(A/N: really quick before I go take the ACT!)

Fiyero found Lila in the sitting room, smoking by the window. She turned around upon hearing his footsteps and sighed, reluctantly putting out her cigarette, knowing he didn't like it when she smoked. He didn't say anything, walking over to the liquor cabinet instead, pouring two drinks. He handed one to her and she took it, taking small sips. Fiyero took a drink before walking over to her by the window.

"Lila," he said, "I do apologize, I never meant to imply any sort of offense upon you, my dear."

"Yes, well," Lila tried to remain nonchalant, "What's said is said."

"Again, I apologize. I didn't mean it." Fiyero swished the liquid in his glass for a moment, "I suppose I just lost myself."

"Lost yourself defending your children's tutor?" Lila asked, raising an eyebrow. He shifted uncomfortably. Why did she have to phrase it that way?

"I just don't wish for you to bully her." he told her evenly.

"Bully?" Lila, caught herself before she let out an unladylike snort, "I was doing nothing of the sort! I was trying to help the poor dear."

"Lila, you and I both know you were doing nothing of the sort." Fiyero snapped at her.

"Fine," she relented, crossing her arms. Wasn't he supposed to be apologizing to her? And here he stood accusing her, "Perhaps I was poking a little fun at her," she shrugged, "but I'd hardly be so harsh on myself as to call it bullying. Goodness, I've gone from vulgarity epitomized, to the playground bully. You really know how to charm a woman, Fiyero." the Countess rolled her eyes, "Don't say another word or I might just lose myself." she muttered sarcastically. Fiyero stared at her dumbstruck for a moment before laughing loudly.

"Oh darling," he smiled at her charmingly; taking her hand gently in his, "You do know I only think wonderful things of you." he kissed her hand playfully.

"I do?" the Countess huffed.

"And you forgive me for any misunderstandings earlier." he told her, pulling her slightly closer.

"Most certainly not." Lila tried to ignore the seducing look he was throwing her and she stepped back waveringly. It was indecent to be so close to him right now, especially when they were completely alone, the miserable excuse for a chaperone she'd brought along was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh?" his eyebrow rose before he leaned quite close to her. His lips touched her cheek in a lingering kiss. Lila felt incredibly flustered, and she thought her palms might have even started to sweat which horrified her beyond what was normal. Women did not sweat and she did not need for Fiyero to find out that she, the Countess Fremont, did. She pulled her hand out of his quickly and he pulled back, smiling at her, impishly proud, no doubt he'd already noticed the heat of her hand and the flush of her cheeks. Lila felt like a stupid school girl, here she was, a grown woman, having been kissed plenty of times, and she could hardly keep herself from revealing how embarrassingly short of breath she was all because of a little kiss on the cheek. Why, even when she was a school girl, she couldn't recall feeling quite this off balance! Goodness, if mother only saw her now.

"Yes well, I forgive you." she said crossly. Eager for distance, she took a step back. Not commonly was she on the retreating side of things, especially concerning her complicated affairs with Fiyero.

"Good." was all he said. Lila sighed and sat down on the couch, expecting him to join her but she heard his footsteps distancing and she looked up, startled.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"To find Miss Thropp." Fiyero said, opening the door.

"But-"

"Apologies are in order, my dear." Fiyero tsked, sending her a patronizing look.

"Yes, but-"

"I'll see you later, Darling." Fiyero said as he left the room, swiftly closing the door behind him. He went and peeked outside on the veranda, to see if Miss Elphaba might still be there, but she was not. He strolled back inside, wondering where she could have gone. Of course, knowing her, she was probably on his roof right now, or perhaps climbing up a tree, eager cause some sort of harm to herself, just to spite him . Fiyero inhaled deeply and sighed. Perhaps she had gone for a dip in the lake, he thought sarcastically, though he found himself glancing outside towards the river just in case. She was probably in her room, in which case Fiyero would have to wait until later.

He went upstairs, whistling quietly under his breath, still wondering where she could have possibly gone. He thought that perhaps he could just sit in his study and wait for an intolerant howl to echo through his castle, but he found her just as the thought crossed his mind. She was standing in front of the small hallway mirror, assorted hairpins sitting on the table in front of her and she stared down at them as quizzically as though they were varieties of Peruvian spices laid before her. The hairpins must have been Nor's.

Fiyero stopped walking so that he could observe her without detection. It only took him a few moments to figure out what she was trying to do. It seemed the women in this castle were being especially humorous today. His laughter caught her attention and she spun around, surprised. She began to hurriedly scoop the little hairpins up.

"No, no!" he laughed, walking up to her quickly, "Let me do it." he said, without thinking. He stood behind her, gently pulling her hair back. She dropped the hairpins and they clattered against the glass table. Fiyero heard her short intake of breath and he immediately regretted his irrational actions, and he stopped short, "Unless you rather I didn't." he told her hesitantly. Half of him hoped she would forbid him from so much as touching her hair, but the other half of him wished very much for her permission.

"Go ahead." she said quietly. Fiyero could not help the small smile pass his lips. Had Miss Elphaba been trained like the other girls her age, she would know never to accept such a ridiculous request. The young women of society did not let a man so much as touch her past the wrist, let alone let him touch her hair. Lila definitely would have refused.

And then there was the difference of class, now that was something entirely in its own. Perhaps if Miss Elphaba were still the Governor's daughter, he could talk with her lightly at a party without criticism, but she was his children's tutor, and any interaction not concerning his children would be quite a scandal for the small-minded people of the Vinkus to gossip about. Conclusions were drawn before even the introduction was read. But Miss Elphaba was not taught all of these things, how was she to know that by all laws of propriety that she was forbidden to humor such a request? She did not even know how wrong the request had been in the first place. Fiyero imagined the rumors that would fly should anyone happen to see him now, gently pinning up the tutor's hair…Why people would throw an absolute fit-

"I don't suppose you even know what you're doing." Elphaba said after a moment, interrupting his thoughts. Her words were faint and her shallow breathing painfully detectable. For her part, Elphaba had never felt so nauseous in her entire life, but for some reason the lightness of her limbs and the pounding in her chest felt unexplainably pleasant. After all her roof climbing, and near death experiences with the cook, she'd never felt a thrill quite like this.

"Of course I do," Fiyero said, appalled at his own shortness of breath, the rugged tone, could be dangerously misinterpreted and he cleared his throat, "I used to do this for my wife, all the time." he said in a clearer more authorative voice. Thoughts of Sarima took him elsewhere and he forgot for a moment that it was Miss Thropp standing in front of him and not his late wife. Sarima had always loved for him to do her hair for her and he was ever compliant. She had had rich brown hair, thick and wavy, and it had shined wonderfully and always smelt of her flower scented shampoos. As he ran his hands through her hair, he would lean down and leave gentle kisses on her neck, her skin smooth and the alluring color of caramel.

"Don't pull so hard." he was snapped out of his reverie by the quiet request. Fiyero blinked at the soft emerald skin before him. Whilst drifting through old memories, he had leant in closer to Miss Elphaba, and he found his lips but a mere inches away from her warm, green skin; somehow it was a color alluring in its own right. And how soft that stretch of green looked, smooth and flawless. Absentmindedly, he let his fingers graze her neck slightly. He was right, it was soft.

"I apologize." he murmured, suddenly remembering her request. His breath skated across the surface of her neck and Elphaba felt she now stood upon shaky foundations, her legs having suffering inexplicable muscle deficiency and she leaned forward on the table lightly for support.

Fiyero tried to be even gentler as he pinned up her long hair, thin, not too thin, and black silk. Not like Sarima's, at all. Miss Elphaba's hair possessed an entrancing fluidity in it's almost liquid like movements. He put the last pin in place.

"There," he said. She studied herself in the mirror. She looked…more…mature, older…like a lady…like the Countess, classy and refined... But before she had a moment more to admire her new look, Fiyero had swiftly pulled out the pins, her long hair cascading back down her back. She turned on him, alarmed.

"What was that for?" she asked him.

"I didn't like it." he said shortly.

"But-"

"It simply did not suit you at all, if I may be honest." he told her, putting the hairpins in his pocket.

"You may if you care not for manners." she huffed. Fiyero only laughed.

"You know, Miss Thropp," he began, "you mustn't believe everything the Countess says." he told her. She turned around, surprised. And he nodded, "For all her regal grace, beauty and erm…worldly experiences, she is not always correct."

"Worldly experiences?" Elphaba raised an eyebrow.

"I think we've expanded enough on those subjects for one day." he said crossly. Elphaba glared at him and for a moment Fiyero feared she might hit him.

"Even you treat me like a child!" she grabbed a stray pin from the table, "Perhaps I should put my hair up-" Fiyero plucked the pin out of her hand, trying to ignore the slight moment as their hands touched.

"Out of the question." he said, tucking the pin in his pocket with the others.

"I looked that terrible?" she crossed her arms, meaning to sound sarcastic but Fiyero could tell she was hurt. He softened.

"You looked just fine," he told her gently, "I would just prefer you wear it down." He suddenly found the hand by his side straining hard against the will of his brain to reach up and tuck away the stray strand of hair behind her ear. But he believed he'd massacred propriety enough for one day.

"I am not a woman who cares for your preferences or opinions." she told him. It wasn't until the words were said aloud that Elphaba realized how dishonest they were.

"Oh?" Fiyero's eyebrows shot up, surprised at her rebuttal. He had not expected such a comment, and he was afraid his ego was not given proper time to prepare for it.

"Besides, it's annoying when it's down." she told him, and she tucked away the strand of hair.

"Doesn't beauty always have a price?" he questioned her, recovering from his momentary lapse of upset. He took a subconscious step closer to her.

"I wouldn't know." she shrugged, "I've never been-"

"Don't be foolish, now." Fiyero warned her darkly, "I may have lectured you on modesty before, but I won't appraise any form of the practice now."

"I'm not being modest." Elphaba said straightly, "I'm being honest."

"I find your view on honesty, brutally skewered." With any other woman, Fiyero would have accused them of fishing for compliments, to which he would not have complied, for he found that old trick to be extremely conceited and annoyingly flirtatious. Hid did not question the truth behind Miss Elphaba's objections, though he found them to be terribly inaccurate as he thought she was…quite beautiful. Was she a beauty like Lila? Certainly not. But she possessed something that Lila would never have and Fiyero just couldn't put his finger on it.

"And I find your views on everything a butchered mess." she crossed her arms and turned away from him. Once again she'd insulted him without fair warning.

"Now wait just a second!" Fiyero began, walking around her so she was facing him again. He had never met a woman so ridiculously difficult to compliment!

"Yes, I'm waiting." she said, smartly. Fiyero smirked, she was being cheeky again.

"Nevermind." he chuckled, now that she was interested and he turned away, walking down the hall. Her face dropped.

"But-"she followed after him.

"No, no," he tutted, "I shan't entertain you with my useless opinions and nonsensical words which mean not a thing to you. I fear I'd only embarrass myself Miss Thropp."

"Well, can't you handle a little humiliation once in a while?" she prodded.

"I already have," he stopped and turned to face her crossly, "Twice on your account today."

"On my account?"

"And I won't embarrass myself again so I can tell you how." he crossed his arms.

"If anyone should be really embarrassed today, it should be me!" Elphaba crossed her arms too. Fiyero stopped short and his arms dropped to his sides.

"You are right," he said resignedly, "I forgot my original mission of seeking you. I meant to apologize for what happened earlier, with the Countess."

"Oh, that." she blushed and Fiyero could not help the small smile the crossed his face. She looked down at her fingers and Fiyero yearned to reach forward and tip her chin back up.

"Don't be embarrassed," he told her softly, "There's nothing wrong with you."

"I'm green." Elphaba blurted blatantly, "And besides, like I said, I never wanted to fall in love anyway." "You speak in the past tense." Fiyero noted with a smirk.

"Fine, then, I still don't want to fall in love." she said briskly.

"What if someone falls in love with you?" he asked.

"Out of the question." she said, in a tone very Fiyero-like. He only laughed at her.