Melena spent the majority of the day debating whether or not they should eat dinner in the dining room. It was an absurdly troublesome issue for her. On one hand, Fiyero was a guest – and a delightful one, at that – but on the other hand she wanted him to feel like he was part of the family, which wouldn't have been possible if dinner was held in the room reserved for Lurlinemas Day and birthdays. So, in the end, tradition remained tradition and they ate in the kitchen.

Fortunately, as opposed to the uneasy ride in, conversation seemed to be flowing better with food involved. This was largely owing to Nessa, who was capitalizing on her talents for flattering strangers and provoking her siblings in ways that didn't seem too affected. "So, Fiyero, how long have you been Elphaba's boyfriend?" she asked, unleashing the full extent of her cunning halfway through the meal.

"Who said anything about boyfriend?" Elphaba demanded. "I'd like a word with them. Mom."

Fiyero slid his arm around her shoulders. "She's right. We thought we'd skip all that boyfriend/girlfriend foolishness and head straight for the nuptials. How does everyone feel about spring weddings?"

Elphaba gasped and whacked him with the back of her hand. "If this is what the whole break is going to be—"

"Spring weddings are lovely," Melena volunteered, smiling.

"Fiyero, what are you studying at Shiz?" Frex said, butting in. He felt he had a right to know, for any boyfriend of Elphaba's was expected to be a highly respected student. A boyfriend of Nessa's, meanwhile, was expected to be nonexistent.

"A little bit of everything, just like Elphie," Fiyero answered politely. Which was good. Elphaba had been worried that he didn't have a polite side to him – and also the fact that Frex and Melena couldn't be bribed to keep him around the way Madame Morrible could. "We have philosophy and life science and history together."

Frex eyed Elphaba warily as she focused her attention in every direction but his. "And your parents are okay with that? That you have no career intended?"

"It sounds ridiculous, but school is mostly just something to do. I'm going to have to rule the Vinkus either way."

Melena nearly choked on a carrot. "You're a prince! Of course! Tigelaar…how did I not realize?"

The exclamation brought out a little of Fiyero's royal streak and he straightened up, grinning. He saw how Melena was beaming at him and it gave him the same feeling of warmth that his own mother did. "Well, yeah, but a son of the Vinkun king has nothing on the daughter of the Eminence," he said, wanting to reciprocate.

"And you aren't planning anything else?" Frex inquired further, still somehow managing to use Fiyero against Elphaba. "Surely it will be a long time before you're required to rule."

"So you live in Kiamo Ko?" Melena asked. "The west coast is stunning."

Finding Melena's statement a little surprising, Fiyero couldn't help but like her even more. The Vinkus was a land of untamed beauty, full of small towns and forbidding landscapes, and as such was not the most frequented of tourist destinations. Nonetheless, it was his home and he took pride in it. "Yes, but after school I was thinking of maybe making a move to the City. To see how I can fare there," he answered, addressing both questions in one go.

"My father doesn't approve of that plan," Elphaba said sourly, stabbing a leaf of lettuce with her fork. "He doesn't approve of uncertainty."

"I'm only saying that a program geared towards politics might be a better match for your future."

"How exactly?" Melena said, interrupting again with sudden vehemence. "What does politics have to do with her future? She's made it perfectly clear she wants nothing to do with any of that."

Frex seemed affronted. "I just think it's absurd to live as if no one in this room is going to be the Eminent Thropp one day."

"Yes. Me. I'm going to be the Eminent Thropp one day. And I've taken a few tips from Nanny, so I can outlive everyone inthisroom and ensure that they'll never be stuck with the job. It has nothing to do with Elphaba."

The distant rumble of the furnace and the squeal of forks against dishes became audible as Melena, for the second time that day, shocked everyone into silent submission with an uncharacteristic outburst. Even Nessa was at a loss.

"How old is Nanny?" whispered Fiyero.

"No one really knows," Shell confessed.

"She took care of our mom, us, and we're banking on the fact that she'll take care of our children," Nessa added. "Maybe even our grandchildren."

The train of discussion expired and they all stared into their empty plates, mute again. Shell, taking advantage of the lull, decided to act on the idea that he had been longing to voice all night. "Everyone done? Excellent!"

Elphaba groaned.

"What?" Fiyero asked, gleaning nothing from the resignation on the faces around him.

"MONOZPOLY NIGHT!" Shell yelled.

"That's ten," Shell calculated, moving his mother's figurine accordingly. As it passed his – the miniature likeness of the Wizard; a homage to his future occupation – he mimed out a little wave as if they were familiars. Although, really, it was because she was destined to land on one of his more lucrative properties.

Nessa stared at the colourful board in awe of her brother's stupidity. "Shell, five and four makes nine. Not ten."

Counting on his fingers to make sure Nessa wasn't sabotaging him, Shell moved Melena's piece over one more square to the very corner of the board. He was disappointed at the loss of income, but found equal grounds for gloating. "Ha! Mom, enjoy your stay in Southstairs!"

"Okay, I'm forfeiting," Melena decided, tossing half of her money into Nessa's pile of cash and half into Shell's.

"Way to favour," Elphaba complained.

"After you turn eighteen you don't get my Monozpoly charity anymore," Melena said. She put her arms behind her onto the seat of the couch and pulled herself up, so she could watch from a more comfortable perch. But she lost interest quickly and began to study one of the fake bills. "You know, if I had my own money, a millionaire would be called a Melenianaire."

Frex rolled the dice, oblivious to Melena's remark. If he earned a dollar for every abstract idea that crossed his wife's lips, he would be a Melenianaire. Or, at the very least, he wouldn't have been fearing for his financial stability when he landed a four and moved his balloon figurine to Kiamo Ko.

Shell's resulting laugh was appropriately maniacal. Drawing on Nessa's affinity for numbers, he totalled the price of a sojourn on the property with the hotel he'd built on top of it and ended up robbing his father of every dollar, plus some. "Sorry, Dad," he said, not apologetic in the slightest. "I literally took all of your money."

"What else is new?" Frex muttered, moving onto the couch beside Melena, where she took up the mantle of taunting him.

"You're next," Elphaba informed Fiyero. "Prepare for the end."

"Hey now, have a little faith."

She wasn't persuaded. "It always comes down to Shell and Nessa. Always."

"In that case, I'm going to need some extra luck." He handed her the dice. "I want you to roll for me."

"Me?"

That grin was undeniable. "You're my good luck charm. Also, if something bad happens, it was totally your fault."

"Can't argue with that logic," Melena opined.

Elphaba sighed and threw the cubes across the board. Fiyero then moved his piece to the Quadling Marsh, which was owned by Nessa, and which happened to be the cheapest property on the board. It was, in spite of the odds, a stroke of luck, but it didn't last. Elphaba subsequently precipitated her own loss when she landed on the Palace of the Wizard and was forced to surrender all her money to Shell — a punishment worse than losing itself.

This meant that it was down to Shell who owned the Palace, Kiamo Ko and Mockbeggar Hall; Nessa who owned Colwen Grounds, Shiz University and all of the railway stations; and Fiyero who was thriving off a series of small investments. Needless to say, his most expensive property was the Corn Exchange. He wasn't going to win.

As predicted – by everyone but Fiyero himself, who refused to give in – Fiyero met his end on Colwen Grounds. (Don't we all, Melena thought.) He put one elbow on the table and faced Elphie, narrowing his eyes in mock-accusation. "You were supposed to be my good luck charm."

Elphaba leaned back on the palms of her hands and stretched her legs out in front of her. "I'm sorry. I just really felt the pressure on that last roll."

Leaning back himself, Fiyero covered her right hand with his left and met her eyes as they made contact. Elphaba's palm lifted slightly and he curled his fingers around it, tracing the lines on her skin. The moment was entirely theirs until Shell's triumphant bellowing interrupted them.

"HA! KISS MY MONOZPOLY WINNING A—" Frex glared at him and he sat down. "Butt," he amended. "Kiss my Monozpoly winning butt."

Nessa pouted. "I saw you stealing money from the bank! It wasn't a fair game!"

"No one cheated," Melena said, intervening before things escalated (as they often did). "I swear on my life that no one cheated and that game was fair and now it is over. Thank goodness." She pretended to check a watch that wasn't there. "Oh, look at the time! Elphaba, why don't you show Fiyero to his room?"

Elphaba huffed. "He's a big boy. He can find his own room."

"...unless you want me to break out the baby pictures."

"We're going."

Up in a heartbeat, Elphaba seized Fiyero's hand and dragged him from the room. While they were ascending the stairs, he murmured, "Is there something in the baby pictures I shouldn't see?"

"There are things that I wouldn't want you to tell Avaric and Galinda, that's for sure."

Fiyero scoffed. "I don't tell them everything, if that's what you're implying."

"I can't believe you're even trying to deny it," Elphaba said with a short, shrill laugh. She crossed the hall and opened the door to Shell's room. "Here you are, sir."

"Ah, yes, my luxury suite."

"If only for the luxury of knowing that Shell has to sleep on the couch for a week."

Fiyero chuckled, lingering for no particular reason. Elphaba waited too. "Listen," he started, wanting to say something, "your family is really…"

"Over the top?"

"Really cool," he finished, pushing her hair behind her ears and following the path it made down her back. "I wish my family was half as fun."

"Fun?" Elphaba said, smiling despite herself. "That's something we don't get often."

Fiyero shifted forward and kissed her on the cheek. "I can't wait until tomorrow."

"Why?"

"I'm pretty sure there's always something interesting going on around here." He gestured around him with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "Like magic."

Elphaba woke the next morning feeling both energized and strangely weary. She yawned and stretched her arms above her head, pulling a sweater over her tanktop before making her way downstairs. Nessa's and her parents' doors were still closed, so she assumed she would have time to herself in which to properly prepare for the day ahead, but the notion was quickly negated by the gunshots and obscene amounts of swearing she heard emanating from the living room. It could only amount to one thing: boys playing video games.

Correct as usual, Elphaba found Shell on the armchair, facing the television with a controller gripped in his hand, and Fiyero sitting on the floor below him, far more frustrated. When he noticed Elphaba, however, he smiled and beckoned to the vacant floorspace beside him. She sat down and crossed her legs, suddenly conscious of the messy half-braid on her shoulder and the hole in the hem of her shirt.

But Fiyero didn't seem to notice these things and, if he did, he didn't care. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer so he could kiss just below her ear, proving to Elphaba that the events of the day before had thrown open the gateway to affection. She vowed never to doubt Melena again. That woman knew her stuff.

As Shell challenged Fiyero to another game, Elphaba took her chances and laid her head in his lap. Still tired, she didn't say anything, but she could already feel the drastic difference he was making to her residual morning surliness. She watched from that position as Melena alighted on the main floor, wrapped in a blanket, and sunk into the couch. Nessa followed soon after with Frex's assistance, cheerful as usual.

"I think we're decorating today," Elphaba said, tilting her face up to address Fiyero, who set down his controller and laid a hand over hers, resting on her torso. Her breath caught as he stretched his fingers to touch the fabric of her shirt, sending tingles through the skin beneath it. She had never in her life been so close to anyone – except Galinda, probably, and Melena and her siblings, who were their own special breed of twerp.

About twenty minutes later, having prolonged the inevitable as best she could, Melena rose from the couch. "I think I'm going to start breakfast now," she announced.

"Aren't you going to wait until Daddy comes back with Nanny and Aunt Sophelia?" Nessa asked, glancing back at the closing front door.

"Why would I do that? It would mean cooking for eight instead of five. No thank you."

"But then who's going to cook for them?" Shell asked, thumbs twiddling the controls even as he looked away.

"Elphaba, obviously," Melena answered, skipping off into the kitchen.

Elphaba sat up and leaned against Fiyero's shoulder. "That woman," she muttered. "Always working her hardest."

Nessa turned to agree, but upon noticing how close Fiyero and Elphaba were sitting, opted for a knowing smile instead. Elphaba, who could have sworn Melena was somehow channeling herself through Nessa from the other room, left her spot and peeked into the box of decorations that was protruding from the closet in the hallway. There was a wreath, a garland and the fake tree that had been plaguing them since six year old Nessa had decided that separating real trees from their forest-families was cruel. It didn't seem like it entailed much, but in the Thropp family every little thing become huge and argumentative. Melena liked things a certain way that Nessa deplored. Frex wanted this there, but Shell had wanted it here. And then Nanny arrived with her claims that she had been doing this since before their grandparents had been conceived, so they ought to listen up.

Consequently, they took their time eating and readying themselves, so that they could start the decorating after lunch when they were at their most patient. To give her mother a break, Elphaba usurped her position at the stove, which gave Melena a chance to ask Fiyero more questions about the Vinkus. His father, as it happened, had been her sister's contemporary at Shiz.

When they decided they couldn't stall any longer, they began their work fitting on each branch of the tree. At one point a dispute about the size of the one in Nessa's hand and the size of the one in Melena's hand nearly caused the entire thing to topple over and Shell valiantly threw himself between the tree and the television, risking a few broken bones for his favourite shows. Embarrassed, Elphaba glanced sidelong at Fiyero, who seemed to be enjoying himself immensely. He even proved himself capable at mediating and was able to resolve the issue.

Shortly afterward, Frex returned with Nanny and Aunt Sophelia, and they jettisoned the remaining branches, grateful for a break. Nessa and Elphaba allowed Sophelia to embrace them and pinch their cheeks, enduring the back-handed compliments that had become something of a Lurlinemas ritual. And meanwhile, Nanny, quick on the uptake, immediately picked the odd one out. "Who's this now?" she asked indirectly.

"This is Elphaba's boyfriend," Melena said loudly, daring someone – Elphaba – to contradict her.

Fiyero heeded his cue and stepped forward. "I'm Fiyero Tigelaar." He offered a hand, but Nanny merely looked him up and down until, confused, he dropped it. Then the she went in for a bone-crushing hug.

"You've now officially been initiated into the family. I'm impressed," Nessa told him, while he rubbed his biceps to regain feeling in them. "Nanny's approval is hard to come by. Poor Daddy's request is still pending."

Shell nodded his agreement and clapped Fiyero on the back. "Glad to have you, bro."

The introductions made and initiation complete, they continued decorating until almost everything had found a place. Melena, empty-handed, pulled the final item from the box: the mistletoe. Before her plan was even finalized, she pushed it into Elphaba's hand, knowing that Elphaba would probably hang it without realizing what it was – which she did. What's more, she stood vulnerably beneath it.

Melena nudged Fiyero to Elphaba's side, feigning a need to get to the tree, and then floated in the background. Luckily Nessa, her tacit accomplice, had the intuition that Elphaba lacked, because within half a minute she exclaimed, "Oh my! Look! Fiyero and Elphaba are under the mistletoe!"

Elphaba flushed, hoping desperately that Nessa was hallucinating, but as she looked up she was proven wrong. She glanced at Fiyero helplessly and he smirked as if to say I'm game. Because, after all, it wasn't his family watching them expectantly. He leaned forward and took her hands...

But Nanny pushed them out of the way and grabbed Shell. "Come on, Shelly, give Nanny a kiss!" She pointed at her wrinkly cheek and Shell grimaced.

As Elphaba passed Melena, she muttered, "Nice try."