AN. Jaielphiebeckett requested this scene, although this isn't quite what you wanted I know! I did try, but it wasn't coming out right. So you get the establishment of the scene instead, sorry!

Cut From Chapter 19: The Night Before

Elphaba and Nessa were both thrillified at the prospect of seeing their family for a day, even if Elphaba was a little apprehensive about how Frex would react to Fiyero. Her father tended to be overprotective.

The morning before they would arrive, Elphaba was walking across the courtyard with Nessa and Xia when a hand reached around her waist and Fiyero smoothly fell into step beside them.

"Hey."

Elphaba looked over to him. "Hey yourself. I thought you were going for drinks with the boys?"

Fiyero shrugged. "Yeah, I'm on my way. Came to see you first."

Elphaba smiled softly as he leaned over to kiss her.

Nessa shivered. "I don't like this wind. The forecast promised sunshine tomorrow, didn't it?"

"Sunshine and warmth," Elphaba said happily, rubbing her left arm slightly.

"I think it's going to rain all night though," Fiyero said, raising his eyes towards the sky. He nudged Elphaba gently.

"We still on for dinner tonight?"

She nodded. "Sure. Seven?"

He grinned. "I'll see you then."

He kissed her again quickly, waved to Nessa and Xia and headed off.

"What are you going to do for the rest of the day then?" Nessa asked her.

Elphaba sighed. "I've got a Philosophy assessment to work on. Galinda's off with Milla, so I'll have the room to myself."

Nessa grimaced. "Yeah, I've got some work to do myself. I don't want to have anything to do tomorrow."

Elphaba bid Nessa and Xia farewell, and after grabbing some coffee and some food, settled in to do her school work. Over the course of the afternoon, the sky outside steadily darkened and she began to doubt the promised sunshine that was forecast for tomorrow. It began to rain at dusk and the wind whistled.

When Fiyero knocked on the door at seven o'clock that night, Elphaba greeted him with a wan smile.

"Hey. You ready?"

Fiyero frowned at her. "Yeah. Are you ok? How's your arm?"

"It aches a little," Elphaba admitted.

More than a little, Fiyero would wager, noting the pale touch in her cheeks.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "How's your leg?" she countered.

Fiyero grinned. "Fine."

Elphaba stepped out into the hall and pulled on her coat. Fiyero reached out and took her scarf from her, gently wrapping it around her neck.

"How about I grab us some food and we eat in my suite?" Fiyero suggested, brushing a thumb along her jawline. "We can light the fire. It'll be good for your arm."

Elphaba only hesitated for a moment before agreeing. "Sure."

Fiyero handed her his room key while he went to get them food, and Elphaba had the fire going by the time he returned.

"Do you think this will blow over by morning?" Elphaba asked him as they unpacked the food.

"Sure," Fiyero assured her. "Don't worry. When you wake up in the morning, it'll be blue sky and sunshine."

Elphaba smiled faintly.

The warmth of the fire did ease the ache in her arm somewhat, but she still found herself rubbing it as they sat on the couch after eating.

Fiyero watched her for a few moments and then wordlessly got up and left the room. When he returned, he was carrying a small jar.

"What's that?" Elphaba asked, eyeing it warily.

"It's this ointment that I got to put on my leg when it hurts," Fiyero explained. "I have no idea what's in it, but I swear it works."

He sat down beside her and unscrewed the lid.

"Roll up your sleeve," he ordered gently.

Elphaba obeyed, offering her left arm to him. Fiyero scooped some of the ointment into his fingers and began to gently massage it into her arm.

"How did it happen?"

She looked to him in surprise. "You said Nessa told you."

"She did," Fiyero allowed. "But she was a little fuzzy on the details. And I'd rather hear it from you."

Elphaba sighed, resting her head against the back of the couch.

"I was nine," she said. "And I was at school. We were doing some kind of writing exercise… I don't really remember what anymore. But I hadn't finished by the time we went out for recess, so Ismene- Miss Fairchild- let me keep working while everyone else went outside. When I went to go outside, these boys blocked my way."

Fiyero frowned, still massaging her arm. "Why?"

"To be assholes?" Elphaba guessed. "They didn't really need a reason, Yero. Anyway, they said some horrendible things, none of which I recall now. I pushed past them to go outside and one of them stuck his foot out and tripped me. I fell down the steps. Broke my arm, hit my head, bruised a few ribs."

She turned her head, staring into the flames distantly.

"The rest of it is all a blur now," she mused. "I remember the pain, but I don't remember getting to the hospital or anything. The cast went all the way up to here," she said, tracing up her arm to almost near her shoulder.

"Annalie turned up at some point, and she said that my father was on his way."

Elphaba frowned. "I remember thinking that was weird. She was so sure that he was about to turn up, and back then… I wasn't exactly Papa's first priority."

Or any number priority.

"But he didn't turn up?" Fiyero guessed.

She shook her head. "No. And I wasn't surprised."

Fiyero's eyes darkened and he tugged her forward so that she sat on his lap and he tenderly cupped her face in his hands.

"If anything happened to you, I'd be there without hesitation," he promised her.

Elphaba leaned down and kissed him deeply. "You were there," she reminded him.

If anything good had come from the night of the bonfire, it was that.

She could have also pointed out that Frex also wouldn't hesitate to be at her side now if something happened, but she appreciated the sentiment.

Fiyero kissed her softly and Elphaba slid her arms around his shoulders, deepening the kiss. Fiyero ran his thumb along her jawline and trailed his fingers down the curve of her neck. As he brushed over the pulse point in her neck, she drew in her breath slightly. Fiyero fought back the urge to smile and instead broke off the kiss, lowering his head slightly to brush his lips against the same spot.

Her breath hitched again, a faint murmur falling from her lips that made Fiyero's grip on her tighten involuntarily.

He pulled back once more, let out his breath slowly and brushed her hair back. As he tucked a lock behind her ear, he paused for a moment to make sure the words 'I love you' weren't about to accidentally fall from his lips. Not now.

"How's your arm?" he asked instead.

Elphaba blinked. "Why?"

Fiyero did allow himself to grin then. "Just checking."

"How's your leg?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Doesn't bother me when I don't think about it. Distraction, you know?"

Elphaba cocked an eyebrow. "I'm a distraction?"

Fiyero's grin broadened. "The best kind of distraction," he reassured her and drew her lips back to his.

Elphaba didn't really complain after that.

AN. I've been working on a few of these for a while, and admittedly struggled for a bit. Then I realised I was trying to make them oneshots, when they're only supposed to be missing/cut scenes. They'd never be a whole chapter on their own, just part of one. So I gave myself permission to make them only as long as they needed to be.

A usual chapter for me is between 3000-6000 words. These will probably be between 1000-2000 words.