Author's Note: Well, well, well, I have worked my butt off to get this masterpiece off to you all, my loving fans. But let me tell you, I enjoyed working my butt off. ;) I really like this chapter; not for its plot, but because I love how well it's written or, at least, how well I think it's written. You may not think so. The beginning is, I admit, a little jumbled and possibly even redundant at times, but that's only because it's what our favorite people are thinking.
On to the bad news. I made sure that this chapter was a masterpiece and longer than I originally intended it to be because…well, to be truthful, I am leaving on a ski trip Thursday morning and will not return until Monday afternoon. Ah! I'm sorry, but at least I'll be able to write a lot during my time away, no? Hopefully, however, this chapter will make up for my temporary departure.
…on second thought, maybe not. :D
So read, review, beware of minor angst and a bit of a cliffhanger, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Wicked because one: I'd be rich (I'm not) and two: I wouldn't be writing on FanFiction because I wouldn't be the fan, I'd be the people the fans loved.

Title: The Dare
Rating: T
Summary: When Fiyero participates in a game of Truth or Dare, he receives the challenge of a lifetime: become quite intimate with the Green Girl. The prize? One hundred thousand dollars. The result? You find out. And PS: Bonus points for actually...loving her.

Fiyero

Fiyero was growing rather desperate. No, scratch that – he was desperate. As stupid as he thought the dance was, he earnestly wanted to attend it and it was only a week away. After all, it would mean enjoying the company of the woman he loved and…well, it just doesn't get much better than that. Because he missed Elphaba more than anything.

Absence definitely makes the heart grown fonder.

But what was a desperate love-struck man to do? The sorry attempt to try and get Glinda to help had failed, and Pohilo never saw her, and Boq…ugh, that would be his last resort.

Except he was pretty much down to his last resort, wasn't he?

The thing was, however, that Elphaba had already been set up before and that didn't work out very well. Obviously. So maybe, instead of messing around with people, he should wait and see how things turned out. Maybe Elphaba would forgive him on her own accord. You can't hold a grudge against someone forever…can you?

Um, Elphaba could.

Yeah, well, it wasn't like it was totally his fault. Seriously, he was kind of scared of Avaric. Okay, scared was a dramatic word, but what if he broke into his room and he had a knife and he killed him and…and…

Whoa. He was overreacting.

Fiyero looked over at Pohilo, who was studying his notes with fervor. He admired the young man's intense concentration and, of course, how nonjudgmental he was.

"So Fiyero." Pohilo interrupted Fiyero's intense studying. "How's it going with you an' that green girl?"

Fiyero hesitated. He had vowed to be more honest from now on, hadn't he? And he should.

"Fiyero?"

"Yeah, um, great! She's actually not that bad."

"Really? I figured. People like that always have the best personalities. I just never had a chance to talk to her."

Gosh, Pohilo deserved Fiyero's position in the social pecking order; that is, being extremely popular. For was it not Pohilo who knew Elphaba was a person of great character? If Pohilo had accepted the dare (not that he would have, because he wasn't a cruel person), he would've told Elphaba immediately. But no, not Fiyero; he had to behave in such a craven nature that he looked like an ass when he finally did manage to tell the truth.

And Pohilo wasn't even all that bad looking. The only reason he was so overlooked, Fiyero figured, was due to his focusing mainly on studies.

Well, wasn't that supposed to be a good thing?

But no, not in this messed up world. Not in this place where popularity mattered. Not where your appearance or the clothes you wore or how you presented yourself mattered. And with a sinking feeling, realized that was exactly why he had avoided publicly conversing with Pohilo at all costs in the first place.

Flash From the Past

"Fiyero, I was wondering if you could give me last night's assignment for mathematics. I wasn't there yesterday and I would really love to get caught up for tomorrow's lesson; it is awfully difficult to get caught up in that class," Pohilo explained, turning around in his Linguistics's seat to face Fiyero.

Fiyero enjoyed talking to his roommate but with an observant Galinda by his side, there was no way he could actually associate with this guy. Hel-lo, can you say nerd

"Um, go get it from someone else. I don't remember what it was, and I don't care." And that was half true; he really didn't remember. "Why would I actually take the time to write down some stupid assignment when there will be plenty more from where that came from. Only bores like you would want to know about that piece of unnecessary information."

He could see Glinda grin acceptingly at his brilliant choice of words and Pohilo, seemingly impervious to offending words, simply smiled in response and returned to the lesson. Fiyero was only left with the early beginnings of a conscience – guilt.

Back to the Present

Maybe he should apologize.

"Pohilo?" The embarrassed Winkie Prince inquired, interrupting the man's studies.

"Hmmm?"

"I'm sorry for treating you…um, not so nicely those first couple of days. Really, I'm sorry."

Pohilo looked up at Fiyero in bemusement. "And you're telling me this now, because..?"

"Well," Fiyero began, eager to expunge his guilt, "I just recently got this thing called a conscience," Here he grinned at Pohilo in confirmation that he was only kidding (well, mostly kidding), "and I realized that I haven't exactly been very cordial to you and you've been more than that to me. But why?"

Without hesitation, Pohilo replied, "Why not?"

Huh. "I never thought of it that way," Fiyero admitted. "But…I was so harsh to you!"

"Yeah, well, I knew you would right your wrongs eventually, especially after you started talking to that green girl..."

"You know what your problem is? I know what it is. You think that acting stupid will make people like you, but it doesn't…"

"…because man, she had seriously done you some good," his roommate continued after Fiyero drifted back into the present.

Fiyero felt a smile slide onto his face, making Pohilo smile along with him.

"Wow, you really like Elphaba."

"Yes," Fiyero agreed, "I do."

Elphaba

Ever since that afternoon in the garden, the days had passed by at a snail's pace. With dear Nessie and wonderful Doctor Dillamond dead, Glinda pissed, only the rare conversation with Boq (why start really talking to him now?), and the absence of… that boy who was nothing to her, there was nothing to look forward to anymore.

Wait, what was she talking about? She was having contradictory thoughts, for he was the very reason why life was no longer such a big deal.

Yet she hated him all the same. Him and his arrogance, his ridiculous need to be accepted by everyone, his cowardice. She hated him for his ability to make her feel this way, like she was nothing without him. She hated it, she hated it, she hated it. This was not how things were supposed to turn out.

Elphaba felt liked crying, not a rare feeling for her these days. And like always, she was able to suppress the tears.

But it made her feel worse.

---

After spending two hours reading over the same paragraph, Elphaba decided to take a stroll in the garden. As many bad memories as that place held, it was a surefire way to regain her usual state of calm.

She walked amongst the Quoxwood trees and the flowers native to The Great Gillikin Forest, letting the relaxing atmosphere enter her body.

Of course, since when was she ever allowed relaxation?

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Miss!" Exclaimed a man as he bumped into Elphaba, she having been staring out at nothing.

"The fault was mine, sir." Elphaba apologized before she could realize who was speaking to her. His blue diamonds entranced her for a clock tick, but only that.

"Excuse me," she mumbled, trying to squeeze past him.

"Elphaba…Fae…please…talk to me, please," Fiyero begged childishly, clutching her arm in a weak attempt to hold her back.

But she yanked her arm away and was gone before he could say another word to her.

---

Back in her room, she cried.

Fiyero

Fiyero trudged back to his room, miserable at his failed effort to apologize once more. Elphaba was angrier than he had ever thought she'd be and would probably never speak to him again. In a state of depression he collapsed on his bed, relieved to find Pohilo gone, and fell asleep.

---

After a long weekend in which a dismal Fiyero remained in his room except to eat (and only when starving), he sat down in Life Sciences and listened to Doctor Nikidik's lecture with minimum attention. He was beyond caring about anything that was less important than Elphaba and since nothing was less important than Elphaba, nothing concerned him. Maybe, if he failed his classes, he could get expelled from Shiz and relocate to another university – without Elphaba. Maybe then he could forget this.

But the thing was, he didn't want to forget. All he wanted was Elphaba.

"Master Fiyero, I do hope you'll make an effort to pay attention next class as I fear your grade will not be able to withstand the effects of your frequent daydreaming," the professor said as a final note to his lecture.

Fiyero merely nodded respectfully and headed out the door. In the hallway, he was stopped by Avaric.

"Hello, Winkie boy!" He exclaimed. Fiyero lifted his head in acknowledgment and was about to step aside when Avaric held him back.

"Come to the garden," he hissed, "after classes."

---

His last class had just ended and Fiyero slowly made his way to the garden. Once he was inside the plot he looked around for Avaric, not knowing nor caring what the man's intentions were. He meandered around some more until he came upon a bench in a far corner, shrouded by some trees. He then sat down and waited patiently for Avaric.

"I know your secret."

Fiyero sat up with a jolt and looked behind him to see Avaric glowering at him, but remained silent.

"I know what it is, Winkie, so don't you act so innocent."

"Really? That's awfully nice," Fiyero said sullenly.

"Wouldn't you like to know what I know?" Not receiving an answer, Avaric continued. "Okay, fine: you love the fucking green girl!" With that he landed a heavy punch to the side of Fiyero's face. Clearly not expecting this abuse, Fiyero fell to the dirt in pain and rolled into a ball.

"In the name of the Unnamed God," punch, "you shall forever," punch, "be condemned for," punch, "falling in love with a sin."

Throughout the whole attack Fiyero didn't bother to retaliate, for there was no way he could repel Avaric's master blows in his position. And plus, this wasn't as important as Elphaba. So he didn't care.

So with one last cuff to the shin, Avaric grunted in self-satisfaction and left the shattered prince lying on the cold earth, all alone.