Their time at Coastline Paradise was wrapping up and everyone enjoyed their experiences there while it lasted. Before they knew it was Sunday and time to pack up and go. Lani and Triss were back home in the Emerald City, Chloey was back home in Wittica, and the rest were back home in Frottica. The rest of the day was spent taking it easy, unwinding from vacation and getting back into the swing of things. Galinda was kind of sad that all of the fun in paradise was over, but she was excited about going to see her mom's family later this week but sad that Elphie would be leaving in a couple of days. She was leaving Wednesday evening because she was required to attend the Governor's annual formal dinner on Thursday and had a couple other meetings and obligations the following week. Galinda had a doctors and dentist appointment on Thursday then on Friday the Uplands would be on their way to Tenniken. Janina was going to accompany them and would be staying with her own family in the area. The Arduenna family reunion was on Saturday and they would be staying in town until mid next week.

The girls were currently each in their separate rooms at the moment getting settled. Elphie decided to leave most of her stuff packed up, except for her clothing. Janina instructed her to set everything aside so she could do the laundry later. She used the restroom and put on a more comfortable outfit before heading over to Galinda's room.

"Hi Lindie." She said tapping on the open door.

"Hi Elphie!" grinned and greeted her girlfriend with a kiss when she came in and sat on the fluffy couch beside her.

"Have you unpacked?" the green girl asked.

"Janina will do it for me later. I was just on the phone with Jemma." the blonde said.

"Oh how is she doing?"

"She's doing good and Sylvie is recovering well."

"I'm glad to hear that."

"I told her about the song you wrote me and how sneaky you and Sylvie are but apparently she was in on it too!"

"Yes she was my sweet." Elphie chuckled. They talked some more but were soon interrupted by a knock on the door from Janina.

"I wanted to let you girls know that Cook is preparing you a snack to hold you over until dinner. She said you can come down in about 20 minutes." the woman said.

"Thanks Janina! I was just craving a snack, I'm hungry." Galinda said and Elphie agreed.

"However I figured in the meantime I'd show you a little surprise I had done for you Galinda." Janina said.

"A surprise?" The blondes face lit up.

"Yes. Follow me. Elphaba you come too I need you to be Galinda's blindfold if you don't mind." Janina chuckled.

"Okay" Elphie chuckled as she put her hands over Galinda's eyes and they followed Janina out of the room and down the hall.

"Elphie are you in on this?" Galinda asked, unable to contain herself with excitement.

"No Lindie, I promise I have no idea what this is all about." Elphie said. They ended up outside of Galinda's second closet. Janina opened the door and Elphie gasped and removed her hands from the blonde's eyes and she gasped as well.

"Oh Oz! Wow!" Galinda squealed in amazed as she looked around. It was a totally different room. There were organized shelves, drawers and racks built into the walls and all of her clothes were hung up and organized by color, by season and by occasion. There was a long soft ottoman in the middle of the room for sitting. There was a huge full length mirror as well as a room divider for changing. The closet within the room was dedicated to all of Galinda's shoes. There was another section dedicated to accessories and other items. Overall it was a complete transformation and the ideal dream closet.

"Janina...I don't know what to say." Galinda said, still looking around at everything.

"I assume you like it." the woman chuckled.

"I like it? I love it! This is amazing! You did all this?" Galinda asked.

"I had some help. A friend of mine does interior design. Her and her assistants came through last week and did all of this while you were away. Your parents chipped in to make sure everyone was well funded for their efforts." Janina explained.

"They did a great job." Elphie said. She thought back to what a mess this room was when she first saw it. Even the progress they had made a few weeks ago to clean up was no comparison to this.

"I love it so much! Now I can actually come in here and use this room. I am gonna be so much fun getting ready in here, post shopping fashion shows and Oztagram selfies of course. This mirror is huge!" Galinda bubbled.

"I'm glad you're happy with it." Janina smiled.

"Thank you soooo much Janina! Thank you thank you thank you!" Galinda said squeezing her maid with the biggest hug. "You're literally the best!"

"You're quite welcome." Janina chuckled. "I know it's fun to have a new luxury closet but the overall goal is to keep it this way and nip that hoarding habit of yours in the bud."

"Okay I can do it." Galinda said and meant it. Galinda asked to call Janina's friend to give her a personal thank you because she was just so thankful and appreciative. They stayed in there for a while exploring everything there was to explore then went downstairs to have the snack that Cook prepared for them.

xxx

Monday and Tuesday flew by with a quickness and it was currently Wednesday. Cook made stuffed peppers for dinner which was one of Elphie's favorite dishes of whole family sat down and ate together. It was kind of sad that it was Elphie's last dinner with them for the summer but they were able to keep it light hearted and fun. They had to be out the door shortly after dinner so Elphie could catch her train. She was all packed up and Darol took her bags downstairs and out to the car for her. Elphie felt a wave of emotion walking out of her room for the last time. She knew she would be coming back someday but it felt strange leaving after being here for so long. She and Galinda had made so many memories this summer and after everywhere they went they always ended up back home. She didn't even consider this her second home anymore; it was her first home. She had warm goodbyes with Janina and Cook and soon enough they were on their way.

xxx

They arrived at the train station with a few minutes to spare. Galinda had been doing a surprising job at keeping herself together but when the conductor made the first call for Elphie's train to start boarding and the tears started flowing.

"Lindie, my sweet." Elphie said, wrapping her arms around her crying girlfriend.

"It was such a pleasure spending the summer with you Elphaba. We love you and hope to have you back on your next break from school." Darol said.

"Thank you Darol, for everything. This has honestly been the best summer I've ever had." Elphaba said, accepting a big hug from him and starting to get a little choked up. He took her bags over to the luggage compartment for her. Elphie turned to Laura with tears in her eyes.

"Elphaba, darling…" she said opening her arms and giving the green girl a warm embrace.

"Laura...I- just...thank you." Elphie said letting her tears fall then wiping them away quickly before they burned.

"Of course my dear, I love you very much. Have a safe trip. We'll see you soon." Laura said, gently patting her back.

"I love you too." Elphie said then took her crying girlfriend's hand and pulled her into a hug.

"I don't want you to leave. I miss you already." Galinda cried into Elphie's embrace.

"It'll be okay Lindie. We can do this. It's only a week and half. You'll get to see your moms family and you'll have so much fun. Before you know it we'll be back at school in our new dorm and get to see all of our friends again." Elphie said, trying to cheer her up.

"I know but this part is just harder than I thought it would be." Galinda said, wiping her eyes.

"It really is, but we'll get through it." Elphie said.

"Text everyday and facechat every night?" Galinda said.

"Of course." Elphie said. She pulled back from the hug and lifted the blonde's chin and placed a modest kiss on her lips.

"I love you Lindie."

"I love you so much." Galinda said, tearing up again. The conductor made the final call and Elphie got one last hug from Laura and Darol. Galinda walked her up to the door and they shared one last hug and kiss before parting ways. Elphie got settled into her private compartment and looked out the window at Galinda and her parents waving as the train took off. She smiled and waved back until they were out of sight. She felt a knot forming in her throat. She couldn't contain herself and cried for a few short moments. She eventually pulled herself together and reflected on all the good times she had this summer with Galinda, Laura, Darol, Janina, Cook, Nana, Chloey, Triss, Lani, Jonah, Jemma and Slyvie. All of these people had become so special to her and she had never felt so apart from anything before. It overwhelmed her but in a good way. She was stressed about this upcoming week at Colwen Grounds and was disappointed that Galinda wouldn't be with her to make it easier like last time. But the light at the end of the tunnel was move-in day at Shiz next weekend. She was definitely looking forward to the upcoming semester.

xxx

Elphie ended up dozing off on the train at some point and woke up shortly before it was time to get off. She arrived at Munchkinland train station and was greeted by Masters Keeth and Carl to receive her bags and escort her to the private van that would take her to Colwen Grounds. She sat in the back of the van just stared out the window the whole ride, lost in thought. It was almost midnight and she wondered if anyone would even be awake by the time she arrived. She hoped not because she certainly wasn't in the mood to interact with anyone tonight. She sighed when they pulled into the gates of Colwen Grounds. The security guards let her out of the van and escorted her into the building.

"Miss Thropp, I know it is quite late but has requested to see you upon your arrival. She stated if she is not present in her office then she would be in Parlor C." Master Keeth explained.

"Thank you. I'll find her." Elphie then went straight to Parlor C, knowing Ingrid would likely not be in her office this time of night.

"I was told you wanted to see me." Elphie said standing in the doorway.

"Elphaba, you're back." Ingrid said as she stood to greet her. "I must have lost track of time, I meant to meet you in the lobby. It's good to see you. How was your summer?"

"Good to see you too Ingrid. I had a fun summer with Galinda." Elphie said

"I'm glad to hear that. It's unfortunate that Galinda couldn't tag along this time around. I grew quite fond of her perkiness during her last visit." Ingrid chuckled. She still had a feeling that there was something going on between them but figured now was not the time to bring it up. "Anyway, tomorrow is a big day and if you and I could meet sometime after breakfast I'll make sure you're updated on everything. I don't want to hold you long tonight but I wanted to let you now that we had the Polly come in last week to make evening gowns for you and Nessa. We used your same measurements from last year. It should be hanging in your room. If you could just try it on tonight and make sure it fits, that would be great just in case you need any adjustments because she'll be coming back tomorrow morning to make adjustments on Nessa's dress."

"Alright I'll be sure to try it on tonight." Elphie said, already exhausted thinking about tomorrow. "Is my father here?"

"No, he's expected to arrive tomorrow afternoon." Ingrid said.

"Okay" Elphie sighed. The last time she saw her father was when he yelled at her and slapped her across the face. She certainly wasn't looking forward to seeing him tomorrow. Ingrid decided to call it a night and they went their separate ways. Elphie made her way to the family wing and scanned her ID to open to the door. The lights were out in the living room area but Maribelle was still up tiding the dining room and kitchen area. She greeted Elphaba, asked if she needed anything and told her that the rest of the family had already turned in for the night. Elphie went upstairs to her room but was stopped in the hallway by her brother Shell.

"Hi Elphaba!" Shell said running up to her.

"Shell, I expected you to be asleep." She said, giving him a hug. "Oz, you look taller every time I see you."

"I was told you were coming home tonight so I waited up. I'm glad your back I missed you." Shell said.

"You did?"

"Yeah, Nessa and Nanny aren't much fun. I've gone out of town with Papa a few times though. We went on a hiking trip in July. It was really cool."

"That sounds fun. I'm glad you and father got to have some time together." Elphie said. "I'm on my way to bed and you should do the same."

"Alright, goodnight sis." Shell said heading back to his room. "Love you."

"Good night Shell, love you too." Elphie said, and made a mental note to spend more time with her little brother this week.

Elphie made her way to her room and saw the evening gown hanging was a long elegant black dress with lace sleeves. The Thropp family tailor, Polly, had been making Elphaba and Nessa dresses for years when it came to special occasions at Colwen Grounds. She knew exactly what Elphaba preferred and how to work with her unique skin Thropp children are eligible to attend the Eminent Thropp's formal dinner by age 15, so it would be Elphaba's fifth time attending, Nessa's second, and Shell still wasn't old enough. Out of all the dresses Elphaba had made for her this one was one of the best. She tried it on and it fit perfectly. She let her hair down to get the full effect as she looked in the mirror. Linda would love to see me in this. She thought to herself. Speaking of Lindie… She pulled out her phone. She texted Galinda when she arrived at the train station but forgot to text her when she arrived at CG as she was instructed to do. She figured her girlfriend may have already fallen asleep so sent her a sweet message to wake up in the morning. It was about 1am so the green girl decided to get ready for bed in order to build up the strength for tomorrow.

xxx

The next morning Elphie had breakfast with Nessa, Nanny and Shell. Nanny asked about how Elphie's summer had been and how Galinda was doing and filled her in on what she and the kids had been up to. They all caught up and it was a relaxed conversation. Nessa and Elphaba only mildly got on each other's nerves and tested each other's patience but that wasn't unusual for them. Nessa was actually in a better mood than usual which was pleasant.

After breakfast Elphie met with Ingrid who gave her the rundown on today's events and filled her in on what next week would look like as far as meetings and things go. After her meeting Elphie and Shell took a walk in the garden maze which they hadn't done together in years. A light fare lunch was catered to the patio for everyone to eat on their own time since dinner would be a big affair for the girls. Around that time Frex arrived at Colwen Grounds. He greeted everyone and surprisingly spoke to Elphaba. He wasn't hung up on their fight from last time and was just his usual cold self towards her.

xxx

Around 5pm Elphaba started to get ready. She put on her gown and shoes, which were just a hair of black pointed toe flats. She had washed her hair earlier that day and just brushed it out and wore it down. She took a picture of her look and sent it to Galinda who, as expected, gushed and hyped her up like crazy. She chuckled at the texts she was receiving from her love wishing she was here to get all dressed up with her. They needed to be in the main formal dining room by 6 to make their entrance so she went downstairs to see how Nessa was ready.

"Nessie?" Elphie said, knocking on her sister's door.

"Come in." Nessa said. She was dressed in her evening gown which was silver and more flowy than Elphaba's. Her hair was styled in a waterfall braid with curls and Wilhelmina had just finished her makeup and she was her fancy wheelchair for the occasion.

"You look nice Fabala. Polly outdid herself this year with that gown." Nessa said.

"Thanks, you look very nice yourself." Elphie said. Her sister was such a truly beautiful was almost hard for her to believe they were related. Nessa was always considered the pretty one and Elphaba grew up with the internalized belief that she was ugly. Nessa got all the good genes and I got the green ones. Elphie thought. Despite Galinda telling her that she's beautiful everyday it was still hard to believe it when she didn't feel conventionally beautiful. "Are you ready?"

"Ready." Nessa said after fluffing up her curls one more time. Elphie pushed her chair down the hall and into the living room. Nanny was there and gushed over them and had to take a few pictures. Nessa loved all of the attention and Elphaba hated it. She just wanted to get this evening over with.

xxx

"Hey pretty girl." Elphie said as she answered her incoming facechat call from her girlfriend. It was 11pm, the formal event was over, she was back in her room and changed into her pajamas.

"Elphie! It feels so good to hear your voice." Galinda squealed.

"It's good to hear yours as well my sweet. I miss you."

"Awww I miss you more." Galinda said. "You looked so sexy in that gown I wasn't ready for that. How did it go? Tell me everything." she said and Elphie proceeded to give her a rundown of the event.

"But enough about my boring night…" the green girl said after telling her how everything went. "How was your day my sweet?"

"It was good. My doctors appointment was this morning and the dentist was this afternoon. It was kind of awkward at the doctor's when I had to answer the 'are you sexually active' question and explain that it's with a girl and not a boy. But she said she's heard it all before." Galinda giggled.

"Oh Oz." Elphie blushed. "At least she wasn't judgmental. How was the dentist?"

"Not bad. I don't have any cavities." Galinda said proudly.

"That's surprising with all the rainbow chewy bears that you eat."Elphie chuckled.

"You're not wrong." Galinda laughed. "But my teeth are moving so I need to start wearing my retainer again. I hate wearing it."

"Why do you hate it?"

"Because it gives me such an annoying lisp." Galinda said she went into her bathroom to put her retainer in. "Thee I thound like thith."

"At least you only have to wear it at night, right?" Elphie chuckled.

"Yeah thaths the only good thing." Galinda said. They continued to chat and laugh with each other for a while. "I'm getting thleepy Elphie. We're leaving for Tenniken around 9am I think."

"Okay we you should get some rest my sweet." Elphie said.

"I love you tho much Elphie." Galinda said.

"I love tho much too Lindie." Elphie said mocking her and Galinda giggled. They blew each other kisses before hanging up.