(A/N:) Okay guys so I wrote the next chapter, I was a wee bit tired so forgive spelling mistakes if ther are some. I don't know about these chapters, but reviews (especially criticism as well) would all be appreciated. Thanks. :)

Oh and also... At the beginning of one of my chapters (I think it was Goodbye) Glinda told Fiyero that Nessa was in the infirmary because of nightmares. She wasn't really sick, just not ready to stay in the dorms because it reminded her too much of Elphaba. Hehe sorry I didn't make that clear, I just left Nessa in there for a while because I forgot to deal with her.


The Storm

Fiyero paused uncertainly when he heard the door open, unmuffled voices washing into the room.

He turned his head towards the door but his view was immediately inhibited by an abundance of blond curls.

"Fiyero!" Glinda gasped happily, near tears. "You came back!"

"Yeah," he mumbled into her hair, patting her uncertainly on the back. She relinquished her hold on him. Boq was standing a few feet behind her, smiling slightly. "Hey."

Glinda dabbed at her eyes lightly with a frilly handkerchief before sighing happily. "You see, you were gone for a week! We thought that perhaps you had left as well! We missed you, Yero."

He cringed slightly at the sound of his name. "I wouldn't have left you guys here without telling you anything at all."

"I assumed it was a mightly long walk you were taking," Boq said, smiling. His message was clear- he was forgiven.

The three of them wandered to Fiyero's bed and sat down, Glinda placing herself primly against the pillows.

"So. How is she?" Boq asked.

Fiyero quickly discarded the look of shock that had come over his face. Of course they know. "How could you tell?"

Glinda laughed outright at his question. "Well we're not completely useless, are we, Fiyero? You just disappear off to the city a few times a week, always anxious, then you come back awaiting your next trip. You know, you even smell faintly of her," she mused. "Where else would you have gone for a week?"

He felt faintly surprised at how obvious he had been. Love does crazy thing to us all, he thought, shaking his head.

"So?" tutted Glinda impatiently. "How is she?"

"Oh." Fiyero quieted, thinking. How is Elphie? His face reddened a little at the idea of thinking of her in the presence of Boq and Glinda. Well she's feisty as ever. And stubborn as hell. "Good."

"That's all? Good? You go away for a week and bring us 'good?'" Boq clucked at him, exasperated.

"Well. She was sick." Glinda's eyebrows shot up and her hand flew to her mouth. "But she's alright now," he added hastily.

Glinda pressed him. "Are you certain?"

He wrinkled his forehead, concerned. "No."

- - - - -

Elphaba stopped walking and leaned up against the wall, breathing heavily. Pull yourself together, she thought angrily to herself.

She looked up at the morning sky. Gray clouds were scuttling in from the east. The air held a quiet sort of tension, like a cord in the moments before it snapped. She had felt sore all morning from the moisture in the air, and knew it was going to rain. She let out an exasperated breath and ducked into a small café nearby when the first few drops began to fall. May as well get out of the storm before it really starts.

A man seated her at a table by the windows near the door, politely diverting his gaze for appropriate lengths of time. She sat herself in the chair farther from the window, watching the progression of the storm.

She suddenly felt very lightheaded. She grasped the table quickly, keeping her body and mind focused upon it. The blackness drifted slowly from her eyes and she released her hold upon the table.

"Miss?" the man asked uncertainly. She wondered briefly how long he'd been standing there. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. I just missed breakfast this morning. But if you could bring me a glass of warm tea and a bagel, I am sure it would work wonders."

He dismissed himself from her presence. Breakfast, she thought incredulously. She rarely had any sort of schedule, whether eating or otherwise. She would shove food in her mouth if she was hungry and if it was convenient. Ever since Fiyero had come, he'd made her eat full and scheduled meals. "You're too thin. You need your strength," he'd tell her.

What is he anyways, my mother? The thought was bittersweet. She knew she was mocking him only because she missed him.

The young boy returned and brought her her order. She sipped slowly at the tea, but did not eat the bagel. The sight of it made her feel sick. Odd. A bagel? Sick. She stumbled to the bathroom and wandered to the sink, holding it tightly. She stared at her reflection. Her eyes held a gray mist—as if the storm outside raged also within her.

She began to retreat from the bathroom, holding onto the walls for support. Why do I feel so dizzy?

She vaguelynoted that the storm outside had let up. She disappeared into the folds of her cloak and hurried home.

- - - - -

"You know, Fiyero. Wipe that blank look off your face!"

He got the sudden impression that Glinda was going to slap him back to reality. He flinched, but she did not make a move towards him. He relaxed.

"She made me leave. I'm worried about her," he said at last.

"How do you mean?" Boq asked.

"She wasn't completely well. I'm afraid she's not going to employ the use of some self-restraint. You know how she gets."

"Well then, why did you come back?" Glinda asked.

"I've said. She made me. Shiz and all."

"Oh, forget Shiz. You know nothing here is worth it."

Glinda's voice rung in his ears. She made it seem so simple. Why had he left at all? Then he remembered. "Graduation."

Their faces fell slightly. "Well, the exams are over next Tuesday. Graduation isn't until another few weeks after that," Boq said.

"Yeah." He felt slightly hopeful, and yet disappointed that he would have to wait nearly two weeks.

Glinda placed a hand upon his arm. "She'll be fine."

He looked up and met her gaze. In the clear blue of her eyes he saw something new, like an ocean with a hidden depth. He glanced quickly at Boq. So things had changed while he was away. He smiled. Boq and Glinda…

Perhaps Elphaba's absence had done some good after all. In the wake of a storm you cower, and only afterwards realize the gifts of a glorious rainbow and refreshed surroundings.