Hello, all. I really should be updating You Can Do All I Couldn't Do, but this was demanding to be written. Plus, I came down with a bad case of pneumonia which landed me in the hospital. So I really don't feel like writing a story in which Elphaba is sick. That'll come soon.

Thanks for sticking with me! Let me tell you, pneumonia is not fun.. seriously, don't get it. Though why would you want any illness, anyway? Did you all see the Tony's? Rent's performance made me sob like a little baby. And score for Patti!

(The babbling continues for some time, Tiggy not realizing you all lost interest awhile ago and just want to read the story. So go on and do that, and review afterwords)


Fiyero was able to get everyone to leave Elphaba alone, claiming she was sick. Boq was eager to check on Alphaeus. "Seriously, don't. He's worried he's... contagious. Throwing up and all of that. Wants to be alone." Fiyero was quite pleased with his ability to quickly lie.

Until Boq shot a hole in his argument, anyway. "Then why is he letting you stay with him?"

He hesitated while he thought of an answer. Frankly, the fact that he was able to come up with any excuse after being so shocked was remarkable. "He figures that I've been around him enough already. He thinks if I was going to catch whatever he had, I already would've."

Boq frowned, but decided the explanation made enough since. Elphaba had claimed it was often hard to lie to her friends, especially Boq, who was so naturally kind. Fiyero could understand where she was coming from. He hoped that her telling him would help lessen her guilt... not that he cared too much.


Eventually, they all returned to Shiz. It was quiet. Part of it seemed to be that the friends were simply becoming bored with one another. It was the end of the school year, minds were turning to final examinations. Galinda and her friends had all returned to their respective homes, before the break. Elphaba worked to stay below the radar as best she could. She was under enough stress, although confiding in Fiyero had helped her some. All the same, she couldn't quite relax. One afternoon, a few days after they had returned from the city, she walked down to the Headmaster's office to try to take care of things.

She eyed his secretary, an all around fishy woman. Madame Morrible. She groaned to herself, remembering to keep her voice pleasant and calm. Morrible was a common figure in her increasingly-often occurring visions. Most of the time, events were mundane. But not always. "Good afternoon, Madame. Is Mister Brogthurn available? I'd like to speak with him."

Morrible nodded, not happy. Elphaba sensed that Morrible clearly thought she was far too qualified to work as a secretary. She held herself with an off-putting air of importance. "You picked a good time, his meeting was canceled. Go on in."

She did, politely knocking on the door, and he welcomed her in. "Welcome, son, have a seat."

Elphaba felt nervous for whatever reason, but settled into the chair on the opposite end of the headmaster's desk. "Sir, I've been wanting to speak with you."

He turned his head. "What about? A poor grade in a class? If it was a required course, you can make it up in the summer session." From his bored tone, Elphaba realized that questions with grades had to be the most common reason for a student to see the Head.

"No, sir." She looked down before speaking again. "Over spring break, a few friends of mine and I headed down to the Emerald City."

Brogthurn frowned. "What kind of trouble did you boys get yourselves into? I'll have to write your parents if anything illegal happened."

Elphaba raised her hand, "No, nothing like that." Brogthurn relaxed, reassured that there had been no scandal involving his students. "I saw a former professor here. Doctor Dillamond, the former Life Sciences professor."

Brogthurn frowned. "Yes, he lost his position here last fall. The Animal Banns."

"Mister Brogthurn, Doctor Dillamond was on the street. I just thought you should know that an esteemed former professor had fallen. I would have thought Shiz could help him in some way," she said.

"Help him?" the Head scoffed a little. "Dillamond lost his position because he is an Animal. That is the Wizard's law, and we must abide it. And it is, in my opinion, a fair law. The minds of tomorrow do not need to be corrupted by beasts. I'm sorry he has fallen on hard times, but Shiz can do nothing for him now. Master Alphaeus, worrying will do him or you little good. Go on to your dorm. I'm sure you have finals to prepare for."

She held it together just long enough to leave the room, walk past Madame Morrible, and walk into the main hallway. She ran all the way back to her dorm room. She passed Crope in the hallway, who tried to stop her and ask her what was wrong, but she couldn't stop. She had no idea what she would tell him, and simply called, "I'm in a bit of a hurry," over her shoulder.

She got to her door, throwing it open. Fiyero was sitting up in his bed, flipping through a book. He frowned when he saw her, clearly worried about seeing her so upset again. "What's the matter? What happened now?"

She didn't answer at first, digging through the closet for her suitcase. "I know I said I'd try to just go to school, and I did. But I can't do it anymore. I tried to talk to Mister Brogthurn. I wanted to know exactly what happened with Doctor Dillamond. I thought Shiz could help him somehow, maybe help him find a position somewhere else. But Shiz wasn't just him going along with the Banns, Fiyero. Brogthurn said he thinks Animals are beasts." During her outburst Fiyero had come up to stand behind her, awkward. "I really can't do it anymore."

He looked down. "Please don't go." He repeated his plea from the Emerald City, sounding a bit like a broken record. "Don't let politics ruin school for you. What would you even do if you left Shiz? You told me you have no plans for after school."

She rolled her eyes, annoyed. "Why do you care so much if I go or if I stay? I'm nothing to you. Why are you so insistant on me staying at Shiz?" Her vision swam, the room fading to another...

"Elphie, Elphie!" She was fighting off tears, feeling the sting as a few drops of water fell down her cheeks. Fiyero tried to calm her, putting his arms around her, pulling her closer to him. He hesitated, and the room felt electric. Everything froze; and then they kissed. It moved quickly, the two of them melting together on the little bed...

She shook from the brief vision, staring hard at Fiyero. "Why do you care so much?" She repeated her question, slightly afraid of his answer.

"I'd miss you. We'd all miss you..." The answers were true, but they weren't the entire truth, and they both knew it with startling clarity. "Oh hell, forget it!" His hands were resting on her shoulders, and he held her still so he could lightly kiss her on the lips. After a moment that could've lasted a second or a lifetime, he pulled away, walking over to sit on his bed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. It was inappropriate."

"I guess I have my answer now," she said in a half voice, dropping the suitcase and walking over to her own bed. She laid down on her side, facing away from him. She worked to hide the bit of hurt she felt at how quickly he had pushed himself away from her. It was ridiculous to feel hurt. Anger, annoyance, exasperation. Those emotions made sense. Not hurt that he had pulled away so quickly.

But logical or not, the hurt was there and she wasn't doing such a great job of hiding it from him. "Fae?" He called to her from his own bed.

"Hmm?" She pulled her knees up to her chest, keeping her back to him.

"Would it make you feel better to know that for the longest time I thought I was gay? Before I knew you were... an Elphaba and not an Alphaeus?"

"A little," she admitted, looking over her shoulder to smile at him sheepishly. They were quiet for a long while, eventually both getting ready to try to sleep. Behaving much braver than she felt, she asked, "Where do we stand, Fiyero? Are we a thing? Did that... make us something we weren't before?"

"I don't know, Fae. I wish I knew. It's not that I don't want us to be a thing, but we both have so much baggage. I don't know how to protect you from the life that's expected of me. My family won't stand for... Me and Sarima were set in stone when we were children. I don't know how to get around that. And I don't want to make things harder for you."

It wasn't the answer she wanted, but it was honest. It would have to do. "OK."

"So... did any of that convince you not to leave?"

She actually laughed. "I don't know... I'm still here, I guess."

He nodded, pleased with that. "Good."

"Goodnight, Fiyero," she considered saying something more, but decided against it. They both curled up in their beds, staring away from each other. They both pretended, but neither one of them slept.