DISCLAIMER: The Wicked universe and the characters you recognise are not mine. The plot and all original characters are the creation and copyright of me.

Chapter 10

It was a sunny yet chilly Sunday morning in Munchkinland, two weeks after Annalie had left Colwen Grounds. Elphaba and Nessa were sitting on the floor in the living room, in a patch of winter sun as they did a puzzle on the floor.

The girls had a system, Nessa was responsible for sorting the pieces, while Elphaba fit them into place with her good arm.

"Elphaba?"

"Yeah, Nessie?"

"Do you miss Annalie?"

Elphaba paused. "Yeah," she finally admitted.

"Why did she have to leave?" Nessa asked.

Elphaba was quiet for a long moment. "She was nice to me," she said quietly.

Nessa frowned in confusion.

"Elphaba Melena Thropp," Nikita scolded gently, making both girls jump and look to the doorway.

"It's true," Elphaba insisted.

Nikita sighed, and looked down at Nessa. "It's time for your exercises, angel."

"Can't it wait until we've finished the puzzle?" Nessa asked.

"Nope. Come on, Fabala will wait until you come back to keep going, won't you?"

"Sure," Elphaba agreed.

Nessa reluctantly agreed, and Nikita helped her back into her chair and out of the room. Left alone, Elphaba put down the puzzle pieces in her hand and sighed. Nikita was trying to reassure her otherwise, but Elphaba remained convinced that Annalie had been fired for standing up for her.

She wasn't going to school at the moment, she had once again dug in her heels and refused to go back, and this time not even her father's orders could sway her otherwise. Nikita had saved her some time, by arguing that with Elphaba's broken arm being her writing arm, there wasn't much point and Frex had agreed to leave the matter until her arm had healed. Ismene Fairchild was sending work up to the house and Elphaba was completing it as best she could. Nikita, and even Nessa were helping scribe her answers for her, but Elphaba tried to write right-handed where possible. It wasn't particularly neat, but work was getting done without inconveniencing anyone.

Her guilt aside, Elphaba did miss Annalie, rather more than she'd expected. And she knew Nessa did. Although she was just at Nikita's house, they hadn't seen or heard from Annalie since she left, except for a few messages passed through Nikita.

And Elphaba was avoiding her father as much as possible. Not that he seemed to care, or even really notice.

A few days later, something arrived in the post for Elphaba, postmarked from Shiz University. Unable to open it with one hand, Elphaba handed it to Nikita and craned her neck impatiently to see what was inside the package.

"It's… a paint set?" she frowned.

"And stickers," Nessa chimed in excitedly.

"Why would Ottah send me this?" Elphaba asked Nikita.

"Why don't you read the note and find out?" Nikita suggested, handing her the note.

Elphaba took it and read it aloud. "Dear Little Fabala, I heard you broke your arm. That really sucks. Thought you might like this for you and Nessa to decorate your cast. I did it when I broke my own arm- I've still got the cast! And word of advice- when it itches, don't stick a pencil inside. Talk to you soon- Ottah."

Elphaba was still frowning at the note. "Why not use a pencil?"

"It broke," Nikita rolled her eyes lightly at the memory. "He broke his arm falling off a horse when he was about Nessa's age."

"He still has the cast?" Nessa asked, her nose wrinkled. "Wouldn't that smell?"

"Yes," Nikita answered with a laugh.

"Can we paint yours, Elphaba?" Nessa asked her sister.

Elphaba shrugged. "I guess. If you want, Nessie."

"I'll set down some newspapers first," Nikita said.

The girls sat down at the kitchen table. It was mostly Nessa doing the painting, Elphaba couldn't really help that much.

When Frex joined the girls for lunch that day, he actually noticed the now brightly painted cast on Elphaba's arm.

"Isn't it pretty, Daddy?" Nessa beamed. "Ottah sent Elphaba paints and Elphaba let me paint her cast for her."

"Very nice, Nessie," Frex said. "What else have you been doing today?"

"Do you have more work to do after lunch?" Nessa asked him once she'd filled him in on their morning.

"Only paperwork, darling. I'm afraid it's never ending," Frex smiled warmly.

"Can you take a break? Just for a little while?" Nessa asked hopefully. "We could do something fun?"

"Like what?"

Nessa pondered that thoughtfully as she chewed a bite of her sandwich.

"We could play checkers? Just one game, Daddy. Please?"

Frex sighed and smiled reluctantly. "Alright," he agreed. "Once you've finished your lunch, you go set it up, and I'll be along in a moment," he promised.

Frex let Nessa win the game, and then left his youngest daughter playing with her dolls in her room. Intending to send Elphaba back to watch over her, he went in search of her. He found her in the living room, slumped in an armchair as Nikita dusted.

"Almost three weeks to go, and then we get can get that cast off," Nikita was saying brightly.

"Yeah…" Elphaba didn't sound overly enthusiastic about regaining the use of her arm.

Nikita raised an eyebrow. "'Yeah'? That doesn't sound very enthused, Miss Fabala. Don't you want to be able to use two hands again? Go back to school?"

Elphaba hesitated.

"Elphaba, those boys who hurt you. They won't bother you anymore, you know that, don't you?"

"Yes, they will," Elphaba muttered. "They'll just be better at hiding it."

"Elph-"

"It's true!" Elphaba protested. "I'm green, Nikita. No one's ever going to be nice to me. I'm never going to have any friends."

"What if I talk to your father?" Nikita asked her. "Maybe he'll agree for you to be tutored with Nessa now."

"No, don't!" Elphaba said quickly, sitting up straight. "I'll go back to school. It'll be fine."

Nikita frowned. "Elphaba?"

"Don't talk to Father," Elphaba begged. "Otherwise you'll have to leave too."

Nikita sighed and moved over to the armchair, sitting on the arm of it and placing her arm around Elphaba's shoulders.

"Elphaba, Annalie was not fired for being nice to you," Nikita said firmly.

From outside the door, Frex startled.

"Yes, she was. And if you-"

"Elphaba, haven't I been nice to you your whole life?" Nikita pointed out. "And I'm still here."

Elphaba paused. "It's different now," she said finally. "You don't see it."

She shrugged away from Nikita and scrambled out of the armchair as best she could with one arm.

"I'm going to see what Nessa's doing."

Frex only managed to move a few steps back from the doorway before she rounded the corner and came face to face with him.

Frex was surprised as she seemed to almost shrink back, clutching her plastered arm closer to her body.

"There you are," Frex said. "Your sister's in her room. Go watch her."

Elphaba nodded wordlessly and fled past him towards Nessa's room. Frex stepped into the living room, turning to Nikita.

"What is she talking about?"

Nikita paused. "Governor, with all due respect-"

"No, Nikita," Frex interrupted firmly. "If something concerns my children-"

Nikita paused, sighed, and then spoke again. "Governor, with all due respect, Elphaba has a point. That the last time someone spoke out against you, she was fired."

Frex stiffened. "You're speaking of Miss Annalie."

"The girls both miss her, sir. She was good to both of them, and I think, for them."

"Nikita-"

"Sir, I think this is a conversation you should be having with your daughters," Nikita said firmly. "And I have laundry to do, if you'll excuse me."

Frex found himself watching both his daughters carefully over the next few days, for what reason he couldn't quite put his finger on.

On the Friday afternoon, Nikita took the girls down to the library while Frex held a meeting at the house. He had just seen his guests off when somebody rang the bell, and Frex found Ismene Fairchild on the porch.

"Miss Fairchild," he greeted her politely. "Please, come in."

"Thank you, Governor," Ismene replied as she entered the foyer. "I just came by to drop off some more work for Elphaba and return some of the work I've graded for her."

Frex took the bundle with a nod. "Thank you. How is she coming along?"

"Elphaba? As well as always, she's a very bright little girl, Governor," Ismene smiled. "Breaking her arm hasn't affected her grades at all," she reassured him.

Frex nodded in acknowledgement. "Miss Fairchild, would you mind stepping into my study for a moment?"

"Of course not."

Frex showed her into the study and sat opposite her at his desk, placing the bundle on the corner of his desk.

"I was hoping you could give me a more thorough report on Elphaba's progress academically."

Ismene looked surprised for a moment, then nodded in agreement. "Of course, Governor."

The young teacher faltered slightly, looking thoughtful. "Well, she works very hard in class. Math isn't her strongest subject- she's averaging a C in that subject, but it's not for a lack of effort on her part. Of course, English and History are her best subjects, as I'm sure you're aware. She's a great reader, and she has a wonderful sense of language in creative writing for her age. She also tends to do well at anything involving research."

Frex nodded mutely.

"The boys who-"

"They've been suspended," Ismene reassured him. "They're due back around the same time Elphaba should be getting her cast off, from what I understand. The Headmaster and I both spoke to the boys and their parents, and made it clear bullying behaviour won't be tolerated. I assure you, Governor. They are facing consequences for their actions."

"So, when Elphaba returns to school, I trust we won't be facing anymore problems," Frex stated.

Ismene hesitated. "I'd like to say yes, Governor. And as I'm sure the Headmaster has said to you, we will be doing everything possible to ensure your daughter's safety. But I've spoken to the children numerous times about bullying, and tolerance. This still happened, and most of it is done in ways that aren't obvious. This is the first physical act against Elphaba that I know of. And I've been trying to stamp out the verbal bullying as I find it. But the emotional bullying, the social bullying… it's harder to spot. And Elphaba isn't one to tattle."

Frex leaned back in his chair thoughtfully.

"I honestly believe Elphaba could benefit from taking a break from school," Ismene said. "At least for the rest of this semester."

"The issue is not going to go away by taking her out of school," Frex pointed out.

The teacher faltered. "Perhaps not," she agreed. "I'm sorry sir, I don't know what else to suggest."

Frex sighed. "Thank you, Miss Fairchild."

When the teacher had left, Frex flicked through the work she had left for Elphaba. When he heard the front door open and the girls enter the house, he got up from behind his desk.

"Elphaba."

Elphaba turned, clutching a small pile of books in her good arm, and followed him meekly as he silently crooked his finger at her and turned back to his study.

"Miss Fairchild came by while you were gone," he began, when Elphaba was seated in the same chair her teacher had previously occupied not that long ago.

Elphaba tensed. "I'm sorry."

Frex paused while reaching for the papers on his desk, frowning at her.

"Sorry? What are you sorry for?"

Elphaba blinked at him. "For whatever I did wrong," she said in a small voice.

"Whatever you did wrong?" Frex repeated.

"Isn't that why Miss Fairchild was here? Did I mess up my work? I'm trying, Father. I'm trying really hard to keep up, and I'll do better, I promise," she said earnestly.

Frex stared at her, flummoxed.

"How are you completing the work?" he finally asked.

Elphaba seemed to flinch. "Sometimes I tell Nikita the answers and she writes them down for me, but only when she's not busy," she said hastily. "Sometimes Nessa writes them for me, but mostly I just do it myself and use my other hand. It's not very neat, but I'm getting better."

Frex had to stop himself from asking Elphaba if she was left handed. Surely, he had known that?

"Miss Fairchild has returned some work for you, and left some more," he said shortly, handing her the bundle.

Elphaba paused a moment, as though expecting him to say something else, and then cautiously took it from him.

"Thank you, Father."

"You may go," he excused her.

Elphaba nodded and moved her schoolwork to be held under her plastered arm, so she could pick up her books with her other hand.

That night, Frex put Nessa to bed himself.

"Daddy?" Nessa asked sleepily as he tucked her in after reading to her.

"Yes, angel?"

"Am I going to get another new governess?"

"Yes, sweetheart. It's not fair to Nikita to have to do so much work. Why?"

Nessa made a little murmur. "Hmm. I just hope they're nice."

"I'll do my best," Frex promised.

"Miss Valeria was nice," Nessa continued, blinking heavily. "To me at least. But Miss Annalie's nice to both of us. You should get someone like that."

Frex leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Go to sleep, sweetheart. Goodnight."

At nine o'clock, he headed upstairs towards Elphaba's room. When he opened the door, he expected to find her reading in bed; but instead she was sitting at her desk, working on something.

"Elphaba? What are you doing?"

She jumped and looked up at him. "Schoolwork."

Frex raised an eyebrow. "Now?"

"I want to make sure I'm keeping up," Elphaba explained.

Frex wondered if she still thought she was in trouble. "What exactly are you working on?"

"Math," Elphaba wrinkled her nose ever so subtly. "It's the easiest to do with my other hand, and I need the practice."

"It's late. You can do it tomorrow," Frex told her.

Elphaba nodded immediately and got up, heading for her bed. "Goodnight, Father."

"Goodnight," Frex replied shortly and left as Elphaba turned off her light.

In his own room, Frex sighed thoughtfully. He didn't know why he hadn't replaced Annalie already. Like he'd said to Nessarose, it wasn't fair for Nikita to be doing the extra work of caring for the girls. Yet he kept holding off.

When Frex awoke the next morning, he didn't even realise he'd made a decision until he left the house for a meeting, and found himself directing Pip towards Nikita's house. And before he really knew what he was going to stay, he found himself face to face with Annalie.

AN. The advice about the pencil came from Gilmore Girls season 2.