Chapter 7

A/N Thank you JCBoLt, LiveLifeWrite and James Birdsong for your reviews.

JCBoLt, it's the same with me when I read other fanfics. A certain part will just catch my attention, so you are definitely not irrelevant. Even a review saying 'like' or 'please update' will brighten up my day! :)

LiveLifeWriter, thanks for the glowing review. I hope the rest of the chapters will give you as much joy as chapter 6 :)

And thanks for the favourites and alerts! I am surprised by the lower traffic flow compared to 4 Weeks though.

"Elphie, I really hate sorcery class," Galinda pretended to wail. The two girls had just finished their sorcery class, and were making their way to a pre-arranged lunch appointment with Boq and Fiyero.

Elphaba half-listened as her roommate rattled on about how much she hated sorcery class and how sarcastic Madame Morrible was during class as her mind wandered. Yesterday was Wednesday, and Wednesday was the only weekday which Galinda had classes in the afternoon while she and Fiyero had their afternoon free. So Wednesday afternoon became 'Fiyero Wednesday', where she would spend the whole afternoon with him doing things together or doing nothing at all.

On that day, he had some homework to do, and so Elphaba took a library book and sat on the middle of his bed and read. She was so engrossed in her book that she did not notice when he had completed his homework and had climbed on the bed and kneeled behind her.

She dropped her book when she suddenly felt a pair of hands on her shoulders.

"You gave me a shock!" she chided him as she picked up the book.

"You are going to a hell of a backache sitting like this," he whispered into her ear as he started kneading her shoulders.

"Well, you took the only chair in the room," she told him as he began to massage her neck. Elphaba relaxed as his fingers slowly loosened the muscles on her neck and shoulders. He finished it off with a kiss on her neck.

"Thank you," she said.

"Elphaba, am I the perfect boyfriend?" he asked.

Elphaba turned and looked at him with a frown.

"Did you do something wrong?" she asked.

He raised his hands in mock surrender. "Me? No. I am the perfect boyfriend. I am just doing … what do you call it… a milestone check?"

Elphaba had laughed. "Am I a school project?"

"A love project," he told her as he pulled her to him for a deep kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back.

"I love you," he told her in between kisses as he lowered her onto the bed. Elphaba pulled him down for another kiss. She did not say the words back to him, but she assumed that he knew how she felt. Last time she would have laughed her head off if anyone had told her that it was possible to read somebody's mind. She never believed in such cheesy stuff, until now. Because sometimes it did feel as if he could read her mind. As if being in a relationship would give him insight into her mind. Elphaba smiled at the term relationship. It was such an foreign concept to her just a short time ago, and now here she was, in a relationship with a charming boy who gave her everything and asked for nothing in return, except for her love.

"Why are you smiling?" Fiyero said as he traced a line from her cheek to her jaw using his finger.

"Nothing," was all she said.

Fiyero smiled at her, his eyes bright as he gazed at her.

"I love you too," he told her, proving her belief that he knew what she was thinking about.

She felt one of his hands clasped her hand over her head as he kissed from the inside of her forearm to her neck to her lips again, while his other hand sent feathery touches to her senses when he started to unbutton her blouse. She knew that she should get him to stop, but she found herself yearning for him every time he was close. And it was so easy to give in to what he wanted, what she wanted. Elphaba closed her eyes and heard herself gave a soft moan when he slipped his hand under her blouse and caress her skin.

Then there was a knock on the door. She opened her eyes.

Fiyero groaned and made a face.

"Can I pretend that I am not in?" he asked.

She shook her head with a smile.

He gave her a quick kiss on her lips before he got off the bed and went to open the door slightly so that whoever that was outside would not see the bed.

"Hi, am I disturbing anything?" Elphaba heard Boq's familiar voice.

Fiyero ran his hand through his hair as he tried to cool down.

"No," he tried to say in a friendly tone. "How can I help you?"

"There was a letter for you at the administrative office and the staff there mentioned that you had not dropped by for a few days so I thought I'd just collect for you," Boq explained as he passed Fiyero a letter.

Fiyero took over the letter in Boq's hand and looked at it with a frown.

He thanked Boq, closed the door and went back to the bed. But the moment was gone and the rest of the day was uneventful.

"Elphie! Are you listening?" Galinda asked, bringing Elphaba back to reality.

"Sorry, Lin. I was wool gathering," Elphaba apologized.

"Wool or wool gathering?" Galinda giggled, as if there was a difference if the wool was gathered from a Sheep or a sheep.

She rolled her eyes.

"Anyway," the blonde continued. "I am wondering if I should drop sorcery."

"I thought it was the class that you had most wanted to attend?" Elphaba asked her roommate.

"Yes, I wanted to attend. But I never know that it is so hard! It made me feel like breaking my wand," she confessed as she tried to snap her slim, off-pink wand into two pieces. She gave up in frustration after a few unsuccessful tries.

"Well, you wanted to get into sorcery class, and I got you in. Shouldn't you prove to me that I have made the right choice in asking Madame Morrible to let you join the class?"

Galinda sighed. "Maybe I didn't have aptitude."

"Nobody said sorcery is easy."

"But it looked so easy to you! It took you just a tick-tock to learn the lighting spell, and cloud spell, and just one lesson for that imaging thing! That was so cool!" Galinda said she gestured with both hands to mimic the dragon that Elphaba had conjured up during class.

"Well, you did get your lighting spell and cloud spell after a while right? It's a learning curve. You will find easier the more you practise."

"I don't want to keep practicing, Elphie. I want to get it right the first time, just like you! And now Madame Morrible is going to give you extra coaching. I am so jealous!"

Elphaba smiled at her roommate. "Everyone has their strengths, Lin. You are good in so many things, isn't it time for me to have a strength too?"

Galinda pouted, then smiled and patted Elphaba on her arm. "Oh, Elphie. You are so modest. You have so many strengths. It's just that you downplay them."

Elphaba smiled affectionately at her. "Well, you have many strengths too, Lin."

Just then, they spotted Boq and Fiyero seated at their usual place for lunch. The two of them were talking about something, but stopped the moment they saw the two girls approaching. Their faces lit up, for different reasons.

"How's sorcery class?" Fiyero asked the two girls as they sat down.

"Elphie conjured up this dragon! It was impressifying!" Galinda said.

"Dragon?" The boys were curious.

"Just one of the first things that came into my mind. Madame Morrible wanted us to conjure up an image of something that can move, so I did it for the second thing that came into my mind." She told them.

"What was the first thing that came into your mind?" Fiyero asked.

"You," she admitted. The first thing that came into her mind was Fiyero. The way a single touch from him could drive the stress away, and the way a single kiss could make her feel warm all over. She did not say it out loud of course. He seemed to have read her mind though.

"I love the way your mind works." Fiyero told her as he stood up and pulled her close for a lingering kiss. Boq looked away and coughed to hide his embarrassment while Galinda giggled.

"Oh, and Madame Morrible gave Elphie a blank piece of old paper and she just see words on it and then read some of it."

"A blank piece of paper? And you see words? That's interesting." Boq said. "What language was it?"

Elphaba shook her head as she sat on the empty seat next to Fiyero. "I don't know what language it was. It just appeared on its own after a while. And I just know how to read it. It seemed to be a riddle, or a spell."

Galinda nodded her head. "I couldn't see anything though. Of course Madame Morrible was very impressed. She said that Elphie is very talented and maybe she can arrange for her to go to Emerald City to visit the Wizard!"

Elphaba smiled. "Galinda, you dramatise the whole thing again as usual. Although I would like to meet the Wizard. There are some things that I would like to talk to him about."

Fiyero looked at her. "Actually meeting the wizard is not the only thing that you can do in the Emerald City. I was thinking of asking you later, but since we are on this topic, are you free two weekends from now?"

"Yes. Why?" Elphaba asked.

Fiyero told her. "I got a letter from my parents yesterday. They are swinging by the Emerald City later this month and would want me to meet them there for the weekend. And they would like to meet you."

Elphaba's eyes went wide.

"Emerald City! I've never been there. Can I go too?" Galinda squealed with delight as she tugged on Fiyero's arms. "I want to watch the Wizardmania and go to the Emerald Boulevard with its high-end shops of clothes and bags! I've heard that they have the latest fashion! The biggest Oz'Coulture outlet can be found there! And the shops there have this magic mirrors that will show you how you look like with the latest pieces when you stand in front of them! I've even heard that some shops are so customer oriented they have staff that will serve you tea and biscuits while you are shopping! Please Fiyero please!"

Fiyero laughed as he tried to untangle himself from the excited blonde. "I don't think I can ask you along, Galinda."

She pouted. "Why can't I come along?"

"My parents asked to meet my girlfriend, not you," he said matter-of-factly. "I will get into trouble if I turned up with two ladies." He turned to the girlfriend in question. "So do you want to go?"

Elphaba stammered. "Your … your parents … know about me?"

"Of course," Fiyero told her.

"Do they know that I am green?" She asked, her voice softer. Boq and Galinda kept quiet, their eyes darting from Fiyero to Elphaba and back again.

Fiyero patted her hand reassuringly. "I've told them, and they are fine with it."

"Really?"

Fiyero smiled at her. "Have I ever lied to you?"

She shook her head.

"So can I tell them that you are going?" He asked her eagerly.

"Let me think about it."

He kissed her again. "Let me know soon so that I can make the necessary arrangements. My parents have a two bedroom house just inside Emerald City, so accommodation will not be a problem. We will go there on Friday afternoon, stay there overnight, meet my parents on Saturday, leave on Sunday morning after breakfast and be back by Sunday night."

"You've got it all planned out," she told him, a little smile on her lips.

Fiyero shrugged. "One person, two person, the plan is the same."

"Go Elphaba, go! Then you can come back and tell me all about it!" Galinda told her as she started to tug on her best friend's arm instead.

"Alright, I'll go," she said, much to Fiyero's delight.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Elphaba did not pack much as it was only a three day trip. However, she was meeting the King and Queen of the Arjiki tribe, and Galinda decided that she just had to loan her some clothes. And some makeup. And heels. And hats. And accessories.

"Galinda! I am going for only three days and I only intend to bring one small luggage!" Elphaba told her.

"But you are meeting Fiyero's parents! Shouldn't you put on a bit makeup?"

"Galinda, you know me. I cannot put on proper makeup to save my life. I will look like a clown."

Galinda thought for a while, a finger tapping on her lips. "That's true."

In the end, Galinda only managed to make Elphaba bring along the same white and blue dress that she wore on the date to Grommie's and rouge for her lips.

Nessarose gave her a warning before she left.

"Do not do anything that you will regret," was all she said.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Fiyero was waiting outside her classroom when her class ended on Friday early afternoon with a haversack on his back and a small luggage at his side.

"What did you bring? A full set of makeup?" She asked him teasingly as she walked to his side.

He gave her a peck on her lips. "Don't tease me. I got to meet my parents and they don't appreciate sloppiness."

She looked at him. "Does that mean that I will be underdressed?"

Fiyero chuckled. "You're different. You look good no matter what you wear."

"I thought that was you."

"No, that was you. My beautiful emerald girlfriend."

"Flattery." Elphaba chided him, but smiled.

They went back to her room for her small luggage ("Are you sure you have packed enough?" Fiyero asked) and then set off in the carriage that Fiyero had arranged.

A/N The blank piece of paper is actually a piece of Gimmerie (this part is inspired by the book when Elphaba took a page of the Gimmerie to show to the wizard when she tried to exchange for Nor's freedom)

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