(A/N: here's the next installment! Thank you if you reviewed!)
The next day while Frex was at a meeting, Fiyero searched high and low for the blasted key. He went to Frex's study first, stupid to look there really. He tried the tile anyway, of course, no key. He went to the desk, opened drawers, boxes, rifled through folders, nothing. He finally just gave up on the study, instead heading for Frex's bedroom. He rolled his eyes when he saw the size of the room, of course. The first thing he noticed were four small photographs, unframed on Frex's desk. He went over to the desk and looked more closely at the photographs. They were a bit crinkled and bent and Fiyero noticed a few tearstains on them. In the first photograph there was a picture of a girl, 15 or 16 she looked to be. She was with a boy, the same age, his arms wrapped around her. They were laughing and in the background you could see a sunny day with blue skies and a picnic had been set up behind them. They were both very beautiful people and they were both so happy Fiyero almost felt their moods drifting from the photograph. Fiyero was about to set down the photograph when he realized he knew who the boy was in that photograph, it was Avaric! Fiyero was sure of it, he looked closer and confirmed it. Although this Avaric was so much more different than the one Fiyero had met the other day. For one, this Avaric was smiling. The girl in the photograph must have been Elphaba. Fiyero didn't know why it was such a shock to realize they had been dating before she died. Fiyero suddenly felt very terrible for being so inconsiderate while talking to Avaric.
He looked at the next photograph. It was a picture of a woman. She was smiling, her curly copper hair blowing in the wind, in the edge of the photograph, someone had written: Melena, in gold letters. The next photograph was of Nessa and what looked like the girl from the first photograph, Elphaba, only much younger. They looked to be about 5 and 7. They were laughing and eating ice cream cones. Nessa sat in her wheelchair and Elphaba stood on the wheel. The last photograph was of Elphaba, Frex and Melena. Elphaba seemed to only be about two years old in this picture. It was a family photo, so they were all looking at the camera and smiling politely. Frex and Melena were kneeling beside one another and Elphaba stood in between them, not even as tall as them kneeling. Fiyero never would've guessed how whole this family had once been. He'd never seen Nessa or Frex smile before, yet in these pictures, they were both so happy. Losing a wife, daughter, sister and mother must have really been hard on the now broken family. Fiyero set the picture back down on the desk and resumed his search for the key. It was still nowhere.
Fiyero finally just gave up on the blasted key, for all he knew, Frex probably wore it around his neck on a chain now. He headed off towards the West Wing Tower, he ran into Nessa on the way. He looked at her bitter sour expression and felt sorry for her.
"I'm sorry." said Fiyero, "About your mother and your sister."
"It's fine." Nessa snapped, "I never knew my mother and I didn't care much for Elphaba anyways." Nessa lied. She remembered when they were younger and Elphaba and Nessa had been inseparable, but then Elphaba had met Galinda and Nessa had met Boq and unfortunately, Boq had met Galinda. Fiyero was shocked by Nessa's bitter words. Fiyero frowned.
"That's not true Nessarose, and you know it! You loved your sister dearly and she adored you. Don't lie." said Fiyero.
"What? How did you--" Nessa was shocked, so utterly shocked. She hated Elphaba, she—
"I just saw a photograph of the two of you and I could tell that you loved each other very much and that your sister meant a lot to you. I don't know what happened between the two of you, but I know you still care about her, even if she's gone and wherever she is, heaven or elsewhere, I know she's thinking about you. And what a wonderful way to show her you care, spiting her and disgracing her memory. You ought to be ashamed." Fiyero turned away from her and continuing toward the West Wing Tower. Nessa stared after him in shock. She quickly rolled herself back to her room, not knowing what to think. She hated Elphaba, Elphaba had always been so—so—Nessa couldn't think of anything at the moment, but she just hated her so much—she--....she loved her sister even more.
Fiyero finally came to the bolted wooden door. He felt his heart beat wildly in his chest and his hands get all sweaty. Would she answer the door? What would happen? Was she actually even there or was this all just a pigment of Fiyero's runaway imagination. He knocked twice on the door, firmly, despite his shaking hands.
"Go away." he heard the angel's beautiful voice and his heart all but shot out of his body. He licked his lips nervously as his suspicions were confirmed, there was a girl being locked away up here.
"It's not Frex." said Fiyero. There was silence on the other side of the door.
"Who—who is it?" she asked.
"My name is Fiyero, my parents sent me to live here during my terms at Shiz University." said Fiyero.
"How did you know I was here?"
"I saw you one night while you were at your window." said Fiyero. There was silence. Fiyero wondered what she was thinking, or if she would keep talking to him. Fiyero finally broke the silence, "Who are you?" he asked.
"I don't exist anymore." she whispered, her voice laced with sadness. Fiyero quickly back-pedaled, not meaning to upset her.
"May I—I mean, what I'm trying to say is...I...well, I'd like to see you." said Fiyero.
"I can't open the door anymore." she said, "And besides, I don't think it'd be a great idea for you to come in. Frex would be furious, I'm not supposed to be seen by anyone. Like I said, I don't exist."
"I'll admit I thought you were a dream the first night I saw you, but I don't think I could carry this conversation with myself." said Fiyero.
"Well then you wouldn't want to come in here, I'm—I'm cursed." she said.
"I don't care." said Fiyero, "There are vines on the side of this tower leading up to your window, leave it open for me tonight after Frex leaves." he turned away and hurried back down the steps, not giving her time to argue or ask questions. He smiled as he trotted back to his room, wrapped in his own blissful thoughts about finally meeting the beautiful secret in the West Wing Tower.
***********
Elphaba stared at the door, not having any response to his last statement. A boy was coming to see her, and it was to be a secret. He had seen her at her window and Frex didn't know. This could only end in disaster. But what would he think? What was she supposed to say? Elphaba dazedly went back to her bed and sat down. She looked at the four photographs on her bedside table. One was of Avaric, one of Nessa, one of her mother and one of herself and Galinda. Everyone smiled in all of the pictures; Avaric and Galinda, how dearly she missed them. She heard a knock on the door. She went to the door, wandering if it was the boy, Fiyero, again.
"Yes?" she asked hesitantly.
"Elphaba, it's me, Nessa." Elphaba was shocked, not once in the whole year that Elphaba had been locked away had Nessa ever come to see her. Elphaba knew she had a key, but still...
"You can come in." Elphaba managed to say through her shock. They door opened and there was Nessa, sitting in her wheelchair, tears glistening in her eyes.
"Oh Elphaba!" she sobbed, "I'm sorry, so, so sorry!"
"Whatever for Nessa-ness?" asked Elphaba, holding her sister and rubbing her back while she cried into her shoulder.
"Oh don't call me that! I don't deserve your affections." Nessa sobbed, "I feel so terrible!"
"But why?" asked Elphaba, "You didn't do anything wrong."
"Yes I did, I treated you terribly, and all because you had more friends than me, and father loved you more than me and I guess I was just overwhelmed with jealousy and I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry for ignoring you while I had my other friends and--"
"No stop! You never ignored me, you just gave up, and I know why, because I was so horrible even when you tried so hard to make things better for me! I just pushed you away because I thought you were just giving me your charity, like everyone else."
"I accept your apology." Elphaba finally said, "Are you alright?"
"Yes, are you?" asked Nessa, "I'm sorry this happened to you. You're supposed to be with me at Shiz right now. You should be with Avaric and Galinda, getting straight A's and staying up till the wee hours doing extra credit."
"That does sound like me doesn't it?" asked Elphaba. They laughed weakly. Nessa looked up at Elphaba, as if seeing her for the first time since she entered.
"Elphaba...your skin." Nessa stammered.
"Oh, I'm sorry." Elphaba, let go of Nessa, backing away, "Do you not want me to touch you? It won't rub off or anything--"
"No, no, that's not it!" said Nessa, "It was just a shock, that's all! I've never seen such beautiful skin."
"Ah, you're a good liar, Nessie." Elphaba smiled, she ruffled Nessa's hair.
"Hey, now you've gone and messed my hair up!" Nessa whined, reminding Elphaba so much of their younger years together.
"Would you like me to brush your hair for you Nessa?" asked Elphaba softly, like she used to. Now the tears hit them both as they realized they were both completely forgiven, for whatever they'd done, or hadn't done.
"Yes, make it beautiful, like yours." Nessa whispered, just like she used to. They both gave watery smiles and Elphaba nodded.
"Ok Nessie, I will." she said. And then they hugged each other, sniffling and dabbing at their eyes. They spent the remainder of the afternoon chatting and reliving old memories. Nessa told Elphaba all about Shiz and tried to tell her as much about Avaric and Galinda as she could, but she didn't spend that much time with them. Elphaba was grateful for the news and just having her sister back meant so much to her. The sisters held hands and laughed together, something they hadn't done in a long, long while.