Finally, it was the evening of the dance. Fiyero found himself more nervous than he expected. Nervous by following the plan correctly, nervously excited about being out with Elphaba for the first time in public in a week, and just plain old excited about after the dance.
Galinda had been preparing for the dance from the moment she woke up. Doing her hair and make-up, trying without success to get the small lipstick stain out of her beautiful white dress, and having her room cleaned up just in case Fiyero wanted to come back after the dance. She had expected him to come over during the week, but was surprised that not much had happened physically. Well maybe he's just wanting to make the night of the dance special, she thought with excitement.
Fiyero checked himself in the mirror, happy at how the look turned out in his black suit. He imagined Elphaba standing next to him as he stared at himself in the mirror, pictured them dancing the night away. But first, he had to go get Galinda...
Galinda was just finishing touching up her make-up when she heard a knock at the door. Bustling around to find her purse, she opened the door to see her date standing there. "Hey Fiyero," she smiled flirtaciously.
"Hey gorgeous," he lied for hopefully the last time, offering Galinda a kiss on the cheek. "You ready to go?"
"Absolutely," she grinned, stepping out into the hallway to take Fiyero's hand, letting him guide her out of the dorm and to the dance.
-
Elphaba was standing in her room, tying her hair up in a beautiful, sloppy bun that she had seen in one of Galinda's magazines ages ago. Surprisingly, it had turned out exactly as she hoped - elegant with just a slight touch of carelessness. A knock at the door had her jumping and darting over. Boq stood there, a carefully wrapped parcel in his hand.
"Do you know how hard it is to conceal a floor length dress in a closet made for a Munchkin?"
Elphaba just smiled at him. "I owe you one, Boq!" She snatched the dress, whirling into the room.
"Don't think I won't collect," muttered Boq, heading back towards his own dorm.
-
Doctor Dillamond stepped into the dance room, looking around with a smile. If everything went as Elphaba told him it would - not, of course, he reminded himself sternly, that he supported it - it should be a very... interesting... night.
Boq darted back to his room, pulling on his suit. Outside the door, Shen Shen - of all people - waited. Ever since Pfanee and Galinda had moved in together, she had been hanging out with him more often, and they had become an item - not that anybody had noticed. "Ready, Shen Shen." Together, they headed for the dance.
The dance was well underway by the time Fiyero and Galinda arrived...he and Elphaba had planned it that way. Everyone looked up at the "super-couple" as they entered the dance, many people "ooohing" and "ahhhhing" at how stunning they looked together.
"Oh Fiyero, isn't this wonderful?" Galinda asked, bouncing excitedly in her heels as she stood at the top of the grand stairway. "Just you and me..." she sighed.
Fiyero smiled, waiting for this moment all week. He turned to her slowly, dropping her hand as he did so. "This is wonderful," he said loudly as he smiled, "because I don't have to spend another minute with you. You are manipulative and destructive and a bad friend, and I hope everyone here knows that. Have a good life Galinda," he smiled, heading down the stairs on his own.
Shen Shen and Boq, who had been standing right behind Fiyero and Galinda, stared at Fiyero, surprise on Shen Shen's face and happiness on Boq's. Reaching over, Boq took Shen Shen's hand. "Care to dance?"
Galinda could only stare with her jaw on the floor, feeling the cold stares of her classmates. Finally regaining control of her legs, she moved down the stairs to find Pfanee.
Fiyero breathed a sigh of relief. He had done his job, it was all over. Now he got to spend some time with his friends, just waiting for Elphaba...
-
Elphaba looked at herself in the mirror in Morrible's office. The closest room to the dance hall, the headmistress had let her stay in there until it got underway. With a smile, she picked up the skirt of her dress and headed towards the party.
Elphaba swept towards the door, feeling more confident and graceful than ever before. The two chosen teachers as door holders smiled at her. "It's nice to see you, Miss Elphaba," one said with a smile, and the other just nodded. Together, they opened the doors... and in she went. She perched herself on the top of the grand staircase, letting her skirts fall back to the ground. Boq's sister had done an amazing job. A halter dress, it wrapped tightly around Elphaba's whole upper body, accenting curves she hadn't realized were there. Once it passed her hips, it fell in layer after layer of a beautifully light material - and it looked good on her, fading from an off-white at the top to a black at the bottom (after all, Boq's sister had written, if it's going to drag on the floor, might as well camouflage the dirt.) And so she stood, make-up free but more beautiful than she had ever been - or felt - before.
Fiyero was mid-conversation with a few of his friends when one suddenly stopped paying attention, looking at the stairs. Another friend followed the gaze, also suddenly staring off into space. Fiyero finally turned around to see what they were gawking at, and spotted Elphaba at the top of the stairs. Looking more stunning and confident than he'd ever seen her, it was suddenly like no one else was in the room, that nothing else mattered. He moved slowly across the dance floor, his eyes never leaving her as he stopped at the bottom of the stares, in awe of her.
Ignoring the rest of the eyes that were following her, Elphaba glided down the stairs - glad that the dress was long enough to cover her feet and, thereby, leaving her able to wear very comfortable slip on black shoes - and met Fiyero at the bottom. "Care to dance?"
"Well I don't know..." he whispered as he lightly placed a hand around her waist. "My girlfriend is supposed to be here soon and I think she may be jealous if she sees me dancing with the most beautiful woman here..." he sighed at her happily, before winking, "well...maybe just one dance," he finished as he held his free hand out to her.
Elphaba raised her hand and placed it in his, and together, they glided onto the dance floor.
"Galinda?" Doctor Dillamond trotted over to the gaping blonde, offering her a glass of wine. "You look like you might need it."
Galinda took the glass of wine without even looking over at Dr. Dillamond, her eyes transfixed on Fiyero and Elphaba as they danced gracefully across the dance floor.
Fiyero admired Elphaba's dance skills, whispering, "You look as beautiful as your dancing, no one can take their eyes off of you...myself included," he smiled at her.
"And to think, I learned this from an old Goat..." Elphaba's lips twitched as she pulled him closer, finally able to truly be together.