AN: In honor of Christmas, I'm trying to update EVERYTHING. I have one more story to write an update chapter for, and then I'll be ready. I'm on a laptop on a cruise without the Internet right now and I'm going crazy. For those who have "critiqued" my last chapter of this story: Yes, I know, odd with Glinda in the room. The purpose of that was so she could have her whole rant halfway through the chapter. I needed her to do something very Glinda-ish and that was the way I did it. Don't like it? Oh well. It's a little odd, I know. But it's written and it's not changing. Plus, Elphaba is, at times, a very sensual character. She'd lose her virginity that early, knowing her character from the City of Emeralds chapter where she practically jumps Fiyero. Anyway, sorry for ranting. Just felt like I needed some justification. Anyway, here's a new chapter of this one, as well as new chapters of everything else except for the 'If I'd known I loved you…' which should have a new chapter by the time I post this, anyway.

When he'd shut the door and Elphaba had sat down on his bed (as far from where he sat as possible), he said, "Elphaba, I'm so sorry for this. I wasn't paying attention to what I looked like when I left for class. I'd only just remembered we had class and so I threw something on and ran."

Elphaba was still sobbing tearfully. "It's too late now. It doesn't matter because it won't be happening again. Nothing will ever be happening again between us. Nothing."

Fiyero scooted over and wrapped her in his arms. "Don't say that, Fae."

"Look what happened! I can't go back to class ever, Fiyero. Even Avaric knows what we did. Do you have any idea how humiliating that is?" But she didn't pull out of his arms.

"Shhh, baby, don't do this. It's okay. I promise it'll be okay. I will do everything in my power to make it all okay." He wiped her tears away and kissed her softly.

Defenseless, she was pushed back onto the bed and the next thing she knew they were laying next to each other nude and out of breath. Her tears were not dry, however. "What did we just do? This is wrong, Fiyero. It's wrong and it's disgusting. I should go."

"No." He grabbed her naked body and pulled it against his. "Don't leave me this way."

"Why does it matter to you if I leave you at all?"

"Because I love you!"

"I love you, too," she said softly.

"Then we will make this okay and we'll do it together. You and me. Me and you. It doesn't matter what anyone else says. We still love each other."

"But we can't keep doing this. There's nowhere for us to truly be alone."

"I convinced my parents to let me stay for the summer. They even rented me a little apartment just down the street. I guess it's a bit undignified for me to live in a dorm. I'll be living in the apartment until graduation, perhaps longer. Live with me."

She clung to him. "Really?"

"Yes. When we've taken finals, I'm to move in. As long as you're staying for the summer, you can stay with me."

"But your parents…"

"They don't need to know you're living with me. No one needs to know."

"Where will I tell my father that I'm staying?"

"Just tell him the apartment is a one person apartment, that you got a job and neglect to mention that we're together."

She began to brighten up. "But what'll we do during the days? What'll we do at all?"

He grinned mischievously and kissed her again. "Oh, we could occupy ourselves in plenty of different ways."

"Different ways?"

"Well, I've always wondered about the different positions and situations…"

"Fiyero!"

"What? I'm a guy, I can't help it." When he saw she was still glaring, he stroked her hair. "I just want to hold you in my arms every night. And if you stay with me, I'll be able to. Wouldn't it be nice, Fae?"

"Well, yes, it would." She admitted.

"Then why not?" He began kissing her neck, easing her nerves.

"I'll do it." She smiled and snuggled against him. Pulling the blanket over them, she said, "I'm a little tired. I'm just worried about falling asleep and waking up to someone else yelling."

"This is just my dorm. Remember? And I'm not tried." Blowing a strand of hair away from her face, he said, "I'll watch over you."

As her eyes closed and she drifted off, she murmured, "I think I'll like living with you this summer."

It was later that trouble came. He'd dressed her and she'd dressed him, taking their time, and then they'd headed to the café. Both of them had forgotten the embarrassment they'd endured earlier in the day. When they walked in together, Avaric's voice echoed. "Well, if it isn't the two lovebirds. What happened when you caught up to her, Fiyero, did you have wild sex in the middle of the campus on the grass? I don't see any grass stains on either of you. Oh, wait, you wouldn't be able to tell on the green one, now would you?"

Elphaba's face heated up and she squeezed Fiyero's hand. "Right, Avaric. That's exactly what we did. Why don't you try it some time? I doubt anything would stoop to stain your pasty skin! Nothing would taint itself that much."

Glinda raised her voice. "Everyone, stop! This is not the time to have this discussion. That time has passed and we are going to forget about life sciences today, is that clear?"

Elphaba ran to Glinda and hugged her, thankful that Glinda had completely forgiven her for the way she'd behaved. She smiled at Glinda and mouthed, "Thank you."

Glinda mouthed back, "You owe me."

Elphaba laughed and everyone sat down. Fiyero slung an arm around Elphaba and she sat back comfortably. "How about a nice round of ERS?" Suggested Elphaba.

"No way. You two always win. Let's play something else for once." Protested Crope.

"Why not?" Said Elphaba, grinning at Fiyero. "We can probably kick ass in any other game, too."

The next morning, there was a knock on Elphaba and Glinda's dorm room door and Glinda, who, unlike Elphaba, was dressed and on her way to class, answered. "Hello?" She raised her eyebrows when she saw Fiyero standing in the doorway with his books. "What are you doing here?" She asked.

"Is she refusing to go to class?"

"Of course she is."

"She has to go."

"I know."

"Can you let me talk to her for a few minutes?"

"You really think you can convince her to go?"

"I don't know. I barely want to face that myself, and I'm not going to be looked down on the way she is."

"The other guys will probably congratulate you."

"I've already had two guys who I'm barely acquainted with say, 'you're the man!' and pat me on the back."

Glinda looked at him scornfully. "She's gotten plenty of looks since yesterday." She stepped aside and opened the door fully.

Fiyero sat on the edge of the bed and shook Elphaba. "Wake up. We have to go to class."

"Didn't I tell you I wasn't going?"

"You can't just drop the class you have to take in order to continue with your major, you know."

"I can't go."

"You can."

"That's easy for you to say!" She hissed.

"I thought you were done being resentful for what happened. Just get up." Teasingly, he suggested, "I could help you get dressed." He gave her an innocent look when she narrowed her eyes at him.

"You're joking, right? There's no chance I'm going to walk into that class again."

"Elphie, I know you're embarrassed…"

"Embarrassed? It's more than embarrassment!"

"You can't just ditch."

"I know." She said, resigned.

"Then let's go." He pulled her out of her bed and unbuttoned her nightgown as she stood, neither helping nor protesting. Unflinchingly, he pulled a dress over her head. "Come on."

She reached for her books and straightened out her dress. "If I have to."

He took her books and grabbed her notebook. "I'll carry your things."

"You don't need to…"

"What sort of boyfriend / lover would I look like if I didn't?"

"Is that the only reason you're helping? Because you're afraid of what it might look like if you didn't?"

"Do you have to question everything I do?" He held the door for her as she exited the room. "You're right. I'm only behaving this way for one reason: I love you."

Only these words brought a smile to her lips. "I love you, too."

He held their books in one arm and took her hand in his empty one. "We're going to class no matter what snide comments anyone makes."

She took a deep breath as they left the building and made their way across the campus. "I don't know."

"If Dr. Nikidik makes any remark about yesterday, it's not his place to do so and I'll be sure to remind him of that." Fiyero assured her.

"You'd talk back to a professor?"

"You would."

"Well, perhaps, but it's not in your nature. It's in mine."

They entered the building where their life sciences class was located. Class would start in five minutes and Elphaba hesitated when they reached the large, looming door to the class. She bit her lip and teetered back on her heels when Fiyero dropped her hand and reached for the door handle. He tried to comfort her by rubbing her back quickly and whispering, "it'll be fine," before opening the door.

Elphaba stared at the floor as she made her way to the nearest empty seat that had and empty seat next to it. "Are they staring?" She asked Fiyero under her breath.

"Not really."

She looked around, surprised to find that Fiyero was right. "Thank Oz."

Dr. Nikidik looked up from his desk, astounded and amused to see Fiyero and Elphaba back in class. "Ms. Elphaba, Master Fiyero, would you please come here a moment?"

Fiyero and Elphaba exchanged glances before approaching the desk. "Yes, doctor?"

"Don't look so horrified, Ms. Thropp. I simply wanted to apologize for drawing attention to you two yesterday. Though I must ask, Master Fiyero, that in the instance that something of that nature should happen, you clean yourself up better, as you have today."

Glinda had helped Fiyero and Elphaba cover up the mark on his neck. It wasn't obvious, but it was covered. Only if one was really looking for it would one be able to see it. "I will, sir."

"You may sit down."

Fiyero and Elphaba did as they were told just as Avaric bustled in, his eyes bright when he saw the couple. "Well, well, who do we have here? Brave of you to come to class, Elphaba, after such unladylike behavior, and you, Fiyero, after shaming yourself by sleeping with the little green vegetable."

Before Fiyero or Dr. Nikidik could intervene, Elphaba whirled around and growled at Avaric, "I'm just guessing, but Master Avaric, you're probably more of a little vegetable than I am in bed, at least that's the complaint I've heard the other girls make."

Dr. Nikidik almost snorted despite himself and Fiyero's dark face turned darker with the strain of holding back laughter. Avaric was speechless for a moment and then said, "Fierce one, aren't you? Then again, if you're that way in bed, that's probably why Fiyero loves you so much. I can't see any other reason."

As Elphaba's face reddened with rage, Fiyero put a hand on her shoulder, pushing her back into her chair. Defensively, he challenged, "Would you like to settle this outside, after class?"

Avaric's one worded reply was, "Shitface," before he turned around to take his seat.

Overcome with loathing, Fiyero snapped and caught Avaric across the jaw before he'd fully turned his back. Though Elphaba shrieked, Fiyero hit Avaric once more straight in the nose.

Nose bleeding, Avaric snarled, "Bastard!" And then he slung at Fiyero, who ducked, and jammed his fist into the metal of Fiyero's desk.

"Cut it out!" Shouted Dr. Nikidik, holding Avaric back as Elphaba came up behind Fiyero, taking his hand in a silent message of restraint. "You young men had better settle this another time, another way in another place. Avaric, I would appreciate no further comments about your fellow classmates. Go get yourself a tissue." Dr. Nikidik released Avaric.

Elphaba brought her body in front of Fiyero and whispered harshly, "You idiot. I can defend myself!"

"I'm tired of his comments."

Elphaba nodded and brought Fiyero back to his seat as Avaric walked to get a paper towel for his nose at the front of the room. On his way back, he tossed a note at Fiyero that read: "I'll kick your ass for this, heathen!"

This was the second obvious insult of Fiyero's race that Avaric had made and it took all of Elphaba's coaxing to keep Fiyero from getting out of his seat again.

His fists were clenched so tight that blood flowed from beneath his nails as he unclenched them. To Elphaba, he whispered, "sorry."

Dr. Nikidik began his lecture and Fiyero and Elphaba resorted to passing notes as he rambled on. At the end of class, Elphaba had no more succeeded in convincing Fiyero to forget Avaric's comments than Boq had succeeded in convincing Avaric to forget the blows that Fiyero had dealt him.

Leaving the building, Fiyero and Elphaba still argued. "Yero, you shouldn't."

"I don't care. I'm not going to deal with those racist comments any other way."

Elphaba looked at Fiyero sympathetically. She knew that, though she could identify with being discriminated because of skin color, racism was a generalization based on a group of people and – aside from elves – she was the sole green person and couldn't quite share his pain in that regard. So she begged, "Yero my hero," she tried buttering him up, "why don't we go out this afternoon, right now? We can even rent a room at a hotel or something. It is Friday."

Fiyero felt lust battle with the rage that curdled in him. He glanced at Elphaba and his body tingled with yearning. But he could have that later, he reminded himself. The time for revenge on Avaric was only then. "Maybe later tonight."

Her face fell, but it was all right. She wasn't much in the mood for sex at the moment anyway. "Please, Fiyero, just go back into your room, let it go and sleep off your anger."

"I'd like to Elphie, but I can't."

Avaric approached at that moment and challenged, "Want to finish defending yourself and that freak girlfriend of yours, or are you too afraid?"

"Leave us alone, Avaric." Elphaba said boldly.

"Leave you alone?" Avaric leaned in unnervingly close to her face. "I'll show you alone, you whore." He slapped Elphaba across the face,

She barely blinked, but backed into Fiyero, whose hands she held tight behind her, discouraging him from fighting back. "Go away."

Avaric's hand struck out and all at once he was fondling her breast in his hand. As soon as he'd touched her, he let go. "Not even well built, is she, Fiyero? What in Oz do you find so attractive?" His hand beneath her chin as she stared angrily and hating back into his eyes, he spoke again. "Maybe I should take her to bed myself and find out. Must be quite the experience."

"I wouldn't get in bed with you if you were the last man in Oz and there wasn't anything remotely phallic shaped left in Oz." Elphaba spat.

"Not willingly, no." Avaric let his hand drop from her chin, now dangerously close to the hem of her dress. "But you never know. You might have the time of your life with a little encouragement." His hand twitched, only a threat, but still Elphaba gasped and stepped back just as Fiyero stepped forward, finally having wrenched himself out of Elphaba's restrictive grasp. Laughing, Avaric backed away a little. "On the other hand, Oz only knows what diseases this little slut might carry."

Elphaba at last resorted to violence and kicked Avaric squarely between the legs. "Fuck off."

Avaric grabbed himself in pain, muttered, "shit," and began running off.

Elphaba shuddered and collapsed in Fiyero's arms the moment Avaric was gone. "The nerve!"

"Did he hurt you?"

"Only because he touched me."

"Shhh." He held her tightly. "That was my fault. He never would have done that had I not fought with him in the first place."

"I asked for it."

"You did not!"

"Let's just go somewhere, please."

"Anywhere you want: my dorm, yours, the café…"

"I don't care."

He took her to the café and she drank tea until her nerves had sufficiently calmed. He suggested he drop her off at her dorm.

She refused. "Let's get a hotel room for the weekend."

He gave her a curious look but she simply nodded. He said, "Let's get your things and I'll get mine. Meet back outside your dorm in an hour."

Three hours later, they were half asleep next to one another in the hotel bed, Fiyero's steady breathing unable to help Elphaba fall asleep. She tossed and turned over.

Fiyero stirred. "Elphie?"

"Yeah?"

"You feeling better?"

"Much."

"Good." He stretched out casually and held an arm around her. "I love you."

She couldn't help making herself comfortable in the arms of the only person she'd loved. For a moment, she wondered if she had the capacity to love anyone, truly, but then she looked at his face and knew she did. "I love you, too."

AN: Merry Christmas!