A/N: Thank you, guys! I appreciate your kind words, I really do. It's amazing how this little idea spurred from a tiny bug in my brain whilst working the night shift is actually growing. Please stay with me I know it seems like a slow burn, but trust me the ideas the prod me whilst I work make me believe that it's all worth it.

A Million Dreams

"Are you finally going to tell me what happened with you three?" Nessarose looked at her sister as they made their way along a corridor.

Elphaba rolled her eyes at her. It had been four days since Galinda and Fiyero broke up. After making sure that Fiyero was indeed going to be alright, she'd spent the rest of Sunday night and most of Monday glued to Galinda's hip, the only times they were apart were for their separate classes and sleeping. The blonde didn't really want to be alone. By Tuesday, however, Galinda proclaimed that she was no longer heartbroken, and she had her eye on someone else. A young Gilikin male from their history class. Elphaba and Fiyero had shared an amused look when the blonde had told them.

"There's nothing to tell, not really. Galinda and Fiyero broke up because he didn't want to be with her when he wasn't in love with her. And now she's back flirting with another boy in our class I doubt she knows the name of." she told her sister as she walked at the pace of her wheeling - Nessa had refused to be pushed along. "I'm continuing to tutor Fiyero, at Galinda's request, she wants us to carry on being normal around each other. It's just... taking some getting used to."

Nessa nodded. She had noticed that their light flirting was mostly non-existent over the past few days, which had her wondering. Sitting together at mealtimes was somewhat awkward. "How's he taking it all?"

"He still feels guilty for upsetting her."

"It's not like he could help it though," Nessa commented.

"That's what I keep telling him." Elphaba shrugged. "Anyway, I've got to get to class."

"Why don't we all go out to eat later? Maybe it could help with the whole 'being normal' thing Galinda wants... And she can even bring her new beau."

The green witch laughed. "I'll ask her." She pressed a kiss to her sister's head, waving at her as she left, heading towards her Politics class. Upon rounding the corner, she saw Fiyero outside the room looking decidedly panicked.

"I may have forgotten that we had a test today," he told her as soon as he saw her.

She chuckled softly as she made her way closer to him. "Yero, it will be fine. We went over Politics yesterday."

"You did that deliberately? And didn't tell me?" He had to admit it was a little sneaky of her.

"Even if I had, would you have remembered?"

"No..." he admitted.

She smirked at him. "Just as I thought. And anyway, it was as much use to me as it was for you. I needed that refresher."

"Glad I could help!" He nodded with a grin.

She scoffed, rolling her eyes. "You spent the first hour doodling on your work!"

"Because it's boring!"

"You're impossible, d'you know that?!"

"Absolutely!"

"Miss Elphaba? Master Fiyero? Is there a problem?"

The pair looked up to see their Politics professor looking at them, not even bothering to hide his amused expression. The old man was far used to their arguing by now. They each gave him an apologetic look, mumbling their apologies under their breaths.

"Very well. Go in, take your seats with the rest of the students. Please, try not to kill each other."

The pair did as they were told, entering the classroom with their classmates and took their seats.

An hour and a half later, with the test over, they left the room together in silence.

"Nessa suggested that we all go out for dinner later," Elphaba told him as they made their way towards their next class, History. "I don't think it would be such a terrible idea."

"True," he conceded. "Did she say where?"

"No... But I'd take a guess at The Dog in the Roses just off campus. It's her favourite place to go." She smiled. "You and Galinda can't avoid each other forever."

"No one's avoiding anyone..." he pouted.

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "Of course not. You know we have her in our next class."

He groaned quietly. "Fine. I'm sitting next to you."

"I thought you weren't avoiding her," she smirked at him.

"Quiet." He hugged, throwing an arm around her shoulders as they walked.

If she rolled her eyes any more at him, she was sure her eyes would get stuck staring at the back of her skull. She kept her smirk on her face. "Yero, she's as good as over you. I'm sure you can pluck up the courage to talk to her. She is still your friend, isn't she? Or are you that much of a lâche?"

"I'm already regretting teaching you Vinkun insults." He grumbled in response.

"And you did promise not to make it awkward," she added. "And no you don't. You have way too much fun teaching me those," she smirked again.

"Alright, fine." He used his free hand to cover her mouth to silence her. "Oz, woman, you never stop talking. But I'm still sitting next to you." Feeling her grin more genuinely against the palm of his hand, he couldn't help a grin of his own splitting his face, and he dropped his hand to his side again.

Galinda saw them approaching, seeing them so close together still caused that stab of jealousy in her heart, but she refused to show it. "Fifi! Elphie!"

Elphaba heard him groan beside her and she cackled with genuine joy. "Fifi?! Are you a dog, now?!"

"Don't even think about it."

The words caused her to double over with laughter, she ducked under and away from his arm, still cackling loudly as she made her way to Galinda, who enveloped the hysterical green girl in a hug.

"What's so funny?"

"His reaction to your nickname," Elphaba responded breathlessly. "Honestly, Lin. Fifi? It's like you're calling a poodle!"

Galinda had to admit, she did see the funny side, and she too laughed. "Oz, I hadn't thought of that!"

"I could always find a spell and turn him into a poodle."

"Do it. I dare you. I'll just bite you and ruin your shoes." he smirked at her as he caught up with her.

She turned in her friend's embrace and stuck her tongue out at him, giggling again.

Galinda looked at her friend, trying to read her. She had seemed more carefree now. She laughed more, which Galinda only saw as a good thing. But the blond had to know by now, that Elphaba only showed what she wanted the world to see. She, like everyone around them, knew of the green girl's insecurities, which seemed to disappear when she was around Fiyero, or her. She seemed more confident and definishly more comfortable around him than when they first became friends, but whenever he wasn't looking at her, Galinda could see those insecurities written all over Elphaba's face for a brief moment before the mask went straight back on. She reached up and smoothed down Elphaba's hair in a comforting gesture, for she had no idea what to do with herself.

Elphaba could only smile at her, to which the blonde took as another mini-victory. Of course, they both knew Elphaba was a long way off accepting big grand gestures of friendship, love and affection. But Galinda was most certainly making it her mission to change all of that before they graduated in 2 and a half years' time.

"Ooh! Elphie, I just remembered, I have to introduce you to someone!" She dropped her arms from around the girl and dragged her by the arm into the classroom, over to the male who had just entered before them. "Elphie, this is Olie. Olie, this is Elphie, my best friend."

Elphaba observed him for a silent minute. He was a head shorter than Fiyero and herself, the perfect height for Galinda, even in her heels. His facial features sharp, though seemed to soften whenever he laid eyes on her friend. She found that he too was boring into her with bright green eyes the colour of the leaves in summer. Her gut told her she could trust him not to hurt her friend. There were no alarm bells ringing or anything outwardly suspicious about him.

"Elphaba." she corrected, holding out her hand. "She's the only one annoying enough to bestow a nickname like Elphie."

"Hey!" Galinda squeaked.

The male chuckled, extending his own hand to hers, giving it a firm shake. "Ollivander." He spoke and the pair let their hands rest at their sides.

Elphaba turned to her friend. "Before I forget, Nessa suggested we all go out later. I'm sure she's already told Boq."

"Perfect! Do you think she'd mind if I brought Olie along? I think it would be thrillifying to introduce him to the rest of my friends!"

She nodded. "I'm sure it would be fine. If he wants to of course." She headed off to her seat, leaving Galinda with Ollivander. She found that Fiyero was already occupying the seat beside her own, and she sat down, watching as he looked over at Galinda. "He doesn't seem all that bad you know."

"Huh?" He looked at her.

"I mean... they've only really been talking for two days, and he, like the rest of the school, already seems quite taken with her."

He nodded.

"Are you jealous?" she teased.

"Nope."

She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Stop that."

"Stop what?" she asked in an innocent tone.

"That mind reading thing you do," he smirked. "It's not jealousy. I just want her to be careful, that's all. As you said, she is still a friend, and regardless, we did only break up four days ago."

"I understand that. And for what it's worth, I did that 'mind reading' thing you say I do... and I don't have any bad feelings about him."

"Like you do with Morrible, for example?"

She rolled her eyes, smiling for a clock-tick before she frowned. "Yes. The way she was with Doctor Dillamond being taken. And to allow that beast to bring in that poor cub in that horrendible contraption... It was too..."

"Creepy? Evil? Wicked?" He suggested with a smirk.

She elbowed him lightly, the corners of her mouth turned up just slightly, and she looked to the front of the class as their Professor came in, and she didn't look at him for the duration of the lesson, despite his constant attempts to get her attention, which he did eventually give up after a threat of detention from their Professor, and threats to his limbs from the green witch herself.

"Why exactly are you being extra annoying today?" She just had to know as they left at the end of the lesson, catching up with Galinda, who was alone now Ollivander had another class, and the three of them did not.

"I was bored! I pay attention when you talk about things like that. You should be a teacher when we're done in this place."

"Oh, Elphie! That would be most thrillifying! I could imagine you doing it!" The blonde linked her arm with her friend's.

Elphaba groaned. "Not going to happen. You only listen because I threaten to magically set fire to you when you don't listen."

Galinda gasped. "Elphie, you don't?!"

Fiyero laughed and nodded. "She does." And even then, when she's mad at me, I could still kiss her.

"Besides, it's not like anyone else would listen to me anyway. They'd be too busy concentrating on the green."

"Elphie!" The blonde admonished.

"For the first three minutes, yeah," Fiyero agreed. " But after your sarcasm, I'm sure they'd forget about it soon enough, Fae."

Elphaba rolled her eyes at them both, linking her other arm with Fiyero's, and the three friends exited the building, heading over to the water fountain slowly. She thought back to the start of the school year six months ago. If someone had told her that the perky blonde she'd been forced to share a room with would end up being her best friend, and the Prince who pretended to be self-absorbed and shallow would also become a close friend, she'd have laughed. She'd have screeched "LIAR!" in the face of anyone who told her that she would willingly allow herself to be touched with affection and physical contact and to give it back in return. She had no doubt about it. These two people walking either side of her had changed her for the better.

"She's doing it again." Galinda stage whispered.

"What?"

"Overthinking."

The male looked at his ex-girlfriend, and then at the woman in the middle, who did indeed look deep in thought.

"Elphie!"

Elphaba blinked slowly, looking at her friend as she was pulled from her thoughts. "What? Did you say something?"

"Being stuck inside your head like that isn't healthy!" Galinda complained.

"What were you thinking about?" Fiyero asked.

"Everything." She shrugged. "Well... more specifically, everything that's happened in the past six months since I came to Shiz." she clarified seeing the confusion on his face.

"What do you mean?"Galinda tilted her head as the three of them sat down on the bench, unlinking their arms from each other.

"Well look at me. I'm green. Sarcastic. Difficult. Green. Outspoken. Green. Too smart for my own good. Sassy. Did I mention green?"

The blonde giggled, and the Prince rolled his eyes at her.

"My point is, before I came here, I didn't have friends. Now I have you two."

Fiyero put his arm around her shoulders once more. "Well, we're not going anywhere, Fae. You're stuck with us."

"Exactly!" Galinda held her hand. "And hopefully, of Olie and I do end up together, that will be one more friend. Plus there's Biq, too."

"Boq." Elphaba corrected.

"That's what I said!"

Elphaba shook her head, still smiling, settling back against his side, the three friends sat in silence for a moment.

"Elphie? Can I curl your hair?"

"What in Oz for?"

"Because I like styling your hair! It's so soft and long!"

Fiyero had to agree. He had often thought of the feel of her midnight hair in his hands as they tangled themselves in it.

Elphaba scoffed. "It's too long, and one of these days I'm going to cut it!"

"Don't you dare!" Galinda gasped.

"It suits you with your hair long." Fiyero complimented her.

Elphaba blushed slightly. "Alright fine. You can curl it. And I'll think about not cutting it."

Galinda squealed and bounced on the spot.

"Why do I already regret this?" She muttered.

"I'm sure she won't be that bad with it, Fae." he grinned.

"It's after the hair I'm worried about. It's the makeup and the clothes I'm more worried about."

As if to prove her point, the blonde was already rattling off a list of choices she had in mind for Elphaba. She then jumped up, yanking her friend to her feet. "We must start now!" she declared before dragging Elphaba back to their dorm. "Now, Elphie, your hair is going to take the longest... you don't mind if I do mine first?"

Elphaba didn't answer, instead, she walked to her bed, dropping herself unceremoniously down upon it, taking the book from her bedside table to read while her friend primped and preened in the mirror, curling her own hair and humming a random melody to herself.

After an hour of meticulously curling and pinning her hair into her desired style, she advanced on her friend, grabbing the book out of her hands. "Your turn, Elphie!" She waved the curling tongs in the air.

Elphaba groaned. "But I was just getting to the good part!" she grabbed for the book, but it was pulled out of her reach.

"You can read later! Up!"

"Why did I agree to this."

"Because-"

"It was rhetorical, you blonde!"

Galinda pouted.

She rolled her eyes for the millionth time that day and got up off the bed. "Fine, get it over and done with."

Of course, Galinda had been right. An hour and fifteen minutes later, she had declared that she had finished. Her friend had been stubborn, and a damned fidget throughout the whole thing, despite being rapped on the head with the contraption several times. She may have also accidentally burnt the tip of Elphaba's left ear. She swiftly pinned the pink flower into her friend's hair before she noticed, and started on applying a subtle hint of makeup to her friend's face. "Right. Elphie, you need to get out of that dress."

"What's wrong with it?"

"Off, now." Galinda headed to her closet, pulling out the perfect dress for her friend. It was a long, flowy deep purple coloured dress with full mesh sleeves. "And put this on." she thrust it into the green girl's check once she was out of that hidiocious frock of hers.

Elphaba stared at it for a moment. She had to admit, it was a pretty colour. Seeing that she wasn't going to get out of this, considering she was stood in just her slip, she stepped inside the dress and pulled it up her body, sliding her arms into the sleeves, her friend stepping in behind her to zip it up, and helped her into light purple kitten-heeled shoes.

Galinda dragged her over to the full-length mirror stood in the far corner. "Beautiful as always, Miss Elphaba." She grinned proudly with a giggle.

Elphaba stared open-mouthed at her reflection, stunned into silence for the first time. She couldn't call herself beautiful as easily as her friend did, but she did think she could easily pass for decent at least. Then she spotted the flower and she glared at Galinda's reflection.

"Pink goes well with green?" Galinda supplied innocently and bounded to her vanity table to do her own makeup.

The witch scoffed, but for once found herself unable to look away from her reflection, getting lost in thought. She didn't know how long she had stood there, only that by the time she was pulled from her thoughts, Galinda was dressed in her favourite pink frilly dress, calling for her friend to do up the corset, which Elphaba quickly obliged.

"So... did I do good?" Galinda sought her friend's approval.

"You know... I think you did."

Galinda squealed and hugged her.

Elphaba laughed and they both left the dorm. Fiyero, Boq, Ollivander and Nessa were all ready and waiting for them in the courtyard.

Fiyero and Ollivander's jaws dropped at the sight of them, Nessa's eyes looked suspiciously sparkly and Boq just grinned.

"Oh my Oz!" Nessa breathed. "You both look beautiful!"

"Looking wonderful as ever, Miss Galinda. Not bad, Miss Elphaba." Boq commented.

"For what? A vegetable?"

"Fabala!"

"Elphie!"

The green witch didn't even flinch at her sister or friend's gasps as she took her place at Nessa's chair, allowing Boq to walk with Fiyero as Galinda dragged Ollivander by the arm, easily falling into step with Elphaba as she pushed Nessa's chair.

Boq nudged Fiyero from his thoughts.

"Did you just see her?" Fiyero blinked, slightly dazed.

"I saw them both, mate. Which one?"

The prince shook his head and started walking after the girls, Boq following quickly after him.

Soon the six of them made it to The Dog in the Roses, easily finding themselves a table to sit at.

"Why don't you and I go and get the drinks while they decide on what to eat?" Fiyero suggested to Elphaba, once he finally remembered he had a tongue in his head.

Elphaba nodded, parking Nessa's chair and they both headed to the bar.

"Nessa was right."

"When?" she looked at him.

"You really do look beautiful." he grinned.

She smiled a little, self-consciously tucking a stray curl behind her ear, a slight blush tinging her cheeks.

He leaned in a kissed her on the cheek. "Any time."

She froze for a clock-tick, her heart thudding loudly in her chest, that old familiar fight or flight instinct of hers creeping in, and she quickly squashed it down. Pull yourself together, Elphaba! He's just being friendly! She scolded herself.

Nessa watched them with a smile playing on her lips. It seemed to her that getting him to admit his feelings would be simple and easy. Her sister, however...

"What are you planning?" Boq looked at his girlfriend, recognising the thoughtful look on her delicate face.

"Oh... just my sister's future happiness." she smiled.

"He's definishly very taken with her." Boq nodded, having observed them together several times before this moment.

"And she with him. She's just going to take an age to admit it." She sighed. "She deserves happiness, Boq. She doesn't deserve the life my father has mapped out for her, to care for me until she dies. And she'd do it too if he ordered her. But I think Fiyero could take her away from that, and make her happy.

Elphaba and Fiyero carried the six drinks over to the table, handing the glasses out before they took their seats. Moments later, a waiter appeared to take their order, and the group decided on two pizzas, with various toppings. Galinda and Elphaba both ordered a salad that they both knew they'd only pick at.

"My friends, I have an announcement to make!" Galinda said dramatically, calling for a hush around the table.

"Sweet Oz, please not another marriage proposal," Elphaba muttered.

"What?" Fiyero looked at her stunned.

"Oh, that's right, she didn't tell you..." she bit her lip for a moment and shrugged. He'd know anyway now. "In her head, you proposed the day you met." she cackled.

"Yes, enough, Elphie." Galinda huffed with a pout. "No, it's not that. I have thought of the most thrillifying way to honour Doctor Dillamond."

Only then did a hush befall the group.

"He had trouble with saying my name, so I thought the best way to honour that would be to go by the name he called me! From now on, you can all call me Glinda!" she stated finally, with a dramatic air.

Stunned silence ensued before the green witch burst into laughter once more, and the rest soon followed.

"It's not funny!" the blonde huffed.

"It is!" Elphaba smirked. "But if that's what you want to do, it's very admirable."

"Elphie!"

The whine in her voice made her descend further into more giggles.

Once the food arrived, Glinda's announcement was forgotten, and the group turned their attention to the task of eating and talking about anything else.

Fiyero once again found himself unable to tear his eyes away from Elphaba.