Chapter 21
A/N Thank you JCBoLt, insertnamehere123, Silvine Fae Graycin, BookWorm0001, Fae the Queen, ChaoticSymphonyOfDarkness, ExoticPeachBlossom, vinkunwildflowerqueen for the reviews.
JCBoLt, what is a NCLSMPANDOF? I googled, but I cannot find anything! You really must tell me!
Insertnamehere123, you will only know if Elphaba and baby are safe at the end of the whole story (oH I feel so evil..)… :P
Silvine Fae Graycin, I am waiting for your update to the Fiyero-the-storeowner fic (that's what I call that story :P)
BookWorm0001, I disagree with you on that point. GM never likes to give anyone even a shred of satisfaction, so I would say that Morrible did pass away before Elphaba arrived.
Fae the Queen, that makes the two of us.
ChaoticSymphonyOfDarkness, that is not a cliffy. I will show you what a cliffy is at the end of this chapter *cackles*
ExoticPeachBlossom, had been quite busy with work and family and so I will continue to try your patience :P Try not to zap me with an umbrella :P
Vinkunwildflowerqueen, he thought he could kidnap her because she was alone and under the binding spell . Obviously he was very wrong.
The new term brought more changes than expected.
Madame Morrible stopped persuading Elphaba to meet the Wizard. In fact, she behaved as if Elphaba was just one of the many Shiz students who were of no significance to her. The sudden cold shoulder disappointed the green girl, and she knew that it had something to do with what happened that evening in her office, though she was unable to remember what had happened. Whenever she tried to recap the missing memories, her stomach would twist into knots and her breathing would become constricted, until she had to let go. Still, the incident left her shaken, and Elphaba could not help but looked behind her on more than one occasion when she had the feeling that she was being watched.
Fiyero never knew what happened. He only knew that Elphaba had given up getting the head mistress to teach her Sorcery, and she had stopped practising.
The arrival of Pip caused a stir not seen since the early days of Fiyero's arrival. While he did not have a title, and was not as scandalicious as the Arjiki prince, the girls of Shiz welcomed the charming Gillikinese like a village welcomed the rain after a long drought (which said much about the existing male population in Shiz). They tried to get his attention and batted their eyelids at him. Friendships broke overnight and catty remarks flew among so-called friends. Pip was nice to everyone, but he took most of his meals with Fiyero and Galinda. He managed to borrow one of the cafeteria's kitchens for a few hours once and cooked for Galinda, which delighted the blonde. The two of them even went to town on their own on a few occasions.
"He had not asked me on a date," Galinda whined one day, several weeks into the new term.
Elphaba raised her eyebrows. "Aren't you seeing each other every day?"
"Yes, every day," Galinda bounced on her bed, her own version of stomping her feet when she was not on her feet. "But he has not asked me out on a date. A real date."
"A real date? Are you referring to the reddish fruit that you can eat? Phoenix dactylifera?"
"Elphie!" the blonde huffed.
"So what do you mean by a real date?"
"You know, like how Fiyero asked you out last time? Date, time, just the two of us, all dressed up and ready to impress? It seems that he is only interested in being a friend, and there are always so many girls around him," the blonde pouted.
"Alright. You seem to be interested in him," Elphaba tapped her finger on her lips, trying hard to hide her smile.
"He's different, Elphie," Galinda tried to explain with Elphaba.
"Pip is different? How is he different?"
"Pip is not Fiyero."
"That's obvious."
"You know, when Fiyero first came here, and I .. erhmmm. tried to know him better?"
"Oz, Galinda! You don't have to tip toe around the topic. Yes, you dated Fiyero. I remembered that. You were boring me with your endless chatter about him when I was trying to sleep, remember?"
Galinda blushed. "Oh, I thought you had forgotten all about that. After all, you are now married to him."
Elphaba rolled her eyes. "Marriage does not give me amnesia. So what is the difference?" She was not really interested in knowing, but she was having too much fun seeing the blonde getting all worked up.
"I don't think you understand. But when I was with Fiyero, people paid more attention to him. And he paid himself more attention. But when I was with Pip, when people looked, they saw me. They did not concentrate on Pip. And Pip pays me more attention. It is not as if he is short and ugly and boring. He is tall, cute and funny. And we have so much in common and so much to talk about, and he is interested in everything I say. It is just different. It's like the way Fiyero pays attention to you."
"Now why are you talking about me?" Elphaba asked.
Galinda narrowed her eyes at her ex-roommate. "You mean you have never noticed it?"
"Notice what?"
"How Fiyero hangs onto everything you say or do?"
"You make him sounds like a Dog, Lin."
"How he always puts you as first priority?"
"Does he? Now who ate my ice cream during dinner?" Elphaba pointed out, referring to her new craving.
"Oh, Elphie. You dense little girl. I don't think you see it at all."
"I agree. I don't see it at all. I don't see what you are getting at."
Galinda thought for a while and then she hopped off her bed.
"You've been a great help, Elphie."
"Have I?"
"Yes. And I have made up my mind." Galinda gave her a determined look.
The next day, Galinda marched up to Pip in between classes when some third year girl was chatting with him (and leaning too close in the petite blonde's opinion). She did not say anything, but simply put her tiny hand into his and pulled him away.
"I might be dense, but at that moment I could hear a few hearts shattering into hundreds of little pieces," Elphaba recounted to Fiyero that night in their room. She paused as she scratched her stomach to relieve the itch from her growing belly. She gave a sigh and moved across the room where the study table was.
"I swear that I will be nothing but a puddle of oil at the end of this pregnancy if I continue to moisturise at this rate," she grumbled to no one in particular as she picked up the dark glass bottle of oils that was now a permanent fixture on the table.
She heard Fiyero's laughter right behind her as his hand reached out and took the bottle from her. He pulled her to his lap.
"So what about Boq," he asked as he poured some oil onto his hand and warmed it up.
"What do you mean, what about Boq?" Elphaba asked him.
"Is he taking it well?" Fiyero asked as he slipped his hands underneath her blouse and applied the oil on her stomach. The warmth from the oil and his touches distracted her from the itch.
Elphaba frowned. "What do you mean? Boq?"
"Did you know that Boq had been nursing a crush on Galinda all this time?"
She looked at him. "You must be kidding."
Fiyero chuckled. "Galinda is right. You are dense. You had no idea how I felt about you, and you have no idea how Boq feels about Galinda."
Another news, of course, was Elphaba's pregnancy. Nessa was surprised. She did not not expect her sister to try for a child when she was still studying. However, she felt better when she saw that Elphaba was taking fewer subjects that term and Fiyero was taking good care of her.
Crope told them one day over lunch that he had overheard some girls discussing if the pregnancy was real, and if the prince was forced to marry her because of the pregnancy.
"Let them say whatever they want. I am sure they are just jealous that you manage to net the most eligible bachelor in the whole of Oz," Fiyero told Elphaba, using the opportunity to flatter himself. "There are more things to worry about than what other people say."
That was true. The atmosphere in Oz seemed more tense. The Wizard imposed another round of taxes on the citizens and there were rumours of attacks by the Resistance in the Emerald City.
"There was another one last night," Malky told them when the three of them were in their room one night. "Someone detonated a bomb at one of the barracks. Some of the Gale Forcers were injured. I heard that they managed to arrest the bomber."
"What is their aim?" Elphaba asked.
Fiyero shrugged. "Spread fear? Demoralise the Gale Force? It does not need to be related to the Animal Banns. A lot of people are not happy with the recent tax increase too."
The Gale Force came to Shiz the next day.
Elphaba was pushing Nessarose along the corridor when she saw a troop of emerald clad soldiers ahead. There was a man facing them, the Captain of the Gale Force, if the ranks on his sleeve were any indication. His back was to the girls, but there was something familiar about him, though Elphaba was not able to put a finger on it. His right hand was bare, and he wore a black leather glove on his left. He was talking to the soldiers, and when he was done he turned round and Elphaba finally saw his face.
She felt a chill ran down her spine. She was sure she had met him before, but she did not know when or where.
The corners of the Captain's lips turned when he saw the green girl, and he made a tipping motion with his fingers as if he was wearing an imaginary hat.
Elphaba looked down, and quickly pushed Nessarose's wheelchair, ignoring her yelp when the wheelchair suddenly picked up speed.
"Miss Elphaba," he greeted her when their path crossed.
She pretended not to hear him and continued on her way.
"Is that the Captain of the Gale Force, Fabala? How does he know your name?" Nessa asked when they were out of earshot.
Elphaba looked at her sister. She had no answer to her question.
The Gale Force marched into Madame Morrible's office and had a meeting with her. They then split into different groups and went to different classes. The soldiers came out empty-handed. It was supposed to be an easy job; the Resistance member that they had caught the night before had given them a list of names after being tortured – and the list includes students from Shiz who had previously expressed anti-Wizard sentiments, including Mo, who had previously organised a few anti-Wizard rallies in the campus. But all the students that they were looking for had disappeared. No one had seen them since last night. The frustration on the Captain's face was obvious.
Madame Morrible did not even acknowledge that the search happened. She just mentioned that the soldiers were here on a routine visit. Nobody believed her, but nobody dared to say a thing. There was an unspoken fear in the air, and some of the students began to make plans to leave for home immediately after the exams. No one wanted to spend their Lurlinemas in Shiz.
A few days later, Pip and Galinda were taking a stroll along the Suicide Canal when he asked if she would like to transfer to Gilikin University for the next term.
"It is not as prestigious as Shiz. But it is nearer to your home, and I am sure that will give your parents an extra peace of mind," he told her. The blonde had a simple bouquet of pink roses in her hand, and the smile on her face was brighter than the sun in the sky.
"Is that the only reason?" Galinda asked as she reached for his hand.
"You know that's not the only reason, Lin. I want to see you every day. I cannot imagine going back to Gillikin without you," he said. Galinda blushed at his confession. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her velvety-smooth lips against his.
"I cannot imagine that too," she said and Pip kissed her again.
Fiyero, on the other hand, was making plans for them to go back to Vinkus.
"Our baby needs to be born in Kiamo Ko," he told Elphaba.
"Why?"
"It's a family tradition. I was born there, and so was my father. You are not going to deprive my parents the chance to witness the birth of their first grandson are you?"
"Witness?" Elphaba gave him a look of distaste. "You mean they will be in the same room as me?"
Fiyero laughed. "Sorry, wrong words. They would like to be nearby when their grandson is born."
"Why are you so sure that it will be a boy?" she asked.
"Because I have dreamt of him," he replied smugly.
Elphaba raised her eyebrows. "You did?"
"Yes. He looks like me, but he has your hair. And he is the most beautiful newborn I have ever seen."
"I don't think you have ever seen a newborn in your whole life," she reminded him.
"So we will go back during the holidays. Nessa can follow us if she wants to. I had taken care of everything. The nursery had been done up, the baby clothes had been washed and aired. My parents had found a suitable nanny. So all you have to do is to show up and rest before the baby is due. Deliadora will join us nearer to the date. And then we can decide if we want to skip one term or two, or to come back with the baby." Fiyero tapped his head, mighty proud of himself for having everything planned out.
He had no idea how badly his plan would turn out.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
It was supposed to be Elphaba's last visit to town before she was due. Fiyero insisted that there would be no more trips after that, and Deliadora would have to come to Shiz to check on her instead.
"You need to rest and reserve all your energy for the examinations and the journey back to Vinkus," he told her. She was seated on the edge of the bed while Fiyero was at the other side of the room, his back against the study table.
Elphaba rolled her eyes. "I am not an invalid."
"No you are not, but I insist."
"When did you become so bossy?"
"Ever since the priest bound you to me in one of the oldest rituals in the history of Oz," he teased her, referring to the ceremony that Elphaba had suspected (correctly) to be highly chauvinistic in nature.
"Fine, but only because I am not a fan of shopping, and I need to start preparing for my exams. You too, Fiyero."
He made a face at the mention of exams, and then suddenly something caught his eyes.
Fiyero put a finger to his lips.
"What?"
Fiyero gave her a mischievous grin as he tip toed to her and kneeled down. Elphaba was wearing a blouse and pants, and he slowly lifted up her blouse to expose her belly. For a while, he thought that it would be gone by the time he went over, but there it was, a bulge on Elphaba's belly. It was a tiny bulge, but the longish outline was unmistakeable, it was the outline of a tiny baby foot against Elphaba's skin. The tiny foot of his tiny baby.
Fiyero measured the size of the foot with his thumb and index finger and raised his fingers so that Elphaba could see how tiny the foot was. He then kissed the skin where the foot was and the baby shifted away.
"First contact," he looked at the love of his life and whispered, marvel in his voice.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Nessarose insisted on coming along for Elphaba's last visit to town – the wheelchair bound girl knew that it would be difficult to get someone to bring her to town when her sister was not around.
Fiyero managed to lift Nessarose's wheelchair into the carriage in a shorter time with Pip's assistance (Boq was too short to help previously). Then they made sure that the wheelchair was secured properly before the carriage started. Elphaba looked out of the window – the feeling of being watched was there again. She saw another carriage, but it was empty. There were a few students nearby, but they were chatting among themselves and soon moved out of sight. Just then, Galinda grabbed her arm and started to list the items that she wanted to buy on this trip, and Elphaba looked away from the window.
No one noticed the small ticktock creature when it came out from the bushes and hurried away.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The first thing they noticed when they reached town was the change in the atmosphere. Business was as usual, but there was nervousness in the air, as if something bad could happen any moment.
Elphaba and Fiyero had gone to Deliadora's place for a checkup barely two weeks ago, and even they noticed the difference. The group knew the reason when they started to see soldiers patrolling the streets. It seemed that there were a few of them in every street.
"Why are there so many soldiers?" Nessarose asked, her fingers stroking the Cat on her lap. Malky did not like them too, and had snarled at one earlier on who had called him a 'cute cat'.
"One of the shop owners told me that there was an arrest made a few days ago," Pip told them. "It was someone from out of town. The Gale Force said that the man was a member of the Resistance."
"Really?" Elphaba scoffed. "And was the man here to purchase bombs?"
Resistance or not, nothing could keep Galinda from shopping. She dragged everyone from shop to shop, squealing in delight at the clothes and trinkets and forcing everyone to try on something, until their moods were lighter.
Two hours later, Nessarose, Pip and Fiyero were tired and decided to take a break at a café that welcomed customers with pets. Elphaba was tired too, but Galinda insisted that she needed the green girl to give her opinions when she tried out more clothes.
The blonde brought Elphaba to a shop selling men's accessories.
"Pip's birthday is coming," she whispered, as if the boys could hear her a few streets away.
"All right, so this is the real purpose of this shopping trip."
"Don't tell anybody. It is a surprise. He had no idea that I know," Galinda told her.
"Then how did you know?"
"I have my ways," she refused to reveal her source.
Galinda pulled Elphaba from aisle to aisle, looking at ties, and hats and cuff links. They were (or rather, Galinda was), browsing through the items when two Gale Forcers came in. They scanned the shop and approached the owner who was behind the counter.
Galinda had shortlisted a pastel pink tie and was looking for matching cuff links when she noticed the soldiers – she did not like being in the same shop as the soldiers. All the talk about the Gale Force and the arrests had made her jittery. The blonde tugged at Elphaba's sleeves, indicating that they should leave.
Elphaba was about to give a sigh of relief when something caught the blonde's eyes - cuff links with initials spelled out with diamantes. And it just happened that there was one pair with the letter P in pink .
"You must be kidding," Elphaba said when she saw the colour.
"He will wear it. Trust me," the blonde said as she made her way to the counter, her mood changed again.
The two Gale Forcers were still at the counter talking to the owner. Galinda waited as they questioned the owner for a long time – she could hear words like 'suspicious', 'Resistance' and 'arrests'. She started to bite her nails. Elphaba, on the other hand, was tapping her foot impatiently, her arms crossed. Patience had never been her virtue, and being pregnant made it worse.
After a really long time, the Gale Forcers gave the owner a final warning about harbouring Resistance members or withholding information and walked away. Galinda went up to the counter and made her payment. She did not even make small talk with the shop owner. All she wanted to do was to leave the place.
Galinda took over her purchase and was about to leave the shop when one of the Gale Forcers stepped in front of them and blocked their way. The timid girl let out a little scream and gripped Elphaba's arm.
"What do you want? We are not from the Resistance!" she babbled.
The soldier smiled, amused as he showed her what he had in his hand.
"I believed you dropped this, Miss," he said, showing her the perfumed handkerchief. Galinda flushed as she snatched her handkerchief from the soldier and then pushed Elphaba out of the shop with a quick "thank you" tossed behind her.
"Sweet Lurline, that was so scary! For a while, I thought he was going to arrest us," she told Elphaba when they walked away.
Elphaba rolled her eyes. "I don't think they will arrest you for making your boyfriend wear pink, Lin."
The two girls were almost to the café when they noticed that a crowd had gathered in front of the cafe. They pushed through the crowd just in time to see Pip being helped onto a chair by a waiter. There was a towel pressed against his head.
"Pip!" Galinda rushed to him, and she pulled away his hand. The blonde cried out when she saw the fresh red blood on the towel.
"You're bleeding!"
"What happened? Where is Nessa and Fiyero?" Elphaba asked.
Pip looked up at Elphaba. "I'm sorry. I tried to stop them. I really did."
"Stop who?" Elphaba asked. It was only then that she noticed the overturned wheelchair a few tables away.
"The Gale Force. They took them away."
A/N Please review!