A/N: I'd like to thank everyone for all the wonderful comments! It really helps when i'm writing to know that there are people who are enjoying my story...so thanks!

X

It was early morning when Galinda began to stir. She nuzzled her face into the pillow underneath her head, her body curling into a tight ball then releasing as she let out a sigh, air rushing out of her nose. She very slowly became aware of a faint scent on the pillow. Her eyebrows came together in confusion as she tried to remember what it was. Galinda nuzzled deeper into the pillow, her body telling her to sleep but her mind forcing her to remember the familiar scent. Suddenly it hit her.

Elphaba.

Galinda opened her eyes slowly and realized that she wasn't in her own bed. The sheets weren't as soft, nor were they pink, but rather thick like wool and a light shade of gray. Feeling a little disoriented she turned onto her back and blinked up at the ceiling, her eyes still adjusting to the somewhat light room around her.

Galinda took in a breath as the events from the day before suddenly flooded her mind, tears instantly coming to her eyes. She brought her hand up to trace her bottom lip, the pads of her fingers running over her cut.

She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. When she opened them, she brought her hands up to her face, wincing slightly when she tried to move her right wrist, still heavy with dark bruises.

Galinda slowly became aware that Elphaba was not in the bed with her. Yet she was positive that they had shared a bed last night, she could remember her heart racing as Elphaba wrapped her arm around her shoulder and held her while she cried. She could still feel her body pressed up against her roommates, could hear Elphaba's heart beating as she lay her head near her heart.

Dawn had barely broke and the early morning light cast shadows that danced across the walls with the firelight. The blonde sat up in her roommate's bed, her left hand clutching the comforter to her chest. Blue eyes scanned the room and found Elphaba standing in front of the window, head leaning against the windowpane. Datura was curled up in her arms, ears perked forward as she looked outside.

"Elphie?" she asked, her voice a little husky from sleep.

Elphaba turned her head towards the blonde when she heard her speak, but didn't say anything. Galinda slipped out from underneath the warm blankets and cautiously walked over to her roommate, stopping when she was a few feet from her. Galinda crossed her arms in front of her chest, as much to keep herself warm as to not show how cold she was.

"Datura needs to go out I think," Elphaba said quietly, one of her hands stroking the long white fur. Galinda walked a little closer and placed her left hand on the cold window.

"But it's so cold," Galinda said removing her hand from the window and replacing it in front of her chest. Elphaba stared out the window, her teeth worrying her bottom lip. They window creaked as the wind blew, a small draft coming into the warm room. Galinda shivered and moved a little closer to Elphaba.

"She'll be fine, we could just open the window and she could walk along the ledge to the apple tree," Elphaba said setting the cat on the windowsill. Datura looked up at them expectantly, her long bushy tail swishing from side to side.

"What if she can't get back?" Galinda asked, her hand coming up to gently pat the long fur. Datura nuzzled into the blonde's arm, a low purr emanating from her throat.

"She knows her way around I expect. Cats are smart Galinda," Elphaba said, still not looking at the blonde. She moved to unlock the window, slowly opening it. Datura darted out onto the ledge and made her way along the building. An icy wind blew through the opened window, sending snow in the room. Elphaba quickly closed and locked it, a slight shiver running up her body. Galinda leaned closer, hands pressed against the glass as she tried to peer through the now foggy window.

The room encased the girls in silence that not even the crackling fire could pierce. Elphaba was watching the blonde peer out the foggy window, her hands pressed against the glass. She noticed dark bruises on her right wrist and wondered what had happened between the blonde and her father. Elphaba reached her hand out and traced the bruises gently, the pads of her fingers barely touching the warm skin beneath them.

Galinda looked away from the window and up at Elphaba, who had her eyes trained on her wrist. Galinda watched Elphaba's fingers gently graze her bruised skin, her heart fluttering around in her chest. After a moment, Elphaba pulled her hand away and walked over towards the fire.

Galinda brought her hands down from the window, leaving two smudged handprints on the glass, her eyes followed Elphaba across the room. She watched as she picked up the fire poker and started moving the wood around. The flames rose and became a deeper orange, casting deep shadows across Elphaba's face and body.

Galinda noticed that Elphaba's hair had been taken out of its braid, the long raven locks flowed over her shoulders and down her back like a waterfall. The blonde also noticed that Elphaba was not in the night dress she had went to bed in, instead a long deep maroon dress with intricate designs embroidered across the bottom adorned her slim body.

"Elphie," Galinda asked, walking across the floor to the fireplace, "how long have you been up?"

Elphaba looked over at the blonde, who was now a few feet behind her. She replaced the poker on its hook and turned towards her roommate, arms crossed at her chest.

"A couple hours," she replied with a shrug. Galinda stepped closer to Elphaba, wanting so desperately to be in her arms.

"Why were you up so early?" she asked, watching the firelight dance across her features. Elphaba looked over at the fire.

"I had too much on my mind and I kept waking up," Elphaba said looking back at the blonde. Galinda nodded, walking closer to the fire and Elphaba. Another moment of silence passed before either said anything.

"Elphie, are we going to talk?" Galinda asked nervously, her voice quiet as she played with a strand of curly hair.

"I suppose we should," Elphaba said, her voice low and even, "Though I don't really know where to start."

Galinda looked down at her hands then back up at Elphaba. She opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted. Both girls turned towards Ama Clutch's door as it opened.

Ama Clutch walked in the room and noticed the fire was blazing.

"Elphaba dear you should of knocked rather then rekindle the fire yourself, that;s what I'm...Galinda, what are you doing here?" Ama Clutch asked upon seeing Galinda standing next to Elphaba.

"What do you mean?" Galinda asked confused, putting a little distance between her and Elphaba.

"Well, deary, your father was here yesterday. He said in the letter that he was taking you home to see your mother for a couple days." Ama Clutch said walking closer to the two girls. She stopped in her tracks upon seeing Galinda's lip.

"Oh dear," she said walking closer to the small blonde. She placed her cold hands on Galinda's chin and tilted her head up a little.

Galinda sighed and tried to hide her wrist, not wanting to bring up anything about her father in front of Elphaba. Ama Clutch noticed and gently grabbed her arm.

"Oh Galinda, not again," Ama Clutch said shaking her head as she ran her boney fingers over her wrist, "you promised that you'd be careful."

Galinda glanced over at Elphaba, new tears in her eyes. She cried out when Ama Clutch tried to rotate her wrist.

"Oh dear, looks like you might have broken your wrist," Ama Clutch said, "I'll be right back." Elphaba watched Ama Clutch hobble out of the room, the door clicking softly shut behind her, and then turned her attention to the small blonde.

Galinda was trying desperately to stop the new tears from falling; her bottom lip trembled slightly. She couldn't bring herself to look at her roommate.

"Again? This has happened before?" Elphaba asked, her voice a little accusatory. Galinda didn't reply, but walked slowly over to her bed and sat down, her eyes trained on her hands.

Elphaba stayed by the fire but watched the small blonde closely. After a moment Galinda spoke,

"Do you regret kissing me?" she asked, her voice a little shaky.

"Do you regret kissing me?" Elphaba countered, walking over to the blonde's bed and sitting down next to her.

"Only if I loose you as a friend," Galinda said quietly. Elphaba looked at the blonde, her mind racing. She had never been in a situation like this and didn't really know what to say or do. She hadn't really known what she was doing when she kissed the blonde out in the garden, never having kissed anyone on the lips before.

So much had happened the day before and Elphaba was struggling to figure out how she felt about everything. She had shared her bed with the small blonde, and though she couldn't deny that she liked the feeling of her roommate in her arms or the feeling of her lips against her own, it was all very confusing.

"I don't know how I feel about everything and even if I did, I'm not very good at expressing my feelings," Elphaba began, "but I do know that I don't want to loose you as a friend," she finished, looking up at the blonde. Galinda nodded slowly.

"Would...would you ever consider me more...than a friend?" Galinda asked cautiously, catching Elphaba's eyes. Elphaba stared at her for a moment before responding.

"Anything's possible," she said quietly. Just then, Ama Clutch came into the room with a nurse. Elphaba got up off the bed and walked over to the window as they tended to the blonde.

Galinda watched Elphaba walk away, new tears flooding her eyes but for entirely different reasons from before. She looked away from her roommate and focused her attention on her Ama and the nurse.

"Oh my, how did this happen?" the nurse asked, tucking a loose strand of red hair behind her ear as she lifted Galinda's arm.

"I, uh...fell awkwardly on my wrist," Galinda said, not really lying, but not giving the whole truth. The redheaded nurse nodded her head and continued examining her wrist.

Ama Clutch and Galinda locked eyes for a moment before the blonde turned her head away. She winced slightly when the nurse tried to move her wrist. The nurse ran her fingers over the bruises and looked up at Ama Clutch, before directing her attention back the blonde.

"Well, it doesn't appear to be a severe fracture, a hairline at most, so I'll just wrap your wrist with a splint so you can't move it." The nurse said, rummaging through her bag for the tourniquet and splint.

"Now you need to keep this on for a while, no taking it off to take baths," the nurse said to Galinda as she wrapped her arm. Galinda didn't say anything. The nurse finished wrapping Galinda arm then stood up.

"Ama Clutch, I'd like a word with you," the nurse said, Ama Clutch nodded and followed the nurse out of the room.

The two women sat in silence. Elphaba stared out the window, watching the sky light up as the sun began to rise. Could she really think of Galinda, her roommate, in that way?

Galinda stared at Elphaba, watched her wring her hands together. She looked down at her wrapped wrist, gently flexing her fingers on her right hand. In all truth, Galinda was scared. Scared of what may happen to Elphaba, scared of what her father might do next, scared of how Milla now viewed her. But mostly, she was scared of being rejected by her roommate. She didn't know if she could go back to just being friends, not when she knew how soft her dark lips were, or how good it felt to be held, to nuzzle into her shoulder and feel completely safe. Elphaba had told her anything was possible. Did that mean she was willing to try?

Ama Clutch came back into the room her head shaking. She sat down on Galinda's bed and looked her in the eyes.

"Tell Ama what happened," she said gently. Galinda stared wide eyed at her and then glanced over at Elphaba who had turned her head slightly.

"I woke up from a nap to pounding on our door," Galinda started reluctantly, not really wanting Elphaba to hear.

"I thought it might of been Milla, we had a small argument before...but it was p-papa. He came in and said that...said that someone h-had seen...seen me kiss someone else," Galinda said quietly, her voice laced with tears, leaving out the part about Elphaba for her roommate's sake.

"T-then he started to yell at me...and I started to p-panic...I tried to concentrate on breathing and didn't hear what he had said...then he..." Galinda paused, tears falling from her eyes as she looked up at Elphaba. Ama Clutch rubbed her back encouragingly, noting the way the blonde kept looking up at Elphaba.

"Then he h-hit me and I fell to the ground," Galinda said taking in a deep breath, trying to override her tears from falling, "I ran into the bathroom and stayed there until Elphi-aba came."

Ama Clutch looked over at Elphaba briefly then back at Galinda, pulling her into a hug.

Galinda closed her eyes, wishing that it were Elphaba hugging her instead of her Ama. After a moment, they pulled apart. Ama Clutch sighed and got up.

"You know, if that man didn't hold my job above my head I'd spit on him," Ama Clutch said shaking her head, "the nerve of him...hitting his own daughter...I expect you'll be staying for winter break?" she asked through her mumblings. Galinda shrugged.

"I hadn't thought about it," she said softly, looking down at her bandaged wrist.

"Well, you need to decide by the end of the day, because I need to book your train if you are," Ama Clutch said walking over to the door, "I'm off to breakfast with the other Amas," she said, still mumbling as the door closed behind her.

Galinda let out a shuddering breath and closed her eyes. Elphaba turned so she was facing the blonde, a confused expression on her face.

"So what do you think of me now?" Galinda asked softly, looking up at Elphaba through teary eyes, "I break down and have full panic attacks over the stupidest things, I'm constantly making terrible decisions, my father hates me and I-I have unnatural feelings towards women...no wonder you don't want anything to do with me," she finished, new tears falling down her cheeks.

"Stop putting words in my mouth Galinda," Elphaba said, walking back over to the blonde's bed and standing in front of her.

"I don't think any less of you because of any of those reasons. I wish you wouldn't care so much about what other people thought about you. You're going to end up changing just to make those people happy and you're going to loose yourself in it all," Elphaba said sternly. "Now I don't know about anyone else, but I happen to like you the way you are. Everything you just said just makes you stronger and a better person."

"But I..."

"No one, outside of Nessa, has ever shown me true compassion the way you have Galinda. Even when you didn't know me, you helped me while everyone else walked around me. You walked into this room fully intending on becoming my friend and with the way I treated you I should be the one worried about being rejected. Not the other way around," Elphaba said, needing to get this out in the open.

"I have never had a friend like you, Galinda, and if you think that having panic attacks and having a father that hits you because you're being true to yourself is going to change that we're friends, then you've got another thing coming, because your not getting rid of me." Elphaba finished, using her roommates words. Galinda felt more tears fall down her cheeks and she flung her arms around Elphaba's neck.
Elphaba almost fell back on the bed from the sheer force of the hug, and hesitantly wrapped her arms around the small blonde, holding her close.

Galinda was over come with joy at the fact that Elphaba didn't hate her and wanted to remain friends. She clung to her tightly for a moment before pulling away. Elphaba looked at the blonde, her eyes falling to her bandaged wrist.

"Galinda, how did your father know about what happened in the garden?" Elphaba asked softly, knowing she had left out some details while telling Ama Clutch. Galinda looked down at her wrist then back up at her roommate.

"Well...I don't know for sure...but I think that..maybe he heard it from Milla," Galinda said, her voice low. Elphaba looked at her confused.

"How could Milla have known?" Elphaba asked, looking at the blonde. Galinda hesitated for a moment.

"I-I think I made a mistake Elphie," she said sadly, more tears gathering in her eyes.

"What are you talking about?" Elphaba asked, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

"Well, after you left, Milla came over and said she wanted to talk...she noticed that I had been crying and asked what was wrong...so I told her about my mama...and then about how...how I kissed you...please don't be angry with me Elphie," Galinda pleaded.

"Galinda, please stop worrying about whether or not I'm going to be angry with you. It's not going to change how I feel about you," Elphaba said. She was a little shocked that she had told someone about it when she herself had barely processed it. Galinda looked at her and nodded before continuing.

"I think she got angry with me, I asked her if she hated me because of it and asked her not to tell anyone, but she said she needed to think about it and then left," Galinda said sadly.

"And you think Milla would tell your father?" Elphaba asked, trying to process everything. Galinda shrugged.

"I don't know how he found out, but he did," Galinda said, looking over at wall he smashed their picture on, a look of horror washed over the blonde's features. "When he came into the room...I knew he knew something...and then he threw our picture against the wall and...I was so scared Elphie," Galinda whimpered, her body shaking a little at the memory. Elphaba fought the urge to take her into her arms.

"I don't even want to think about what state I would be in had Datura not attacked him," Galinda said looking at towards the window the white cat had dissapeared out of.

"Then don't think about it," Elphaba said then added in after thought, "Are you sure Datura's not a Cat?" Galinda chuckled a little.

"Who knows," she said sniffling. Galinda crawled up her bed and laid her head on one of her pillows. Elphaba scooted backwards so she was leaning against the headboard.

"I cleaned up the glass, the picture's over on the desk," Elphaba said.Galinda smiled up at her roommate.

"Thanks," she said quietly.

"Elphie, where do you go when you're not in classes or the library?" Galinda asked after a moment. Elphaba looked down at the blonde, hesitating before responding. She still wasn't used to talking about her personal time with other people.

"I help Doctor Dillamond with his research," she said closing her eyes and leaning her head back against the headboard.

"Oh. He always mispronounces my name," Galinda said, her eyes scanning down Elphaba's body. She brought her hand out and ran her fingers along the clothed arm.

Elphaba opened her eyes, a shiver running up her spine as Galinda's fingers ran along her arm. She looked down at the blonde who looked up at her, their eyes locking for a moment.

"He always pronounces it Glinda, no matter how many times I tell him it's with a 'Guh'," Galinda said seriously. A low chuckled escaped Elphaba's dark lips and she shook her head.

"Yes, well, Guhlinda, Doctor Dillamond has much more important things on his mind than pronouncing your name correctly," Elphaba said, earning a gentle smack on her shoulder.

"Meanie," Galinda said. Elphaba brought her hand to her heart dramatically.

"Oh you slay me with your words Galinda."

Galinda glared at her, causing Elphaba to chuckle.

"Oh don't glare, it's unbecoming on you and it'll ruin your pretty face," Elphaba said, running her pointer finger down the bridge of the blonde's nose. Galinda scrunched her nose, her cheeks becoming a little rosy.

"What kind of research do you help him with?" Galinda asked, moving her head to Elphaba's leg.

Elphaba inhaled, her heart doing a summersault in her chest. She let her body get used to being touched before answering.

"Well if I told you, I'd have to kill you," she said, her voice shaking the tiniest bit. Galinda rolled her eyes and giggled.

Another round of silence encased them as they sat on the blonde's bed. The sun had risen fully into the sky revealing a clear day. Elphaba stared down at the blonde, resisting the urge to run her fingers through her golden curls.

"Galinda, why did you kiss me?" Elphaba finally asked. Galinda didn't respond or move for a moment, and Elphaba thought that maybe she had fallen asleep. Then Galinda pushed her body away from the bed and sat Indian style, her nightdress riding up her legs a little. She looked down at her hands as she searched for the correct words.

"Because I like you...I have liked you for the longest time," Galinda said softly, her eyes meeting Elphaba's. "Why did you kiss me?" She asked.

"For starters," Elphaba began, "I really didn't know what I was doing, I had never kissed anyone like that before...but...it felt right," Elphaba said looking at the blonde, "Does that make sense?" Galinda nodded, her heart racing.

"Did it hurt when I kissed you?" Galinda asked, remembering her odd allergy to water, unsure if saliva counted. Elphaba looked at her for a moment, confused before it dawned on her.

"No, saliva doesn't hurt my skin," Elphaba responded with a slight chuckle. Galinda nodded, not taking her eyes off her roommate.

"Did you like it?" she asked after a moment. Elphaba looked down at her hands, her long fingers pulling at a loose thread in her dress.

"I think I did," Elphaba said quietly. Another moment of silence passed between them. Galinda's heart fluttered around in her chest as she looked at her roommate.

"Elphie?" she asked nervously.

"Yea?" Elphaba responded, looking up at the blonde, her fingers still pulling at the thread.

"Can I kiss you?" the blonde asked, her voice shaking a little bit. Elphaba's heart was pounding as she was caught in the blonde's crystal gaze.

"Okay," she answered quietly. She watched Galinda lean forward so she was on her knees. Time seemed to slow down as she waited for the gap to be closed between them. Finally, Galinda leaned in and captured Elphaba's lips with her own.

Elphaba's eyes closed in automatic response, as she felt Galinda's soft lips against her own again. They sat unmoving against each other, both afraid to take it a step further.

Galinda pulled away for a moment, her eyes quickly scanning her roommate's face before continuing the kiss. She brought her left hand up to cup Elphaba's cheek as she slowly started to move her mouth against her roommate's.

After a moment Elphaba followed suit, opening her mouth against the blonde's, her own hands coming up to rest on Galinda's shoulders. As they continued kissing, Galinda slowly and cautiously gathered courage and traced her tongue along Elphaba's bottom lip.

Elphaba sucked in air through her nose and hesitantly met Galinda's tongue with her own, her heart beating five times the normal rate. She had never felt anything like what she was feeling at that moment.

Galinda whimpered softly when she felt Elphaba respond in kind. She slowly moved her tongue against Elphaba's, both of them getting used to the new feeling. After a moment, Galinda felt Elphaba's hands pushing on her shoulders and she pulled away from the kiss reluctantly. Galinda opened her eyes and looked at her roommate.

Elphaba's mouth was opened as she breathed,her lips wet from the kiss, eyes still closed. Galinda couldn't help placing another soft kiss against her dark lips before she sat back.

Never in her wildest dreams did she ever think that what just happened would ever happen to her. Elphaba slowly opened her eyes and looked at her blonde roommate. She closed her eyes again and swallowed, her heart still beating wildly.

"Um...if we were to become something," Elphaba started slowly "would you mind taking it slow?" She asked. Galinda smiled shyly and nodded her head.

Galinda flopped to her side, laying her head on Elphaba's shoulder, her mind still reeling from the kiss they had shared. She breathed in the sweet smell of sandalwood and closed her eyes.

They stayed quiet for a while, both of them thinking about the kiss and what it meant. They had obviously crossed the line bordering friendship, and Galinda wondered if Elphaba would take it any further.

Elphaba looked towards the window and saw Datura sitting on the ledge outside it. Galinda followed her gaze, a wide smile spreading its self on her face. She got up off the bed and walked over to the window, quickly opening it so she could scoop Datura up in her arms. She closed the window and walked over to her bed, setting the small cat on her pink comforter.

Elphaba had gotten up, a million things going through her mind. She walked over to the desk and gathered some books and a quill for the finals she had to take after breakfast. She turned around to find Galinda staring at her.

"I have a final in a half hour, so I'm gonna go grab something to eat," Elphaba said, unable to break eye contact with the small blonde. Galinda nodded as she mindlessly stroked Datura's long fur. She stood up and walked over to Elphaba, stopping a few feet from her.

"My first final isn't for another hour," Galinda said.

"How will you write with a bandage on your arm?" Elphaba asked, eyeing the blonde's right wrist. Galinda looked down at her hands.

"I can write with my left hand," she said, a small smile on her face as she looked back up at her roommate. Elphaba looked confused.

"But I've only ever seen you write with your right hand," she said, her eyebrows knitting together.

"My papa made me learn to write with my right hand, said it was bad breeding to be left handed," Galinda said, her voice sad at the mention of her father. Elphaba stared at her, waiting for her to say she was joking.

"Are you serious?" she asked. Galinda nodded bringing her fingers of her left hand up in front of Elphaba's face and wiggling them.

"Oh...well, I'm gonna go now," Elphaba said, hesitantly moving forward and placing a kiss on Galinda's cheek before heading towards the door.

"Elphie?" Galinda asked, stopping her roommate before she left, "What are you doing for winter break?"

Elphaba looked at her, hand on the doorknob.

"I was going to stay here and catch up with some reading and stuff with Doctor Dillamond," Elphaba said, turning to face the blonde.

"Don't you go home with Nessarose?" She asked. Elphaba chuckled softly.

"Nanny's coming to pick Nessie up. I wrote to father telling him I was staying, why?" she asked, clutching her books to her chest.

"Oh, well I was wondering...if I go that is...if you might..want to join me and Ama Clutch at Caprice-in-the-Pines?" Galinda asked slowly her hand playing with a strand of curly hair. Elphaba looked at the blonde from across the room.

"I'll think about it," Elphaba said, before leaving the room, the door clicking shut behind her. Galinda walked over to her bed and collapsed on it, a huge smile on her face. Finally, something was going right in her life. Datura walked over to the blonde and nuzzled her face.

"You wouldn't believe what just happened, Datura," Galinda giggled, patting the cat softly. She let out a sigh and closed her eyes, bringing her hand up to her lips and tracing them with her fingers.