AN: Hello everyone! Thank you very much for reviewing again - virtual brownies and home-made apple pie to you all! ^^ Next chappie is up - some more Fiyeraba fluff, and some interaction between Elphaba and a certain person mentioned in the title of this chapter that is far from fluffy. Yay. Or not-so-yay. You decide.
Furthermore, I just want to do some self-promo. I started a crossover fanfic between Wicked and Glee a few days ago and I've not been getting too much reviews on it, so I just wanted to ask you if you could please check it out and tell me what you think? It's my first crossover and I think I could use some tips on how to make it better. Thanks in advance!
Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked.
'Fabala, are you sure this is a good idea?' Nessarose asked one day when Elphaba was taking her sister back to Madame Morrible's rooms after class.
Elphaba looked at her sister. 'What do you mean, Nessie?'
'I mean you and Fiyero,' Nessa said hesitantly. 'I mean… I'm happy for you, I truly am. I just… I hope you're not planning on doing anything stupid.'
Elphaba, who knew exactly what her sister was talking about, scowled. 'Nessa, we've only had three dates so far. We're not even together for a week. Do you really think that low of me?'
Nessa blushed. 'No, of course not. I'm sorry, Elphaba, I didn't mean it like that. I meant more like, in the future, when you're together for a longer time, and…'
'I won't do anything stupid, Nessa. You should know me better than that,' Elphaba said, holding open the door for her sister. Nessa wheeled inside and turned around. 'You're right, I should. I'm sorry I brought it up.' She hesitated for a moment. 'Would you brush my hair?' she asked, and Elphaba recognised it as some sort of peace offering and smiled at her sister. 'Sure, Nessa.'
Elphaba and Fiyero were lying in the grass by the lake together. It was a beautiful day, not to mention very warm for the time of the year, but they had found themselves a spot clear of any other students nonetheless. They had had a wonderful picnic together and now she was lying with her head on his chest, his arm draped around her casually, his other hand laced with hers, just doing nothing. She never did 'nothing'; she could usually think of so many more useful things to do with her time. Now, however, there was nothing she'd rather be doing than… well, nothing.
His index finger traced patterns on her side. 'What are you thinking about?'
She laughed softly as she answered truthfully, 'Nothing.'
She felt his chuckle vibrate in his chest. 'I thought that was my job. I imagined you to be the type to always think of something.'
'I used to,' she conceded. 'You're a bad influence on me.'
He smiled and kissed the top of her head. 'Lucky me.' Suddenly, he got up and stretched out his hand to help her up as well. 'How do you care for a swim?'
She looked up at him. 'Are you serious?'
He nodded, still smiling. 'It's warm enough. Don't you like to swim?'
She loved to swim, but she was still a little reluctant. Swimming meant undressing… and she wasn't sure she was ready for that.
He seemed to read her thoughts, because his smile turned into a grin. 'You can keep on your clothes, if you want to.' His grin became a bit impish. 'Unless you don't want to keep them on.'
She blushed furiously and he laughed as he helped her up. 'Nothing inappropriate, I promise. Just swimming.'
She hesitated a while longer before finally giving in. 'Fine.' She was wearing nothing besides her underwear and her usual black frock, and she didn't remove any of her clothing before diving into the water. Fiyero only took off his shirt before following her. He swam under water for a while – he loved how silent it was under the water, how peaceful, and he wished he could stay down forever. Eventually, though, he had to come up for breath, and he was immediately captured by the image of her.
She was swimming not too far away from him, completely oblivious to the fact that he was watching her. She was moving through the water gracefully, her long limbs stretching and bending as she went on, her ebony hair floating in the water behind her like seaweed. She turned around and caught him staring, which made her blush again. 'What?'
'Nothing,' he said, unable to keep a smile from his face. 'You just look so beautiful when you swim.'
Her blush deepened. 'You're an idiot.'
'Because I give you a compliment?'
'Because you say I'm beautiful.'
'You are.'
She rolled her eyes at him. 'Yeah, right.'
'Hey.' He caught her arm as she turned away from him and pulled her back. 'You are. And I'm going to keep telling you that until you believe it yourself.'
She scoffed. 'In that case, you will be wasting a lot of breath in the future.'
'It's not wasted when it's used to compliment you,' he told her, and the rosy colour immediately flooded back into her cheeks. He laughed. 'I love it when you blush.'
'I hate it when you make me blush,' she said, scowling at him, but a smile was tugging at her lips and he kissed them. 'No, you don't.'
She slid her arms around his neck and kissed him back. 'You're right, I don't.'
He smiled against her lips and rested his one hand on the back of her neck and his other on her waist. 'I love you.'
She tensed instantly, before pulling away, looking at him with wide eyes. 'What did you just say?'
He felt like slapping himself. What happened to not pushing her? The words had just slipped him, almost involuntarily. 'Elphaba…'
'I… I have to go,' she stammered, before climbing out of the water and starting to pack her things. He was quick to follow her, though. 'Elphaba, please, don't do this again! I can't stand you running from me - I'm sorry!'
She froze and he took the opportunity to step a little closer to her, making sure to keep a reasonable distance between them. 'Forget I ever said it. It just… escaped me, that's all.'
She took a deep breath. 'Fiyero…'
He saw she was about to turn away again, so he took another step in her direction. 'Please?'
Finally, she sighed and turned around to face him. 'Fine. I'll stay. But… I need to think about this, Yero.' His heart started fluttering again when she called him that and he carefully approached her. She eyed him warily, but allowed him to wrap his arms around her and rest his chin on top of her head. 'I'm really sorry.'
He expected her to ignore that, but instead she asked him softly, 'Do you mean it?'
He considered lying to her for a moment, just because he was afraid she'd run away again when he told her the truth, but he couldn't. It hadn't been his intention to say it out loud, but he meant it nonetheless, and he told her so. 'I do.'
She was silent for a while, not pulling away, but not saying anything either. He imagined she was thinking it through. 'I didn't mean to push you, Elphaba. I really am sorry.'
She thought about that for a moment before saying softly, 'Don't be.'
He was surprised and he pulled away a little to look at her. 'Really?'
She offered him a small smile. 'Really. I just…' She hesitated, and he gently lifted her chin so that she would look at him. 'Hey. I'm not asking for anything here. You don't have to say it back if you're not ready to.'
She smiled again, more genuinely this time, and stood on her tiptoes to press a soft kiss on his lips. 'Thank you.'
'You're more than welcome, Fae,' he told her earnestly. She looked at him questioningly and he laughed, feeling a bit embarrassed. 'I just figured it would be nice to have a nickname for you, and since Elphie is already occupied… But I can drop it if you hate it.'
She traced her finger down his chest thoughtfully. 'No. I like it.'
He smiled broadly at her. 'Then Fae it is.' His smile became a mischievous grin. 'Shall we get back into the water?'
'Fabala!' Nessa cried as she made her way towards her sister and Fiyero, enthusiastically waving a letter through the air. 'Fabala, look!'
'What is it, Nessa?' the green girl asked, frowning slightly. She barely ever saw her younger sister this happy.
Nessa was beaming. 'It's a letter from father! He has been on a business trip for the past week, and he is going to stop by Shiz on his way back to see us!'
Fiyero felt Elphaba tense. 'He's coming here?'
Nessa smiled excitedly. 'Yes! He'll be here in a few days. Isn't it wonderful?'
Elphaba managed a strained smile. 'Sure, Nessa. That's great.'
Nessa's face grew a little more serious. 'Elphaba… I know you two don't really get along too well, but…'
'It's fine, Nessie, really,' Elphaba hurried to reassure her little sister. 'I have to admit I can't really be as excited about this as you are, but I know you and father have a wonderful relationship and you miss him very much. I'm happy for you that he's coming.'
Nessa's face softened and she squeezed her sister's hand. 'Thank you, Fabala,' she said sincerely, before wheeling back towards one of the Shiz buildings.
Elphaba could almost Fiyero's eyes burn, but she didn't even look at him. 'Please don't,' was all she said, and he complied and didn't ask anything.
A few days later, Elphaba took Nessa to the gates of Shiz University to wait for their father to arrive. They didn't have to wait long; they could see the carriage approaching them within ten minutes of waiting, and it stopped right in front of them. The driver opened the door and helped Governor Frexspar of Munchkinland out of the carriage. Frex's eyes were immediately drawn to his favourite daughter and his face softened as he smiled and walked over to embrace her. 'Nessa, my precious girl. You look wonderful.'
'Thank you, father,' the girl replied, smiling as well, as her father kissed her forehead. His smile turned into a frown when his gaze fell upon his green monstrosity of an eldest daughter. 'Elphaba,' he greeted her curtly.
'Father,' she replied just as formally. Frex took it upon him to push Nessa's wheelchair, with Elphaba following behind, carrying the bags he had brought containing presents for Nessarose. She wasn't really listening to whatever it was they were discussing as they walked over to Shiz Café. Instead, she noticed the students staring at her – even more so than usual – and she tried to make herself as small as possible, which, of course, didn't really work. Suddenly, she saw Galinda walking over to her, chatting with Pfannee, Shenshen and Milla. Her friend hadn't noticed her yet and Elphaba was determined to keep it that way; she didn't want Galinda to know her father treated her like a servant. She hurried to catch up with her father and Nessa and let out a sigh of relief when she managed to slip inside the café without being seen.
'Elphaba,' her father hissed at her. 'Get over here with those presents and go get us something to drink!'
'Yes, father,' she replied, handing him the bags, which he snagged out of her hands. 'What would you like to drink?'
'Coffee,' Frex replied, looking at Nessa fondly. 'What do you want, my darling?'
'Some tea, please,' Nessa said, and Frex looked at Elphaba with a harsh look on his face. 'You hear her. Tea. And don't forget to put the right amount of sugar in my coffee.'
'Of course not, father,' she said, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. In the many years she had been serving her father, she had never once gotten the amount of sugar wrong, yet he always warned her about it nonetheless.
She got them the drinks, after which her father dismissed her; he wished to be alone with Nessa and told her to wait outside the café. She obeyed, watching birds fly through the sky as she waited for them to finish their conversation and their drinks and come back outside.
'Elphie?' She flinched. Galinda. She swallowed and turned around with a smile plastered on her face. 'Hi, Galinda.'
The blonde frowned. 'Is something wrong?'
Elphaba shook her head. 'Nothing at all.'
The frown deepened. 'Then why are you standing here all by yourself? Come inside the café with me, we can have lunch together!'
Elphaba hesitated. 'I don't think that's a good idea, Lin. Perhaps some other time.'
Galinda looked at her pointedly. 'Elphaba Thropp, what are you hiding from me?'
'Nothing!' The blonde quirked an eyebrow and Elphaba sighed. 'I'm just waiting for my father and Nessa, that's all.'
The brow furrowed again. 'Why would you wait for them outside? Come on, get inside with me – it's getting awfully chilly outside, isn't it? And only a few days ago it was still warm enough to swim and sunbathe – the weather changes so quickly around here! I bet winter can kick in now every clock-tick…' While chattering, she pulled Elphaba back inside the café and the green girl had no choice but to follow.
She had barely set foot inside the café before her father looked up and scowled at her. 'Didn't I tell you to wait outside?'
'Father, this is a friend of mine,' Elphaba said, trying not to show the fear she was feeling. 'We can have a drink together while we wait for you and Nessa to finish up, can't we?'
'A friend?' His scowl turned into a contemptuous look. 'Who would want to be friends with you?'
Galinda felt anger bubble up inside her – no wonder Elphaba didn't like to talk about her father. This man was horrible! 'Excuse me, sir, but I do,' she snapped. 'Elphie is the bestest friend I've ever had and she's a wonderful person and if you can't see that, that's your loss! Come on, Elphie.' She pulled the green girl to a table as far away from the Governor as she could get, leaving said Governor baffled. Elphaba flashed her friend a grateful smile. 'Thanks, Galinda.'
'I don't believe that man!' the blonde said indignantly. 'Although your behaviour makes more sense now.'
Elphaba sighed. 'Would you please just… please drop it, Lin? He'll be gone by tonight and I won't have to worry about him anymore for the next few months.'
Galinda grumbled. 'Fine. But I hate him. No offense.'
Elphaba laughed softly. 'None taken. Not by me, anyway.'
Galinda grinned at her before flopping down on a seat and taking the menu. Elphaba continued to watch her father and sister, who were engrossed in a conversation about something. He looked so much different when he was talking to Nessa than when he was talking to her. With her, he was always scowling, disdain clearly visible in his eyes – and that was only when he took the effort to even look at her. With Nessa, his face was softer and his eyes were filled with nothing but love. Not for the first time, she wondered what he saw when he looked at her. Did he even think of her as his daughter? She doubted it.
But then again, what with her mother's death and Nessa's disability being her fault… she couldn't really blame him.
'Elphaba!' a harsh voice came, and she looked up to find her father waving irritably at her. 'Get over here right now!'
She shot Galinda an apologetic look before jumping up and hurrying over to her father's table. 'Yes, father?'
'Nessa wishes to have some water,' he told her. 'And I want some, too.'
'Yes, father,' she said, before taking off to get the drinks. When she returned, however, she tripped over the carpet and accidentally poured the water into Nessa's lap. She gasped. 'Oh, Nessa, I'm so sorry!'
Her father got up, face red with anger, eyes blazing. 'Elphaba!'
'I'm really sorry, father! Nessa, please! It was an accident!' she pleaded apologetically. Nessa looked at their father. 'It's all right, father. It's just water. Don't worry about it.'
But he did, and Elphaba knew even Nessa's efforts wouldn't save her now. She winced as he grabbed her arm. 'You!' he shouted at a boy sitting at a table nearby. 'Take my precious daughter to her rooms,' he said with a soft look at Nessa. 'I'll be right there, darling,' he promised, before quite literally dragging Elphaba outside.
Galinda had watched the scene with her mouth wide open and was now strolling over to Nessa. 'Why didn't you say something?' she demanded. 'Are you just going to let him treat her like that?'
Nessa looked up at the blonde girl with just the slightest hint of sadness in her eyes. 'I tried that in the past,' she said calmly. 'But I learned that interfering only makes things worse for Elphaba.' She had tried to stand up for her sister once, but it had caused Frex to beat the green girl even harder for 'trying to corrupt her sister'. She now knew better than to interfere, even though she didn't like the way her father treated Elphaba.
Galinda grew even more worried. 'What do you mean, it only makes things worse? What is he doing to her?'
A painful look crossed the tragically beautiful girl's face. 'I'm sorry, Galinda, I can't… I just…' She took a deep breath and shook her head. 'You'll find out soon enough,' she said ominously, but before Galinda could ask what that was supposed to mean, Nessa had wheeled herself to the door and disappeared from sight.
Elphaba didn't come to class that afternoon, causing Galinda to go positively panicky. Elphaba never skipped class. Ever. She had showed up for History once with a 104 degree temperature – Dr. Dillamond had sent her to the infirmary immediately, but it hadn't kept her from showing up in the first place. And now she wasn't there. Galinda went looking for her roommate right after class; she checked the library, the Shiz Café, the White Rose Café, the park – she actually looked up to see if the green girl had hidden in a tree again – but Elphaba was nowhere to be found. By the time Galinda went back to her dorm, dozens of worst case scenarios were going through her mind. Frex had kidnapped Elphaba to marry her off to some old Munchkinlander. Frex had killed his daughter and was now busy burying her body. Frex had locked her up somewhere to starve to death. Frex had abused or raped Elphaba and she had committed suicide. Frex had pushed Elphaba in front of a train.
So when she got back to her room and found her roommate sitting on her bed, the relief she felt was overwhelming. 'Elphie! Thank Oz you're okay!' she squealed, causing Elphaba to wince. 'Please keep the squealing to a minimum. I have a terrible headache.'
'How come?' Galinda asked, but at that moment Elphaba turned around and the blonde girl gasped. 'Elphie! What did he do to you?!'
Elphaba shrugged, as if it didn't mean anything. 'It wasn't that bad, Lin. He's done worse.'
'Worse than this?!' the blonde screamed, stamping over to the other side of the room to take a closer look at Elphaba. Her roommate had a black eye and a split lip, and the cut in her forehead had been newly stitched. There were some bruises visible on the green girl's arms and shoulders and Galinda could only imagine what Frex had done to Elphaba that she couldn't see. 'Sweet Oz, Elphie! Did you go to the infirmary?'
Elphaba nodded, grimacing slightly. 'I wanted to come to class, but Frex had somehow managed to open that cut in my forehead again, you know, the one from when Avaric pushed me off the train platform. They had to stitch it up again and the nurse made me stay for a few hours to make sure I wasn't bleeding internally, or something.' She rolled her eyes and Galinda looked at her solemnly. 'That's not funny, Elphie,' she said flatly. 'Your own father just did this to you and you pretend like it's the most normal thing in the world!'
'It is,' Elphaba snapped suddenly. 'It is, okay? This isn't the first time and I'm sure it hasn't been the last time, either. I'm used to it. It's how he treats me. If I do something wrong, he beats me. It's as simple as that, all right?' She turned her back towards her roommate and curled into herself on the bed. 'I want to go to sleep now.'
'Oh, Elphie,' Galinda said softly, stroking the other girl's raven hair. 'I'm so sorry.'
It was silent for a while, before Elphaba said softly, 'So am I, Lin. So am I.'
