A/N: Am I happy with this? I don't know, but the idea was stuck in my head and I needed to get it out, so yes, here it is.

Trigger warning for sexual assault. "Happy" reading!

Galinda hugged herself a little tighter as she hurried through the park near Crage Hall, her shoes creating a fast, steady rhythm on the uneven pavement. If she had known that she would be out this late, she would have brought a jacket, but because of their premiere that was due next weekend, ballet rehearsals had lasted longer than she had anticipated. It was already dark, the park barely lit by streetlamps and she had to fight the urge to call Elphaba again to come and meet her halfway. She had texted her during a small five-minute break that they would need longer than usual and called her when rehearsal ended fifteen minutes ago but had refused her offer to pick her up.

She could do this on her own, after all she walked this route nearly every day, or so she had tried to tell herself. Now all she wanted was to reach the majestic building of the girl's dormitory as soon as possible, so she could eat the soup Elphaba always made for her after a long day at rehearsal and then cuddle up with her in one of their beds. As much as she loved ballet and had talked about nothing else for an entire week when she had gotten one of the lead solos, daily practice took a toll on her. Not only physically, although her feet were constantly bleeding from burst blisters and her sore muscles ached with every step, but mentally as well. It was Shiz' greatest production in years and they had barely one week left until it had to be perfect. Or at least sufficient enough that most spectators would declare it so.

Their director, a bald man about twice Galinda's height, threw a fit whenever she missed her cue or messed up one of her steps, screaming at her in front of everyone else. She could only handle it because she wasn't the only one, and one girl in the corps de ballet had joked that he was only missing his hair because he had ripped it out during one of his many tantrums. Laughing at him when he wasn't looking helped chase the tears that would otherwise follow one of his tirades. That was why she tried to tell Elphaba the funny stories when she asked about her day in the evening, although more often than not her girlfriend saw right through her and held her whenever the urge to cry became inevitable.

Elphaba was her rock, the one constant in her life she knew she could count on, and she couldn't count the times she had wished she could bring her to rehearsal. Sadly, saying that the green girl had two left feet was an understatement. Elphaba and dance did not mix, just as Galinda could not for the life of her see what was interesting about life sciences and history, her girlfriend's two great passions.

While Galinda spent her days in class before going to rehearsal, Elphaba busied herself in the lab with Dr. Dillamond, her all-time favorite teacher, where they were doing some kind of research about Animal consciousness. Of course, that was not Galinda's field of expertise at all, and yet she loved listening to her girlfriend talk about their progress, her hands eagerly dancing through the air in excitement as she tried to explain DNA structures and cell samples to the blonde. She didn't even understand half of it, but the spark flickering through her dark eyes and her agitation that made her stumble over her words, made it all worthwhile.

Sometimes she wondered if she looked like that when she talked about dancing, because during the last weeks, all she could remember was tension and crying. The only thing that got her through it was the hope that it would all be worth it in the end, when her first professional performance was over and she could look at her girlfriend clapping and cheering in the front row.

The mental image of Elphaba's face made her speed up even more, rushing around a corner without bothering to look up. She almost fell when she walked into a group of young students, every one of them holding a bottle of what looked like beer and wine.

Due to the darkness, she needed a second to connect the familiar looking shadows to their respective names and faces. Her heart stopped in realization as she recognized her former circle of friends; Pfannee, Shenshen, and Milla, together with Avaric and her ex-boyfriend Fiyero.

It used to be the six of them, always the heart of every party, with Fiyero and herself as Shiz' ultimate romantic power couple. When they broke up and word spread that she didn't hate her roommate anymore, they had grown further and further apart until the invitations to parties and ladies' nights stopped altogether. Now she was at the receiving end of the vile acts she had once encouraged or at least tolerated, openly laughing and pointing at her and Elphaba walking hand in hand being the most inoffensive of them all.

She tried to avoid them as much as she could, only seeing one or two of them in her classes. She hadn't encountered the entire group ever since she broke up with Fiyero, and the fact that they had obviously been drinking only made it worse.

Trying to keep her head down and mumbling a short apology, she attempted to just wriggle herself through the group, but a firm grip on her arm soon forced her to stop.

The blonde looked up right into Avaric's smugly grinning face.

"Galinda!" He slurred, only gripping her arm tighter while she had to force herself to stay calm. Picking a fight never ended good with any of them, especially if they were drunk, she knew as much from experience. "What a pleasant surprise."

"Let me go!" She tried to say it as firmly as possible, but she couldn't stop her voice from wavering. The park was barely lit and deserted, and her phone buried deep within her pink backpack.

If Avaric had heard her, he didn't respond, his hand so big one could easily call it a paw still cutting off the blood supply of her arm.

"We haven't seen you around much, Galinda", Pfannee chimed in, possessively putting her arm around Fiyero before taking another sip from her nearly empty bottle of wine. "Been too busy with the artichoke?"

As she heard the degrading nickname, she forgot her fear for a second. "Her name's Elphaba!"

"Oh, now it has a name?" Shenshen scoffed and walked closer to the blonde so their faces were only a few inches apart. "I remember a time you didn't know it either."

Galinda's face fell at the reminder of the time she spent as their group leader, feeding them with new gossip about her green roommate that was made up most of the time. While she and Elphaba had talked about it thoroughly and she knew she was forgiven, she still couldn't bear to think back to it.

The others laughed at her blank expression, and the fear began to seep through her mind again, her entire body tensing up. Avaric's grip still hadn't altered and the way they seemed to have fun backing her into the corner of the stone wall surrounding the park didn't look they were planning on letting her go anytime soon.

"What do you want?" She asked, trying to free her arm, but to no avail. "What are you even doing out here?"

Avaric grinned, suddenly spinning them around so her back was pressed against the wall. "We're having a little party. It's a pity you don't even seem to remember your boyfriend's birthday."

He pointed back at Fiyero, who started walking towards them, swaying with every step. Galinda didn't know what to expect, and the fear poisoning her mind kept her from thinking straight. When she had broke up with Fiyero it hadn't been his fault, he just hadn't been the right one for her. He wasn't Elphaba.

"He's not my boyfriend", she spit out, goosebumps forming on her skin as she looked into his eyes. While she was sure that even after their breakup and ever since rumor had spread that she was dating Elphaba instead, he would never hurt her in a sober state, she couldn't judge how he would act when drunk. And the way he strived towards her made her unconsciously press her back further into the wall.

"Not anymore", the Vinkan Prince slurred as he slapped Avaric on the back, chuckling as he saw Galinda flinching. "What's the matter, princess? Don't you wanna say happy birthday to me?"

"Happy birthday", the blonde choked out as Avaric's grip tightened, surely leaving a mark.

"Do it properly, Galinda!" Pfannee yelled from behind the boys, leaning against Milla who looked a little more sober and steady on her feet.

Shenshen threw her a cruel smile before shouting, "Yes, give him a birthday kiss!"

Finally, Avaric's grip on her arm loosened and he backed away a couple feet, but only to make room for Fiyero.

Galinda stared at him with wide, begging eyes, her body frozen in place. She should probably try and run but there were five of them and one of her, and they had her surrounded. Tears began to build behind her eyelids as Fiyero leaned into her, effectively pressing her against the wall with his bodyweight. Grabbing her hands and holding them down, he had her constrained and helpless.

"No, please! Fiyero!" She started to shout as she suddenly seemed to wake from her trance, beginning to struggle against his grip, but of course her tiny body had no chance against the muscular Vinkan Prince, who had learned to fight soon after he had made his first steps. "No, no!"

He shut her up with his lips pressed firmly against her own, his tongue forcing them to part as he invaded her mouth. A choked sob escaped from her throat, the sound soon swallowed by the kiss, as he let go one of her hands to run them up her body instead, aiming for her breasts.

When she was sure she was about to be suffocating, not only from the feeling of his hard lips against her own, but also from the basic need for oxygen, he finally drew his face back a little. The others began to cheer while her own cheeks were stained with tears and burning from embarrassment.

Fiyero abandoned her breast to grab her face, his own still way too close, and Galinda felt like she could get sick from the sensation of his hot breath on her skin alone.

"Such a good kisser you are", he said, stroking her cheek while she struggled against his body. Deep overflowing shame consumed her at the comment, her insides twisting at the suggestion she could have tried to make it enjoyable for him. "The artichoke must have had fun when she corrupted you."

At the mention of Elphaba, a short wave of strength overcame her, and she tried to raise her knee up to kick it into Fiyero's private parts, but he managed to move away in time.

"Feisty, are we?" He asked, holding out one hand for Avaric to hand him his bottle. Downing the remaining liquid in one gulp, he let it fall on the floor before fully turning towards her again. "Someone needs to teach our little slut a little respect."

With those words he began to rip the buttons of her blouse open. Time seemed to freeze before it exploded, and she desperately tried to wrest out of his reach, screaming for help at the top of her lungs.

"Fiyero, are you sure you want to-" Milla's voice came from the background but was soon drowned out by the other girls cheering him on.

Her ex-boyfriend managed to peel her blouse off with a little help from Avaric, immediately groping her breasts through the fabric of her bra, until they were suddenly interrupted by someone fighting their way through their little group.

"Are you out of your fucking minds?" Elphaba screamed at the two boys, brutally ripping them away from Galinda.

Without the pressure on her body keeping her upright, the blonde fell to her knees, violent sobs shaking her entire body.

"Mind your own business, green bean!" Pfannee slurred and tried to walk towards her, though she could barely maintain a straight line.

"I've already called the police!" Elphaba yelled, her every limb shaking from the rage rioting within her. She was standing right in front of Galinda, shielding her exposed body from sight. "I'd advise you to leave right now, before you'll regret it."

Avaric laughed cruelly. "I'm not taking orders from you. Step aside or you will regret it."

Next thing the blonde knew, Avaric was flying through the air and crashing against the nearest tree, all without Elphaba having moved even an inch away from her spot. As much as Elphaba hated her magic seminar with Morrible, right now she was immensely grateful that she was forced to go.

"I'm not repeating myself again", Elphaba said in a low, dangerous voice, eyeing Fiyero through small slits. "Leave. Right. Now."

All of them turned tail and fled at that, not wanting to end up like Avaric who was lying unconsciously next to the tree a few dozen feet away.

"Elphie", the blonde managed to choke out through her tears, blindly reaching for her girlfriend's hand. Elphaba gladly let herself be pulled to the ground next to her, green fingers gently cupping her face and guiding it upwards.

Purple marks started to build where Fiyero had grabbed her chin, and Elphaba seemed to force herself not to look at them, but to focus on wide blue eyes instead. She looked like she didn't know what to do and how she would react to physical contact, until Galinda threw herself in her arms.

She sobbed into her shoulder, her tears quickly seeping through the fabric of her jacket while she held onto her as tight as she could, as if Elphaba was her own personal anchor.

Elphaba let her, not knowing what else to say or do, besides reaching for the forgotten blouse next to them and draping it over her girlfriend's shaking shoulders.

While part of Galinda knew that she should stop crying and come back from her hiding place on the green girl's shoulder, she just couldn't bring herself to do it. She could still feel Fiyero's hands all over her body, taking possession of it as if she was nothing more than a dirty doll to be played with, the sickening taste of his lips still evident on her tongue. All she could do to force it out of her mind was to cling harder to Elphaba, inhaling her unique scent of sandalwood and lavender and letting it engulf her.

When they heard sirens in the background coming closer, Elphaba gently leaned back to get the blonde to let go on her own. As they were face to face once again, Galinda's eyes red and puffy from all the crying and new tears still following, Elphaba began to rearrange the blouse further over her shoulders to cover her exposed front.

"My sweet, can you listen to me?" She asked gingerly, caressing her cheek.

Galinda forced herself to nod, not trusting her voice enough to form any coherent words.

"The police are coming. Now, you'll have to tell them what happened. Do you think you can do that?"

Blue eyes widened in fear as she saw the cars coming closer, the blaring sound of the sirens so loud it was almost hurting her ears.

"I-" That was all she could choke out before her voice broke and she shook her head vehemently. "No."

A female police officer got out of her car and slowly started to come closer, but Elphaba held out her hand to show her to give her a second.

Gently smoothing her blonde curls out of her sticky face, Elphaba encouraged her to look her in the eyes. "I'm going to be with you every step of the way. Do you hear me? I'm not letting anything happen to you."

Galinda looked at the face of the girl who had saved her, the one she knew was beating herself up right now because she hadn't come sooner or even let her walk back on her own in the first place. She had always wanted Elphaba at rehearsal, feeling like she need her strength, but those worries seemed incredibly far away now. But Elphaba was here. And as long as she was right by her side, nothing could happen to her.

With Elphaba, she was safe.

Taking a deep breath, she nodded. "Okay."