AN:

Hello, lovelies!

Thanks for tuning in for a new chapter!
Not much else to say, so have fun reading (I hope) and have a wonderful day, week, whatever! Cheers!
Happy reading!

xoxo MLE
(=^_^=)

Chapter Eighteen

By the end of exam period Galinda was shattered. Throughout the semester she'd managed keeping up with her five classes just fine. Writing five lengthy assessments was a different matter entirely. She found herself vaguely jealous of Elphaba who'd completed her two meagre biology and history exams with ease and almost a week apart, whereas she herself had fretted and slaved away, writing three of her exams on three consecutive days. Pure torture!

Infuriatingly, Elphaba showed little support, at least not verbally. Instead of consoling and reassuring her, she preferred to tease and needle her, chide her even for her constant whinging. Still, in direct contradiction to her nettling words, she made sure to supply Galinda with refreshments while she studied, to prepare special breakfast treats on the days of her tests, and to smuggle her favourite sweets into her pencil case.

One could argue that such thoughtful gestures bore far more significance, and of course Galinda did appreciate them. On the other hand, she didn't understand what made it so difficult for Elphaba to simply express her encouragement on all fronts. It wasn't like she was required to uphold any notions of tartness her shortsighted peers might have projected upon her—in the privacy of their own home no less!

When Galinda opened her pencil case one final time in preparation of her Architectural Design exam, she discovered a long artisan chocolate bar, swaddled in pastel-coloured paper and decorated with confetti of rose gold and silver. Smiling to herself, she gingerly unwrapped it, already anticipating the taste and feel of the rich treat in her mouth. What she hadn't anticipated was the little message on the inside of the paper:

'Four down, one to go. You'll do amazing, and I believe in you.'

There was no name, but the spidery handwriting was easy enough to identify. In the lower right corner, a small heart. Galinda's cheeks flushed with heat. Coming from Elphaba, these lines were unusually sweet and adorable.

In front of the classroom, Miss Greyling raised her voice. The exam papers were about to be handed out. Galinda perked up with a start, took a bite from the chocolate bar and hurriedly folded the wrapper back around the rest of it so she could let it all disappear into her bag. She didn't fancy being accused of cheating. While a quick inspection of the words on the paper would easily absolve her of any wrongdoing, she absolutely didn't need this kind of distraction.

Two hours ticked by sluggishly. Even though she made steady progress, the haze of tiredness in her head, her bones slowed down her perception of time. In the end, not a single one of the students finished early, mostly due to the practical component of the assessment. Yet from what Galinda gathered, not many felt like they'd struggled with the allotted time either. Much like herself, they had spent the last couple of minutes embellishing and perfecting their designs. Fiyero too looked confident enough when he waylaid her right outside the arch building.

"Hey, we were wondering whether you'd come out for a few drinks with us," he said, grinning widely.

"We? Us?" Galinda repeated with raised eyebrows, savouring the last of her fancy chocolate as it melted on her tongue. For all she could see, he was alone.

"Milla and I. And Boq. She's already gone to fetch him."

"Ah."

She wasn't certain how she felt about the idea. Sure, she was in somewhat of a celebratory mood now that all the fuss was over and a few weeks of actual holidays awaited. But she was tired, so tired. She'd rather hoped to celebrate with Elphaba, quietly and in the comfort of their own house. And it wasn't like she could simply drag her along in the same way Milla would entrain Boq. Things were more complicated with Elphaba, which was partially her own fault.

Having waited so long for an answer, Fiyero eventually lost his splendid grin. He cocked his head and reached out to touch her elbow.

"Hey, are you alright?" he said, his face overcast with concern.

Galinda met his gaze and grinned sheepishly.

"Oh, don't worry about me, I'm just a tad exhausted," she replied, making an effort to look more cheerful. Her eyes wide and the corners of her mouth tugging upwards, she put on a brave front. In her weariness, she hand't realised that her façade had slipped. "All the stress caught up with me, is all. I'll need a few days to decompress."

"Don't we all! A couple of cocktails might help with that," he pointed out helpfully.

That much was true, she had to admit.

"Who else is coming?" she asked, half won over already.

"Only the three of us—four of us, if you can make it."

She chewed her lip. As recently as the beginning of this very semester she would have thanked him charmingly but declined. Milla, Boq and Fiyero were hardly worth the effort and time, as far as prestige was concerned. Sure, she could invite them or hang out with them as part of a bigger group of more influential peers. But if this wasn't about seeing and being seen, why go at all, especially in her current mood? She could be with Elphaba instead.

But Boq was a nice little dude, and Fiyero had become more than just a random classmate. And Milla. Well, Milla was Milla. More affable than Pfannee and Shenshen combined, but not very useful. She'd usually strive to integrate the redhead into her own circles and expect her to feel special and grateful for it. This felt sort of… backwards.

Yet her attitude had changed slightly, hand't it? With Elphaba as the new focal point in her life, what did she have to lose if she were to redirect her socialising efforts? If she'd sooner or later be forced to give up her popularity entirely for Elphaba's sake, she might as well start by making less shrewd decisions and hanging with the less significant cohorts. It would probably help her ease into her new role, bit by bit, perhaps even provide her with a group of friends who might still accept her once she'd fallen from grace. What a horrifying thought. Well, here she was, contemplating it in earnest.

"Fine, I'll come along." She offered Fiyero a weak smile. He for his part seemed thrilled.

"Cool. I just have to drop some stuff home and grab my car. Do you want to come with? Otherwise I could pick you up from your place?"

"I'll come," she replied decidedly, preferring to not see Elphaba for all but a couple of minutes, only to almost immediately leave and desert her for the rest of the night. Sending a text would be a lot less heart wrenching.

"So, you're not drinking?" she enquired to make sure, eying him suspiciously. She'd watched him knock back plenty of drinks in the past.

"Not a drop, I swear." He made some foreign gesture she supposed was meant to support his promise. "I get tempted if I try to have just a glass or two, so I won't touch any at all tonight. I can drive you home after if you like."

She hesitated, but that decision could wait until she knew for sure that he'd stuck to his word.

The alleged Vinkun prince's apartment was situated quite literally right around the corner, a stone throw off campus and in between two administrative buildings that dated from before when the then scattered university facilities had come to form one cohesive hub. It wasn't big, but the location and other specs made up for that. Galinda first studied the vintage exterior, then gawked at the strictly modern innards.

"Wow, this is quite something," she murmured, more to herself than to anyone else.

"Pretty awesome, isn't it? Do you think they converted it to apartments with arch students in mind?"

"I can't believe I never knew this place was residential. I reckoned it would be another office or storage building. I should have applied for an apartment here, too!"

At second thought, her choice of lodging had proven more than lucky; there was little room in this apartment for a cot or other baby paraphernalia, let alone a regular flatmate. Under no circumstances would Elphaba have agreed to share this tight accommodation with someone she barely knew.

"And where do you live?" Fiyero wanted to know. "One of the dorms?"

She gave him a bewildered look and snorted.

"Hey, I was at least partially joking," he hurried to add.

"I'm not located this close to campus, unfortunately."

"Bigger apartment?"

"Terrace house," she countered, giving a casual shrug and a sassy smirk.

He raised his eyebrows and made a whistling sound.

"Luxurious. You must be quite the catch."

For a split-second she froze, and her lips twitched. They were just fooling around, weren't they? He couldn't possibly mean anything by that.

"Forget it, oh proud hunter of the Thousand Year Grasslands," she said as nonchalantly as she could, but not without a residual sense of wariness in her gut. "I'm nobody's prey." Let him take that as he will, she thought.

"And I'm not on the prowl," he answered gravely. "Merely making an observation."

She relaxed at that, nodding approvingly. This was good to know. She needed more friends like that.

They met Boq and Milla in front of the Peach and Kidneys. Galinda couldn't say that she'd been to the place before, though she'd heard of it—a cheap enough place for students to get fed and properly drunk without breaking the bank. While her usual gang preferred clubs and bars over taverns and pubs, she was open to something new tonight.

"Galinda!" Boq greeted her excitedly before wrapping his short arms around her in a brief yet firm embrace.

Milla peered at her funnily like she hadn't expected the society girl and the Munchkin to be close enough to justify so much enthusiasm. They said "Hi" to each other and exchanged cheek kisses.

"Lovely you could come, but why didn't Elphie?" wondered Boq.

Galinda gave him a long, poignant stare before rigidly replying that her flatmate wasn't one for crowded places or unfamiliar company. Crossing her fingers, she hoped he'd leave it at that, and at first he did.

She exhaled slightly as they entered the building. While her argument wasn't entirely untrue, she also knew that there was at least a chance that Elphaba might have agreed to this particular outing, if only she had asked. Given the low-key venue and small, not entirely foreign group of friends, this was not too long a shot. Of course, it was her own fault that Elphaba wasn't here and, at least clandestinely, she felt appropriately ashamed.

"She did come along to the Philosophy Club with me once," Boq muttered as he sat down at the opposite side of the table, a stubborn look on his face. His remark had been quiet enough to seem private, but loud enough to be overheard, either by accident or design.

Galinda's eyes widened, and her jaw nearly dropped. This was insane. She didn't know whether she could trust her ears. Had he really just said what she thought he had? He couldn't have! Not harmless, slightly boring Boq.

"And she appeared to have a good time, too," he added, louder this time and sounding grumpier with every word. He crossed his arms in front of his chest. "What was she thinking, I'd like to know, ignoring me for that tall, handsome fella. Pshaw! Maybe if I hadn't been so drunk, I would remember his face, even though I only saw him from a distance. Maybe if I hadn't been so drunk, I would have caught on to what exactly transpired between those two, and why she acted so strange for weeks after that."

Galinda's mouth formed a thin, tight line. Her primary instinct was to grab his arm and pull him into a secluded corner to give him a piece of her mind, or maybe worse. But she thought better of it. In her fresh and unbridled anger, she might have revealed secrets that weren't hers to reveal. She wished she could at least interrogate him, gather more facts than Elphaba had been willing to offer; but she didn't trust herself to be careful enough. Not yet.

So she balled her fists under the table, averted her eyes and dropped the matter. She pretended she hadn't heard or didn't understand and never broached the subject. Boq, either still in that same bad mood that his account had inspired in him, or maybe miffed that Galinda hadn't brought his friend to keep him company, didn't talk much to her anyway. Instead, she spent some time gossiping idly with Milla, but mostly, she stuck with Fiyero. Away from Avaric and the other guys and gals of Gillikinese stock, the Vinkun boy seemed more at ease to discuss his home country, which she knew scarcely anything about. His stories passed the time well enough, and Galinda felt honoured by his trust.

About an hour into their evening, a self-declared Kumbric witch started to perform a few hocus-pocus trickeries in the middle of the room. Galinda had her doubts that she was the genuine article, but what did it matter? Most of the men who'd gathered to watch more up close probably found the young woman's scant, exotic costume more enthralling than her magick anyway. Galinda stopped paying real attention half way through the show, finding herself fascinated by the woman's inexplicable and perhaps farfetched resemblance to Elphaba. It was her dark, flowing hair, she reckoned, as well as her mystique. But Elphaba's hair was fuller and darker, and the girl herself, though familiar to her, was far more mysterious than a stranger could ever be. Or at least so she thought in that moment.

Towards the end of her performance, the witch nodded in the direction of her helper, and the man began to play a foreign instrument Galinda didn't recognise. The woman began to sing. That reminded Galinda of the time when Elphaba had admitted that she used to sing—for her father's congregation, in praise of the Unnamed God. The woman was skilled, and her song captivating. Yet in her prejudice, Galinda was convinced that she wouldn't stand a chance against the magnificence of Elphaba's voice. Or maybe that was just the tequila working its own special magick in her mind.

When she finally arrived back home, Galinda tottered through the house until she fell right into Elphaba's arms. Her girlfriend had been reading, perching jack-knifed on her armchair, even though the couch had been vacant in Galinda's absence. Her cheek firmly pressed against Elphaba's chest, both girls crowded on the inadequately sized piece of furniture, she hummed endless affirmations of how much she'd missed her.

"You're once again more than sufficiently drunk, my sweet," chuckled Elphaba, gently stroking her hair. "I hope it's a happy drunk? Who did you get drunk with? The usual gang?"

"Elphie, I missed you so much," she hiccuped once again, clumsily and ultimately unsuccessfully trying to nestle closer.

"My, my. Did Shenshen pester you? Or did Avaric proposition you? You're in quite a state tonight."

"No Shen and no Avaric," Galinda mumbled. "I was with Milla and Boq."

"Ah."

"Fiyero asked use to come out with him."

"Oh."

A long pause followed. Most likely, Elphaba had given up on conversing with the senseless creature she'd become under the influence. But she cradled her lovingly, and that was all she needed. If she were a cat like dear, little Malky—by now not so little anymore—she would have purred.

"Can you sing to me?" she asked instead, a hazy memory of the Kumbric witch from the Peach and Kidneys resurfacing in her mind.

Elphaba sounded incredulous as she laughed, but when Galinda craned her neck to look up at her with pouty lips, she stopped chuckling and exhaled. After a few attempts at silent backtalk, she relented and began a song Galinda hadn't heard before. Maybe it was a religious tune or an old folk song she'd never heard. Or maybe she was making it up as she went, but the blonde couldn't possibly tell.

Elphaba had an okay voice, she thought. As suspected, she was either more skilled or at least more talented than the supposed witch. Galinda was satisfied and proud of her initial prediction and even prouder that she'd somehow managed to succeed in making her sing in the first place. It was close to a miracle.

With that out of the way, she sighed and settled in, concentrating more keenly on the words and music that softly floated by her ear. No, she wasn't giving her love enough credit: Elphaba had a mesmerising voice. It was controlled and feeling, though without a trace of histrionics. Nothing but natural, raw beauty, sans the trappings of pretentious, artsy sing-song. Before long, the soothing sounds lulled Galinda to a gentle sleep.

Holidays. Glorious holidays at last! Galinda scarcely found the willpower to open her eyes, let alone get out of bed and get ready for the day. Perfectly content where she was in Elphaba's arms, she was in no need for tea or breakfast.

But the green girl was done with loitering between the sheets and anxious to get to her feet. When Galinda resisted her playful prompts and gentle prodding, she pressed a quick kiss to her temple, pulled her arm away from underneath her, and got up anyway.

"Hey, not fair!" protested the blonde, cracking one eye open.

"Plenty fair," retorted Elphaba with a wicked but gorgeous smirk. "I've been lying here, waiting for you to wake up for at least three hours. Now baby and I are famished."

"Oh, yeah. Poor baby."

There was that. She supposed traditionally, it would have been her task to provide her pregnant mate with everything she might require; the least she could do was to not be a dead weight, holding her back from taking care of herself and the little one. Besides, when had Elphaba started to talk about 'Baby and I'? She broke into a silly grin. The obstinate thing might be turning properly maternal yet.

Breakfast was nothing exciting. A few slices of wholegrain toast with cream cheese and chives were all they had left, but Elphaba squeezed some oranges for delicious, fresh juice. It was sufficient, and after all, they had plans later that day. Fabulous plans.

Galinda had at last been able to convince Elphaba that she simply had to make good on her promise to take her out in celebration of her birthday—a little late, but better late than never. Elphaba had been adamant that dinner was too formal, so lunch it was. But Galinda had been allowed to choose the restaurant, and boy was she excited about that! Her choice was meant as much as a treat as it would be a tease, and she couldn't wait. She'd have to supervise her girlfriend's choice of clothing later, but knew better than to open that particular can of worms before she absolutely had to. For now she enjoyed the pleasure of anticipation and her love's unsuspecting tranquility.

She finished her bread and brushed the crumbs off her hands. Elphaba stacked her empty plate on top of hers and was just about to head to the kitchen in order to place them all into the dishwasher when her phone beeped. Distracted, she picked it up, but a clock-tick later, she changed her mind and sat back down.

"It's from Nessa," she said, furrowing her brow.

Galinda scowled into her glass of juice. Out with the old semester, in with the new, along with the new students of course. Chief among them, Nessarose Thropp.

While she'd never met the girl, Galinda already was prejudiced against her. She'd heard about how their father favoured his younger daughter, and she couldn't help but resent her for that. To her, it felt as though her existence was the reason why he didn't love Elphaba as much as he ought to; indeed, this might not be the reason at all.

Still, in addition to that, Nessa's birth had prematurely turned Elphaba into a caretaker, saddling her with responsibilities and duties beyond her tender age. And that was no speculation, it was fact. Elphaba herself had admitted as much, if in much more forgiving words.

So what would happen once Nessa arrived in Shiz? Would Galinda lose Elphaba over her obligations to her sister? Well, not lose her completely, but lose valuable time they'd otherwise spend together? One could call it jealousy, she mused, but that was too petty a word for her liking. Rather, she preferred to think of herself as concerned for Elphaba and her wellbeing. She was pregnant, for Lurline's sake! She had herself and her own child to worry about now. This was bad timing for a needy sister to make a reappearance in her life.

"So what about her?" Galinda heard herself say after a while. Meanwhile, Elphaba had received and sent several messages.

"She's going to arrive a week early," replied Elphaba, rubbing her forehead. "They forecast a bad storm in Quadling Country, and father reckons it would be safer for her to travel before it hits Qhoyre."

"Why can't she travel after the storm has settled," Galinda demanded tersely, making her girlfriend laugh. "At least one of us is amused," she grumbled. "But wait, what does that mean for us? We had plans!"

"We can still go for lunch, my sweet," Elphaba offered consolingly. "As long as it doesn't take longer than an hour or so out of our day?"

Galinda's face fell.

"You're kidding, right?"

So, their extravagant luncheon was postponed. Disappointed as she was, Galinda scarcely had the energy to mope over it. They spent the next two days setting up Nessa's apartment near Ozma Slopes. The location's proximity to Avaric's anything but humble abode made Galinda a bit jittery, but they were generally busy enough for her to forget about those sort of worries. At times, she even forgot about their cancelled lunch date.

They cleaned the place and assembled a few simple items of furniture, stocked the fridge, and made sure the appliances were all in working order. Whether Galinda liked it or not, everything was soon ready to welcome the new Shiz resident. She bought a small bouquet for the coffee table—not exactly for Nessa's benefit, but because it simply felt appropriate. After all, that was how she'd been raised. Elphaba agreed that it was a nice touch and kissed her in thanks. That was reward enough for now.

Although the preparations were going well, and Galinda had mostly gotten over her huff, on the day of her sister's arrival, even Elphaba seemed nervous.

"Do you think she'll be able to tell?" she asked, indicating her midsection with a brisk wave of her hand.

Cocking her head, Galinda gave the question some thought. She certainly hadn't noticed anything until she'd seen her love's belly unveiled. But then again, that could very well be because she'd been spending so much time with her. Like a parent, ignorant of their child's growth, she too might have merely overlooked the gradual changes happening right before her very eyes. On the other hand, since Elphaba was always swathed in some loose-fitting, dark coloured t-shirt, would anyone be able to tell if she'd gained one or even five inches in circumference?

"You look entirely inconspicuous, she finally decided, "but do you think she might notice if you guys hug or something?"

"We don't hug," Elphaba replied flatly. "Not like that."

Galinda found that odd, but shrugged and said, "I guess you're good to go then." Her expression turning more thoughtful, she added, "But you know, she's bound to find out eventually. Wouldn't it be better if you were honest with her from the start? She's your sister."

Elphaba set her jaw and shook her head.

"I need time, and she needs to settle in. This is a new city, a new chapter in her life. I'm not going to spoil it all by drawing unnecessary attention to my own, sinful tendencies."

While the phrasing shocked her at first, Galinda quickly realised that Elphaba had spoken as if seeing the world through her pious sister's lens. She wasn't truly blaming herself. Not that harshly anyway.

"So I assume you'd prefer to conceal our terribly sinful relationship as well for the time being?" Now that she'd tried it, the word—used with a healthy dash of sarcasm—evoked a tantalising thrill in her. She felt just a tad rebellious. As someone who'd never cared a twig about the Unnamed God, Galinda wasn't cowed or humbled by its supposedly shameful nature as long as she considered it from that particular angle. Though she was keenly aware of how it was also used by Lurlinists and atheists alike in reference to socially unacceptable tendencies. The mythical Unnamed God might not be the only one who disapproved of their ways.

Elphaba slipped into her long coat, then paused and realised that the weather was too sunny and warm for that. Reluctantly, she removed the additional item of clothing, the safety layer, as it were, and hung it back up.

"I didn't think you'd even wanted me to tell her," she said slowly. She's going to be a Shiz student after all. She might make friends and talk. It's risky."

"Yeah, true." Galinda nodded and stared blankly into space. But would she really want to broadcast her own sister's sinfulness? Maybe in order to distance herself, who knew. "Further down the line perhaps," she ventured. "Just like the baby, I don't think we could keep it from her forever."

"Unlike with the baby, we actually have a choice in the matter," pointed out Elphaba, and Galinda blushed at how annoyed she was with Elphaba for trying to keep their love a secret from her sister. It made her wonder how vexed Elphaba must be all those other times when the boot was on the other foot.

They rented a bigger car to pick Nessa and her caretaker up from the station. They parked in the the underground car park and waited at the platform for the train to arrive. Galinda didn't quite know what to expect. Elphaba had never shown her a picture of her sister (or of any other members of her family for that matter), nor had she asked to see one—an oversight she now regretted. She knew that Nessa wasn't green, but missing a pair of good arms instead. Beyond that, should she expect a family resemblance?

She found out soon enough, when the train from the Emerald City arrived with no more than five minutes delay. A respectable achievement in light of the tardiness most travellers had come to expect from the railway services, which were reliably unreliable across all of Oz.

As Elphaba had warned her, the deformities of her sister were well concealed. She must even have descended the steps of the carriage with relative grace, or Galinda might have picked her out amongst the crowd due to her gait or something. The way things were, she'd stared at the open doors, not noticing the young woman amidst the other passengers until Elphaba darted her way, and Galinda still didn't know towards whom exactly she was running.

Whom she did recognise immediately, was an old, wrinkly gammer, struggling with a heap of luggage. Nanny. Elphaba had not exaggerated when she'd described her ancient looks to her. She was a stewed plum of a woman, her skin burnt, saggy and papery, owing to the unforgiving Quadling sun, no doubt.

Forgetting all about Nessarose for an instant, Galinda hurried to Nanny's side to help her. The woman grunted at her disagreeably, until she remembered to explain that she had come with Elphaba. Nanny seemed incredulous at that and promptly began a thorough inspection of the girl in front of her, from head to toe. Satisfied at last, she bobbed her head once and pushed a small suitcase into Galinda's hands.

The pairs assembled by the escalator leading down to the main hall.

"Nanny," said Elphaba warmly, greeting the woman with a fond expression.

Nanny looked her up and down, very much in the same manner she'd eyeballed Galinda, then smiled tightly. Elphaba bit her lip and dropped her gaze to the floor. It was an odd reunion. From the sparse tales she'd heard, Galinda had expected a lot more joy and emotion.

She turned her attention towards Nessa. With that beautiful fringed shawl around her shoulders, the younger girl really did pass for an able-bodied person, and she was rather pretty, looking nothing like her sister. Galinda gave a nod, but Nessa acted oblivious.

"Oh, Nessa, this is Galinda, my flatmate," Elphaba jumped in to explain once she'd managed to pry her eyes away from the ground. There was no need to introduce Nessarose.

They delivered them to the apartment and showed them around. They stayed for tea, which Elphaba prepared. It was an awkward affair, however. Galinda could appreciate Nessa's gentle manners, so different from Elphaba's. Yet her overzealous religiosity and righteousness began to grate on her nerves before they'd barely spent one hour in each other's company. While her voice was as smooth and oiled as Elphaba's was serrated, it felt like sandpaper in her ears each time she uttered the name of the Unnamed God. Unbearable.

Minding her manners, she nevertheless invited them all out for dinner later that evening, at a small, cosy restaurant nearby. She'd feared that Nessa would commandeer Elphaba for the interim, but to her surprise, she let her go, assuring them that she'd be fine with only Nanny by her side.

"Phew, I'm glad that's over," Galinda sighed in the car, back on their way to the rental place.

"And yet you asked them to dine with us," chuckled Elphaba, one eyebrow quirked.

"Ah well, good breeding is a menace, isn't it? The offer basically just slipped out, you know. It was the right thing to do."

Elphaba cackled.

"I'm not complaining. I love her, despite everything. I'm glad if she feels welcome here. I'm glad you are helping to achieve that."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll try my best to keep it together. But please do try and steer the conversation away from anything religious, yes? Or I might have to drown my sorrows with wine. You don't want to provoke that kind of embarrassment in front of Miss Godly, I reckon."

It was meant as a joke, but Elphaba didn't laugh, not even snicker. In fact, she'd turned to look out of the window and paid hardly any attention.

"Are you alright, Elphie?" asked Galinda, concerned.

"Nanny knows," she responded without turning to glance at her.

Galinda nearly ran a red light.

"Wha—what? How?"

"She has a sixth sense, that woman. And her eyes are not as useless as they appear to be. I guess my face has changed, or… or something."

"Shit," murmured the blonde, doing her best to concentrate on the road ahead. "Will she, well, will she talk, you think?"

"Doubt it. She could tell I didn't want anyone to know. She's not that uncharitable. Though she might pull me aside at some point to upbraid me, I don't believe she'd tell Nessa or our father."

"That's something, I guess."

If she really was that perceptive, Galinda wondered, how long would it take that old bat to figure out her and Elphaba's true relationship? She didn't voice that thought, lest she upset Elphaba further. But she certainly regretted her invitation now. Perhaps it would be wiser for her to stay away from Nessa, as well as Nanny, just as a precaution.

At the restaurant and while they waited for their dinner to arrive, Galinda cast a hard, appraising eye over the elegant dress of Nessarose. Whereas Elphaba tended to wear the most simplest of clothes, preferring dark, inconspicuous colours, the younger Thropp's ensemble was of green silks, the colours of moss, emerald and yellow-green roses. Green Elphaba, sitting to her left and lending her support between the shoulders as she tilted her head back to sip her wine, looked like a fashion accessory.

Galinda, feeling slightly abandoned all by herself at the other side of the table, wanted nothing more than to have her girlfriend all to herself again. Perhaps she'd never been able to appreciate what she'd had until someone threatened to take it all away. Oh, she was so close to pulling Elphaba over when they finally left the restaurant, to claim her as her own by pressing pink lips to dark green ones. The shock in Nessarose's eyes would have been delicious.

But no, she behaved herself. Once they were alone again, the urge subsided even. She took Elphaba's hand, but that was all. In the sister's absence, her nerves calmed and tiredness prevailed over jealousy. She simply didn't have the energy for such passion when the danger had already passed.

At home, Elphaba made her a cup of herbal tea, then sat down on the couch next to her, which was rather uncharacteristic behaviour. Malky who'd jumped up to beg for scratches and cuddles was promptly shunt off onto the backrest so that the green girl could shuffle closer and lean against Galinda's shoulder.

"Oh?" What a nice surprise.

Elphaba nestled in and said nothing for a while. Steadily sipping her tea, Galinda made good use of the opportunity she'd been given, stroking long, impossibly straight tresses and burying her fingers in the shimmering sea of midnight black. It was reassuring to have Elphaba come to her first, willingly and seeking affection. The warm and fuzzy feeling in her chest swelled at the thought, and she put her cup away so she could lean down and kiss her.

"Thank you," Elphaba murmured in between kisses as they increased in frequency.

"There's plenty more where that came from," Galinda replied, giggling a little.

Giving a soft snort, Elphaba brushed her nose along the sensitive skin of her neck. The vibrating of Elphaba's chest against her almost made the shorter girl dizzy with joy.

"While I appreciate your affectionate and giving nature, I rather meant something else," said Elphaba. They both drew away a bit so they could better see each other. "I know how difficult it must be for you to deal with my sister. She can be quite a handful, and you're not used to her yet. But you did well today, and I'm indefinitely grateful."

Galinda could barely hide a wince. While she was glad that Elphaba was satisfied with her efforts, she didn't want to be reminded of the whole ordeal, of how easily the new arrival had snatched her love away from her, if only temporarily. Of how uneasy and transparent that Nanny person made her feel.

"Yeah, well, we all try to do our share," she answered vaguely, gnawing at her lip. A clock-tick later, a coy smile. "The things I do for love, right?"

Before Elphaba could make any reply, she placed her hands firmly on both sides of her face and silenced her with kiss after kiss after kiss. The green girl initially seemed hesitant. Was thinking of her sister interfering with her ability to connect with her? Did Nessa's exaggerated piety make her second-guess the morality of their less innocent interactions?

But Galinda was stubborn and didn't give up. Slowly and steadily, she coaxed Elphaba into responsiveness, until she transcended even that stage and became the one to take the lead, showing Galinda just how much she appreciated her.

Lying back on the couch, her arms stretched out above her head and with Elphaba's hands and lips all over her, Galinda caught a glimpse of Malky, still perched on the backrest, his limbs neatly folded and hidden beneath his fluffy underside. He looked miffed for being left out, and she grinned at him apologetically before returning her attention back to Elphaba, arching into her touch with a little sigh.

The following morning she woke to the sound of Elphaba slipping into her jeans and buckling her belt. She blinked her tired, sensitive eyes and cast a glance at the phone on the nightstand. It was merely eight o'clock.

"Where are you off to?" she asked, stifling a yawn. "You're not breaking protocol by getting up before me just to study downstairs, are you?"

Elphaba gave her a strange look, then turned her head away again, fumbling with her socks. A feeling of dread overshadowed Galinda's blissful carelessness, and her heart missed a beat.

"Elphie? You're acting strange."

The taller girl paused momentarily, then forced herself to keep moving. She looked like she was trying to suppress her typical signs of agitation but had little success with that.

"I'm—I'm going to see Nessa," she muttered as she ran her fingers through her hair in lieu of a good brushing.

So early, Galinda thought irritatedly, enviously, but kept her mouth shut. She'd been rewarded for her patience before. Maybe Nessa's bond with Elphaba wasn't all bad news.

"I'm going to drop by real quick to deliver a few things she said she was missing yesterday, then I'll go to my appointment and come back."

"Appointment?" her head was reeling. Oz, this was too early for brain teasers. But she figured it out eventually. "You mean the ultrasound? Why didn't you say, I'll get ready in a jiffy and come with."

"No need," responded Elphaba quickly, making a marked effort to sound indifferent. Fully awake now, Galinda could tell it wasn't genuine, but she tried to play along.

"Oh, it's fine. You know what? You could go ahead, I get ready in my own sweet time, and we meet at the clinic. How is that?"

Watching her carefully, she could see Elphaba squirm in discomfort. She pretended to straighten the pockets of her jeans, tugged at the hem of her t-shirt before firmly saying, "I'd prefer to go alone today."

Galinda felt like someone had pulled the bed away from underneath her.

"Wh—why?"

Elphaba shrugged and shifted her weight.

"Dunno. I just… need to do this on my own today."

There was no arguing when Elphaba wouldn't even deign to supply a reason. Tears of disappointment and hurt pricked at the corners of Galinda's eyes. She kept them at bay barely long enough for Elphaba to lean in for a quick peck, void of any real affection, and turn about with the flutter of long, green fingers. She snivelled and tried to tell herself that Elphaba, in her state and all, was entitled to certain, well, mood swings at times. It didn't work.