Author's Note: Don't own anything. Never will. Oh well. Okay, here's chapter 4. I'm a very impatient person and I can't be bothered waiting a week to upload when I've all the chapters sitting there. The reason I'm writing far ahead is because I like to have the chance to go back and later things if I want to, like grammar and spelling but also plot and character developments, too. Sometimes stuff that I wrote doesn't make sense or would sound better a different way etc etc. It's my way of making sure you guys have the best story possible.

Thanks so much for your reviews so far, keep 'em coming please. It would really help me to know what bits you like and don't like and especially what you want to see happen . . . more fluff or less fluff? More of the Thropp family? There will be a Lurlinemas trip to Kiamo Ko eventually which I am very excited about writing!

Anyway, first you should enjoy the chapter :) xx

"What?" Fiyero grabbed her hand before she could argue and elbowed their way into the middle of the crowd. "Fiyero! I can't believe-"

"Oh come on, you'll love dancing with me." She rolled her eyes at him and put one hand on his shoulder and the other in his hand. "Oh no no, you've got to be much closer than that." Without warning, his hand was on her back and he had pressed her right against him. "It's a slow dance, Elphie."

She was torn; she couldn't believe what was happening. Fiyero Tiggular was dancing very very close to her. No one had ever been that close to her before and she was not entirely sure that she liked it. "Don't call me that, Tiggular."

"What should I call you?"

"Elphaba." He protested, upset that as her 'close friend' as he put it, he had to use the honorific employed by everyone else. "Didn't you hear? Everyone else calls me greenie, or artichoke, or the vegetable. You're actually quite privileged."

Fiyero spun her out of the way of a couple dancing particularly violently and Elphaba thought she had never seen anything quite so dangerous. There was no room to move. "That is not true. Avaric's the only moron still calling you that. And you're not as smart as I think you are if you don't realise that."

Sure, out loud. "You think I'm smart?" It was small and actually completely unimportant in the grand scheme of things, but if she could confirm anything about herself that could be admired, it was worth it.

"Of course. You're the brightest thinker I've ever met." She smiled. "So, what's it to be?" Elphaba rolled her eyes. She didn't want to go through this, but at least he appeared to be putting some thought into his nickname. Hopefully it was so she would like to hear it. Fiyero let her name play over and over in his mind. "Oh well . . . what about . . ." He leaned into her to whisper in her ear, and he felt her stiffen and breathe in sharply. What a reaction. "Fae?"

Elphaba's stomach flipped right over inside her and her face was so hot she must have been bright red. Like a Lurlinemas decoration. She thought for a moment about how he had come to think of that name and realised he was much more intelligent than he gave himself credit for. He could just as easily have gone for Fabala or something he didn't really have to think about.

"Fae? Is that alright?" It was impossible for him to tell what in Oz she was thinking. All he could see was her forehead. What if she hated all this? All the dancing and the public exposure he knew was not her favourite pastime, but she'd seemed happy enough. His doubts might have consumed him, had he not felt her nod. Looking down, she was definitely replying in the positive to his question. "Oh good. Fae it is." They spent a few more minutes moving about before it dawned on him that she was looking directly at her feet. "Hey, Elphaba. Look up. If you start dancing with your eyes on the floor you'll end up ramming into something one day."

"That's a good philosophy you should apply yourself."

"Stop avoiding the issue." He lifted her chin and smiled. "See? It's not so bad. I'm actually quite handsome you know."

"Fiyero, if I don't look at my feet I will seriously impair your ability to walk."

"It's not like there's much room here. You need to let me lead you. Look," She felt his hand move to her hips. She shivered. Fiyero moved them back and forward and right and left. He watched as she grew more and more excited with each time that she did not stand on either of his feet and a pretty pink blush appeared on her cheeks. She smiled proudly.

"Hey, look at you. That's pretty good." Elphaba giggled. She giggled happily as he danced her about.

"This is brilliant." Elphaba had never been so pleased with herself; academic achievements had previously been one of the only things that gave her a similar feeling. "I've never felt so exhilarated." Fiyero smiled and twirled her. "Whenever I saw people dancing I always thought it was so ridiculous because all the laughing seemed so superficial."

"There's nothing wrong with a little superficiality now and again."

Elphaba looked at him and grinned. "You're really smart, Fiyero. I mean that was a really big word right there . . . that you used." He thanked her and couldn't help but wonder if she was a little drunk.

"Thanks, Fae. It's much appreciated."

Her face fell. "Oh no, I wasn't trying to be mean, Fiyero. It was supposed to be a compliment!" She looked genuinely distraught and embarrassed that she might have wounded his pride or acted stuck-up and she tried to leave.

"Hey! Where d'you think you're going?" He gripped her waist and pinned her against him again. "You're not mean. I never thought that, Fae."

"Really. That's great!" Elphaba Thropp. Drunk. "I love dancing."

Fiyero smiled. He glanced over to the table and saw that the giggling girl in his arms was not the only one who had been affected by the alcohol; Galinda was laughing and nursing what he could only assume was her fourth or fifth sweet stout, although Elphaba had been on her fifth when he had asked her to dance.

Fiyero looked at Elphaba. She had relaxed and closed her eyes and was swaying slowly as he led her around the dance floor. Elphaba had never felt so good; the drinks and the food let her lose her inhibitions and enjoy herself and she thought there was no other place in Oz where she would feel so alive.

"I like dancing with you." He didn't know what made him say it, but he had said it and it was true, so there wasn't anything wrong with it. In an impulsive gesture, he brought her hand to his chest and moved closer to her, his lips in her hair in a permanent kiss.

Though she knew it probably wouldn't last much longer, Elphaba rested her head on his chest. It was perhaps the most sublime feeling she had ever experienced and she fully intended to take advantage of it. She listened carefully and could make out his heartbeat; it was strong and steady, like hers. Both were relaxed and comfortable and safely cloaked by the myriad of other couples surrounding them.

Suddenly, a voice from the bandstand that was entirely unwelcome. "That's all for now, kids. We're gonna take a break . . ."

"That's crap." Fiyero looked at Elphaba, surprised that she'd said that. He chided himself, though; she was so spunky and prickly that it was more surprising he'd never heard it before.

"Yeah, well, they've got to rest, I suppose." The crowd began to disperse. Slowly. "Promise you'll dance with me later."

Elphaba blushed deeply, but she wasn't so embarrassed by it now and she smiled at him. "Okay." Fiyero laughed that she was so carefree all of a sudden and she grabbed his hand and went back to their seats. "Galinda, Fiyero taught me to dance."

"Hope he was wearing gloves."

"Shut up Avaric." Fiyero shrugged at his friend's look of irritation and smirked when Elphaba turned right back to her friend. "I didn't stand on his feet or anything."

Galinda beamed at them both.

"So, you enjoyed yourself tonight, then?" Galinda sat on her bed and began to remove her shoes; they had walked home under the assumption that it wasn't that far to Crage Hall. It wasn't the distance so much as the fact that they had all been dancing that now meant Galinda's feet were two sizes smaller than they had been that afternoon. It did not take them long, however, so swell up to three times their normal size.

"Yes." Elphaba smiled inside; it had been an immensely good night comparatively speaking and much better than she might ever have anticipated. "Now, before I say this, Galinda, you must promise me that you won't take this as an invitation to go all crazy or make completely irrational assumptions, as you tend to." Galinda promised. "But I have never enjoyed myself as much as I did tonight." Elphaba grinned involuntarily and whispered as though she was afraid her admittance would upset the balance of Oz. "No grade I have ever achieved has felt as exhilarating as this . . . dancing and things."

Galinda hugged her and smiled. "I am so happy." Elphaba watched as her friend walked to her bed and began to delicately repack her shoes. Galinda seemed much less bouncy than Elphaba had expected after such a good night and she was definitely quieter. The only ringing sound in Elphaba's ears was a result of the pounding music they had only recently left; usually it was Galinda's high pitched repetitions of everything that had happened.

"Are you?" Elphaba watched Galinda's reaction carefully; she smiled and nodded . . . then avoided Elphaba's gaze and shook her head. "What? Galinda Upland not happy?"

She shook her head again. Galinda was not particularly happy, but rather than being sad she was more confused about her state of emotions. She knew the source of them and it disturbed her because they were against what she supposed she was expected to feel. "Fiyero."

Elphaba's eyed snapped up from her bed where she had carefully laid out her dress, not wanting Galinda to be upset if she creased it. Now it seemed the dress might be the least of her worries. Her exposure to Galinda meant she was forced to keep a calm façade, thought inside she was screaming. "What about him? He . . . he seems to love you."

"I know. But that's my problem" Galinda sighed and paused; the air seemed suddenly thick and oppressive to Elphaba. "I guess I seem . . . not to love him . . . I think. I don't know what I'm talking about." She spoke carefully, and chose her words in a similar way. When she looked up, Elphaba was staring at he ground, as if in a trance. "Elphie, you're my closest friend. You're my best friend." She sat beside her and took her hand and Elphaba felt her heart melting; nothing anyone had ever said to her had ever meant so much. "I know you can't offer advice based on experience, but I want your advice as someone who is impartial and someone who knows us."

"What do you mean 'impartial'?" Elphaba challenged.

"Well, any other girl I ask would do anything so she could have a chance at Fiyero. But I know that's not true with you."

Elphaba nodded; she was right. She had absolutely no interest in Fiyero and she never would. "Oh right. Well, why don't you love him anymore? You wanted to marry him."

Galinda stood and resumed her undressing, accepting the dress from Elphaba. "Oh I certainly like him, Elphie. And it would be nice to marry him."

"You don't love him but you think marriage is a good idea? Does he even know about this yet?"

Galinda gawked in surprise at her friend's ignorance. "Oh Elphaba! You don't tell the man. He has to figure it out himself." Elphaba could not help but think that her friend might be waiting an awfully long time if her supposed fiancé was dancing so intimately with her friend – and her green-skinned freak of a friend at that. Galinda put her hands on Elphaba's shoulders and looked her in the eye. "I just think that there are a lot of very attractive boys at Shiz. I like to have options."

Yes, Elphaba thought as she climbed into bed, there are an awful lot of attractive boys at Shiz.

Ten minutes alone in a candle-lit room with Fiyero for those who review!