A/N: The beginning is Fiyero POV. I don't know if I'll add any others besides his and Elphaba's; I may, but I'm improving this chapter.

Disclaimer: C'est a Gregory Maguire, pas a moi.

Fiyero:

She was going away in the morning. She was going away and taking with her her unexpected beauty, her sudden and unique pronouncements on life, her passionate rants (and kisses), her fire, her anger, her joy, her strength and conviction that put the rest of us to shame.

She was going away, and taking the new me. I liked myself, for the first time in my life. It had sure seemed, before, like I loved myself, but I hadn't. I'd hated my guts. I'd wanted to be different- to make a difference, really- but I'd never known how, before Elphaba. Elphaba-Fabala-Elphie-Fae.

And then I knew: I was going with her. I'd always planned on going to see her off at the train station, and since I knew she'd object to my going with, and so would Morrible, for sure, I'd just buy another train ticket before 'saying goodbye' and hop on the next car behind hers.

With a plan, I thought I'd be able to fall asleep, but I couldn't. I just kept picturing Elphaba- Elphaba pushing her round spectacles up her nose, Elphaba throwing a book at my head- I winced at that memory- Elphaba soaking wet, mingled rage and happiness fighting in her face as she levitated me off the ground, Elphaba, loaded down with books up to her eyes, crossing the courtyard, Elphaba, sitting on the courtyard's brick wall under the tree, eating an apple, reading a book, knees up to her chest, Elphaba, entering the dance my first night at Shiz, her spine straight as a rod, her face noble and set, walking down that staircase like a queen. She'd looked oblivious to the whispers and stares, but I knew now she wasn't. She tried to be, but she wasn't. They made her less sad than angry, though, ready to turn on her heel and spit fire at the offender. She sometimes did, too. More memories: Elphaba, at that second party where I'd gotten completely smashed and tried to come on to her, sloppy and brave with alcohol, Elphaba, in that shimmering black gown that picked up the same light as her hair and shaded her skin and turned her into an angel of the night. Elphaba, in the golden afternoon light of the library, smiling self-deprecatingly to conceal her pain.

It was morning before I realized I'd fallen asleep- and dreamed, of course, of Elphaba.

Elphaba:

Packing was a headache. Glinda flitted around the suitcase like an insane, caffeinated, hot-pink butterfly, trying to sneak in "decent" (re: fluorescent and hoop-skirted) clothes.

"No, Glinda," I said, pulling out a hideous bright turquoise skirt. "Even I know how horrible I'd look in this. Not to mention that it's probably itchy."

"Beauty is pain," replied my indomitable roommate, throwing a pink beribboned shirt onto the small black and navy blue pile of folded clothes.

"Not pain to everyone else's eyes," I countered, firmly giving it back.

"That's not what I meant. I meant, you really should think about what I said, about tweezing your eyebrows."

I groaned. "No."

"Please, Elphie, let me do your make-up!"

"Glinda. No. You seem incapable of realizing that I do not, erm, share your coloring."

"So?"

"So, you can't put pink blush and blue eyeshadow on me! No!" I threw myself down on the bed, flushed and exhausted with excitement. Glinda popped down next to me.

"Are you excited?" she whispered.

"More than you'd ever guess," I said, sitting up. "I wonder what he'll be like, you know? Do you think it'll be scary? Do you think he'll hate me? Everyone else does."

"No, Elphie! The Wizard's not like everyone else, that's why he's in charge of Oz and we're not! And besides, not everyone hates you. I don't, Fiyero doesn't, Nessarose doesn't-"

"She does now," I said, forgetting that I'd gotten sick before I'd told Glinda what had happened with Nessie.

"What? What do you mean?"

"She found out about Boq. I-I told her. It kind of slipped out. She accused me of being jealous because no one would ever love me, and we got into kind of a big fight." I swallowed hard. "I don't want to leave with her still mad at me, but…"

"Don't worry," said Glinda, smiling brilliantly, "I'll take care of it."

"But-"

"Elphie," Glinda held up a perfectly manicured hand. "Just let me worry about this, all right?"

"Fine." I settled back with a defeated sigh. "I should probably get some sleep."

But I couldn't. Andstrangely enough, what kept me up wasn't anticipation about the Wizard…it was memories of Fiyero. I didn't want to leave, and I did. I knew- this was the chance I'd always dreamed about, to do something, to be someone (to make Frex proud for once) but…I'd never dreamed I could be loved, too. Never dreamed I could be happy. And I was, for the first time in my life. Should I, really, take a chance with that?

No, Elphaba, I told myself firmly. Don't be an idiot. You're only going to see him. You're coming back. And besides, you're not throwing this over for a boy. You're not that dependent, that stupid. No.

Still fighting with myself, I fell asleep, and I dreamed about Fiyero in a green uniform pointing a shiny silver pistol at a gigantic golden head.

Definitely not a premonition. Definitely not.

Fiyero:

Oh, shit.

I was going to be late. I ran like hell to the train station, sighing in relief to see an agitated Elphaba and flittering Glinda still standing there. I handed Elphaba the flowers I'd gotten her; she looked a bit shocked, despite herself.

"Thank you," she said, and abruptly turned her head away. Could it be that she was suffering from the same demons as I was?

"Hello, Fiyero," said Glinda.

"Hi," I replied, just thankful she'd given up Fi-fi. I turned back to Elphaba. "You're coming back, aren't you?"

"Yes," she said, a bit uncertainly. "I haven't graduated yet, you know. I think this is just an interview, sort of."

There was something the matter with her. I remembered some of the things she'd said in her sleep, when she was sick. Visions, she had visions. What had she seen?

"Elphaba," I said cautiously, "is something the matter? Have you- have you seen something?"

She looked startled, like a deer surprised in the forest in the silent, still moment just before either it ran or you shot, or stepped forward, or made a noise that sent it flying.

"No…not…clearly," she said hesitantly.

"What are you talking about?" asked Glinda.

"Nothing," said Elphaba, too quickly. "Nothing," she repeated, as if convincing herself. "Glinda," she said, suddenly, "come with me."

"What?" asked the blonde girl, shocked. "I can't!"

"Come on, please," begged Elphaba. "I-I'm not so sure I can manage alone." There was a glimpse of something strange in her eyes, something needy and vulnerable I'd seen, barely, once or twice before, but she'd always taken care to hide it. What was it, I wondered, the two-year-old motherless girl left without affection rearing her small dark head within the fiercely independent eighteen-year-old?

And that made up my mind. I was going with her, whether she liked it or not. Of course, she wouldn't know until I got there and presented myself, there, as a fait accompli, but that didn't really matter. But if I was to do this, I had to go now. I'd revised my plan. I'd get there first.

"I've got to go," I said, grabbing her and kissing her hard before she could protest, then taking off.

"Fiyero!" I heard her yell, somewhat angrily, from behind me. I smiled and whooped crazily once out of her earshot, getting myself some strange looks from two old ladies nearby, to whom I then presented my best prince's smile and bow before running off again.

Elphaba:

Damn him, he was up to something, I could tell by the way he'd run off so quickly. But I couldn't think about that, I had to deal with Glinda. I needed her, somehow, with me. Needed, or wanted. It was probably the second, although didn't I deserve to have something I wanted, for once?

It was quite a shock to realize that I already, in fact, did. And I was leaving him behind.

"Please," I said to Glinda again. "Come on. Morrible won't punish you; she likes your parents' money too much. Come on, what have you got to lose? Everything all the teachers say is in the books anyhow."

"Oh," said Glinda, "so that's what you study." I gave her a look, and she laughed. "I'm just kidding," she said, "I'm not that stupid."

"You're not stupid," I said, "just… fluffy." She giggled.

"Oh, all right," she relented. "I'll go."