A/N: Thanks to wickednrentrock for the advice!
Elphaba clutched her valise, packed with only an extra pair of clothes for the trip home, and waited nervously. Glinda rushed to her, obviously trying to hold back tears, and thrust a scarf in her face. The Vinkus scarf, the one Fiyero had given to her. Glinda pressed a hurried kiss to Elphaba's lips and rushed away, wiping, no doubt, the tears that fell down her cheeks.
"Miss Elphaba?" Morrible stood imposingly before her and raised her arms.
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"Elphaba!" Frexspar the Godly was not at all pleased to find his eldest daughter on his front step when she should have been studying at Shiz. "What are you doing here?" Elphaba stared at her boots and mumbled something about being sent home for the week.
"Fabala!" Shell cried out with glee. He rushed to his sister and wrapped his arms around her waist. Elphaba flinched. She couldn't remember the last time someone in her family hugged her like this, not that Nessa could anyway.
"Hey, Shell." Elphaba smiled and tousled his hair. Frex led his daughter and son into the house and sat on a chair, waiting for the story.
Elphaba felt a lump rise in her throat when she began to tell the story about rescuing the Lion cub, but it immediately disappeared when she got to the part about beating Doctor Nikidik. Frex had his mouth open the entire time, wondering from where this vicious daughter had come.
"Oh Elphaba," Frex was too disappointed to use Elphaba's nickname. "Where did I go wrong with you?" It was not until the words were out of his mouth that he realized Elphaba would blow up at him.
"WHERE DID YOU GO WRONG!" Elphaba screamed. "Where DIDN'T you go wrong?" Elphaba began to list things off, flipping up each of her emerald fingers as she counted. As each blow fell onto her father, Elphaba could not help but feel sorry for the old man. She stopped after she filled up her hands with reasons. Frex's face was a mask of despair and disappointment. Elphaba wanted to stand and hug him, but he suddenly stood and walked away.
Shell sat, nonplussed, on the chair next to hers.
"Does this mean you'll be staying with us now?" He finally asked. Elphaba sighed and nodded. He grinned and hopped up. "I wanna show you my new room!"
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Elphaba settled into her old room, not yet remade for guests, and stared up at the ceiling. It was far past midnight and she still could not sleep. She was used to the girly exhalations of Glinda, used to Glinda's body fitting into hers at night. She was not used to the childish snores of Shell, to the pillow she clutched to herself. Finally, a thought struck her. She dug around in her valise for the scarf that Glinda had remembered to hand her before she left.
With the gorgeous scarf wrapped around her thin waist, Elphaba closed her eyes and drifted into a light sleep, tantalized by dreams of Glinda.
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Frex snuck into the room where his daughter slept, making as little noise as possible. He looked down at her, her soft green face, her darker lips curved up into a smile. She really was a striking girl, beautiful in her own respect. He gently laid his palm on her cheek. Elphaba unconsciously leaned into the touch, murmuring quietly in her sleep.
"Oh, my dear, why can't I love you?" Frex closed the door as he left, hoping against hope that somehow he could manage to find a piece of his heart for his Fabala.
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"FABALA!" Shell cried out into Elphaba's ear, far earlier than she would have liked. "Fabala! Fabala, breakfast!" Shell tugged Elphaba's blankets off and stared down at the scarf around her waist.
"Don't touch that!" Elphaba snapped, irritated at her brother already. He rushed down the hall, singing gaily and skipping about. He was the only one in the family not intimidated in some way by emerald Elphaba. Elphaba climbed out of the bed and untied the scarf, setting it under her pillow.
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"What is this?" Elphaba lifted a spoonful of what looked like the very Quadling marshes themselves. Frex frowned at her.
"We can't all be eating University breakfasts every day." He said disdainfully. Apparently his heart was too full of the care for Nessa and the upbringing of Shell. Elphaba sighed and pushed the bowl away. Shell eagerly tucked in to her serving as well.
Elphaba stormed upstairs, uselessly angry with her father, and flung herself onto the bed. She groped under her pillow and removed the Vinkus scarf, carefully pressing it into her skin, savoring the feel of the silk.
"Glinda, where are you?"
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"Glinda, where are you?" Fiyero hammered on Glinda's door, trying to reach the girl. She had sulked into her room the day before, when Elphaba had left, and had not returned outside since. Glinda curled further into Elphaba's bed and squeezed her pillow.
"Go away!" Her voice was ragged with tears. Fiyero sighed.
"I'll just have to break down this door." He began pounding as if his very life depended on it. Glinda frowned.
"You'll just have to explain to Madame Morrible why our door is off its hinges, then." Glinda called back, trying to sink into her sheets and pillows. Fiyero immediately stopped banging on the door and Glinda felt satisfied that she had thoroughly threatened him into stopping.
"Miss Glinda!" A sudden and sharp voice startled Glinda to the door. She opened it carefully, wiping her eyes slightly to make herself look at least a little better and peeked around the corner.
"Aha, Doctor Molk!" Glinda leveled a glare at Fiyero, who opened his eyes wide and held up his palms as if to say, "What can I do?"
"Yes, Miss Glinda, would you mind informing me why there is a boy trying to break in your door?" Doctor Molk frowned at Fiyero disapprovingly.
"I think he might suspect that I've broken contact with the outside world. As it is, I have not come out of my room for the past two days." Glinda gave Doctor Molk a small smile.
"And why is it that you have broken contact, as you put it?" Doctor Molk pulled Glinda's door open a little more and stood in the doorway, an imposing figure.
"Please, Doctor," Glinda motioned for the tall woman to bend down to Glinda's level. "Understand this as a woman yourself, I'm bleeding and I don't feel well at all." Doctor Molk raised her heavily penciled eyebrows and nodded knowingly.
"Try to keep nosy boys away from your door, if it is possible." Doctor Molk turned to leave. "And if you feel too nauseous, check in with the dispensary for a pass from class." Glinda nodded fervently and stared at Doctor Molk until the large woman was out of sight.
"What did you just--" Fiyero began, but Glinda slammed the door in his face.
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"Fabala!" Shell shook Elphaba awake for the second time. Elphaba groaned and decided she did not want to spend the entire week being shaken awake by her brother.
"What the hell do you want, Shell?" Elphaba usually refrained from swearing in front of the boy, but it was hard when he was being so persistent.
"Fabala, you've slept through lunch and Father said he wants you to take a hike today." Shell said excitedly. A hike? That was just what Elphaba needed, fresh air, pine needles--A clap of thunder roused her from her musings. Of course, it just had to be raining.
"Shell, did Father really want me to take a hike today?" Shell nodded emphatically. Elphaba picked up a pillow and hit Shell hard with it. She chased him out of the room and locked the door, insurance that neither he nor her father would bother her today. She pulled out a sketchbook, filled with small sketches of Glinda's face, Boq's clothing, Nessa's shoes, many different things. She decided to sketch Glinda's face from memory.
"Fabala," her father startled her out of her sketching reverie. "I thought I told you to have a hike today."
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