driving me crazy, too."

She was getting uncomfortable with all the implications he'd been making about marriage. Elphaba straightened herself out and sat up. "I should probably get going, on that note. We're leaving in a few hours."

Before she could reach the door, he wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her. "I'm going to miss you. A lot."

"It's just a fortnight, Fiyero." She didn't want to tell him that she'd miss him, too.

"It's going to be the longest fortnight of my life," he told her.

"And what are you going to do when summer break comes along, my sweet?" She laughed as she walked out the door. "I'll be back in the day before classes start, early in the morning. You are welcome to come find me then."

Glinda was packing what looked like a year's worth of clothes into a suitcase when she walked in. "Did you say goodbye to Fiyero?"

Elphaba nodded. "He's going home, too."

"The buttons on your dress are wrong," Glinda told her.

"Oh! I…" She looked down at herself. Her dress was fine. "Glinda!"

"You little minx! I knew it!" Glinda smiled knowingly at her.

"You don't know as much as you think you do. He's more respectful than that. Unbuttoning a button or two does not mean sex, Glinda. We have limits and he obeys them." She certainly didn't intend to tell her roommate she'd practically begged him to break those same limits less than an hour ago.

"But he has unbuttoned those buttons?" Glinda pressed.

"Just a few of them." Elphaba lied. "And that really isn't any of your business." She took a glance in the mirror. Elphaba didn't want one hair out of place when she met Nessa and Nanny later. If they thought she'd been doing anything unorthodox, she'd be in a lot of trouble.

Neither Nessa nor Nanny commented on anything, though, and they endured the two day train ride to Munchkinland in silence for the most part. It would be her father who did all the talking.

She had barely put her things down when her father called her into the living room. Her Nanny was there, but Nessa was not. Elphaba knew what this was about. "Is it that much of a problem that I'm dating, Father?" She sat as far away from both of them as possible.

"I have some questions, that is all." Her father said.

"Then ask them. I haven't done anything wrong and I have nothing to hide."

"If that's the case, Fabala, why did I have to hear it from your Nanny in a letter? Why did you not write and tell me? And why did you not tell your Nanny? She only found out by accident."

"One of your little friends said something at lunch one day."

"I know it was Tibbett, Nanny. And I would've told you. You just never asked."

"How was I supposed to know to ask you? Wait until I saw the two of you making out on a bench in the quad?"

"Nanny! You know I would never!" At least not on a bench in the middle of the quad...

"Elphaba, we would've liked a little bit more honesty from you. I don't think it's asking too much that you inform us that you're involved with someone." Frex gave her a stern look.

"Fine, fine. I'm dating Fiyero. You already knew that. I doubt it'll happen again, so why are you lecturing me?"

"Are you behaving like a lady?" Her father asked.

"Really, Father? You're going to lecture me about sex? Me? Do I even seem the least bit interested?"

"We didn't think you were interested in dating, either, and you proved us wrong." Nanny commented dryly.

"Why does it matter how I'm behaving? Were you planning on marrying me off to someone and are checking to make sure my dignity is intact?"

"I just think that the future Eminent Thropp needs to uphold a certain… image." Her father raised his eyebrows at her.

"I'm fine, Father. Just ask Nanny. She's never seen me do anything wrong. We only hold hands."

"At least so much as I've seen," Nanny said.

"What in Oz do you think I do with him? Tie him to a bed and have my way with him?" Elphaba demanded.

"Elphaba, your language!"

"It's better than the two of you talking around the question. Just go ahead and ask me."

"Have you slept with this boy?" Frex asked, exasperated.

"No! And I don't intend to! We both understand that such things are only to be done within the bonds of marriage." Well, maybe he understood that. And she was guessing he didn't want to have to obey that. But that wasn't a point to bring up with her father.

"How long have you been seeing him?"

"About six months."

"Have you discussed marriage at all? Does he understand the demands of your position as future Eminent Thropp?"

"Nanny didn't tell you?" Elphaba was surprised. "He's a prince. From the Vinkus. I'm relatively sure that he has certain demands he has to adhere to, as well. And no, we haven't discussed marriage. Not directly."

"A prince?" Her father looked taken aback.

Elphaba didn't understand his surprise, at least not for a moment. And then it came to her: The idea that anyone wanted her was strange enough to him, but that it could be someone as important as a prince? Someone respectable? Her father had always assumed she'd be a spinster. Truth be told, so had she. But now not only was she in a relationship, she was involved with a prince. "I suppose that's shocking to you. That someone so estimable as a prince should have taken an interest in me."

"No, it's not that…" Frex was clearly at a loss for words.

"Then what is it?"

"It's… well, I'm just trying to figure out exactly what is going to happen should you and this prince marry. I don't suppose you can both be his princess and be Eminent Thropp." Her father recovered well.

Elphaba had thought about that, albeit briefly. "I don't suppose so. Perhaps Nessa will have to step in and take my place. But like I told you, I have not discussed marriage with him. As of right now, there are no plans for such a thing. Don't jump ahead of yourself."

"I wish to meet him." Frex said suddenly. "If he is available over the summer, why don't you invite him out here?"

She didn't understand why her father was so interested in meeting Fiyero. He'd never cared who she associated with before. And why was everyone else so insistent pressing the marriage issue? That was for the future, the far future… right?