AN. Requested by Ultimate Queen of Cliffies.

Missing Scene Between Chapter 37 and Chapter 38: Sleeping Arrangements

The house always seemed to get brighter before Elphaba and Nessarose came home for vacation. Annalie and Nikita always fussed around, making sure their rooms had fresh linen and flowers awaiting them, and their favourite baked goods.

This year, things were slightly different. It was the middle of summer, and Nessa had been home for a month already, while Elphaba visited the Vinkus as a guest of Fiyero's parents. From her letters, she was having a wonderful time, but Annalie and Frex were missing her dreadfully. They hadn't seen Elphaba since Lurlinemas, as the girls and Fiyero had spent their spring vacation in the Glikkus, so that Fiyero could meet Lilou and Pim.

Frex and Annalie had gained a sudden insight into their future. They realised, barring any horrendible heartbreak, eventually at some point Elphaba would be living in the Vinkus and visits would be rare. It had hit them both hard, and Frex in particular was anxious to have his daughter home. But she would be home tomorrow, accompanied by Fiyero, and Galinda would be likewise coming to stay in a few days until they went back to Shiz.

As Frex entered his bedroom the night before Elphaba and Fiyero were due to arrive, he found the room empty. However, a light was on down the hall and there he found Annalie in Elphaba's room, fussing over the vase of flowers on the nightstand.

"I want it to be perfect," she explained once she'd spotted Frex in the doorway. "It's her first time seeing the new bed."

It had been their birthday gift to Elphaba that year, but she had yet to be home to see it, let alone sleep in it.

"It's a bed, Anna," Frex pointed out to her.

"It's still her birthday present," Annalie argued.

She pushed a few stray hairs back from her face, looked around the room and nodded in satisfaction.

"There. Now everything's set," she beamed at him. "Nikita's going to bake cookies tomorrow morning, the ones Fiyero liked when he was here last summer? She wanted them to be as fresh as possible. But other than that, everything is ready."

She turned off the light and left the room, pausing only to check on Tomaz before entering their bedroom.

"What about the guest room?" Fiyero asked her.

"It's ready for when Galinda arrives," Annalie confirmed, sitting at the vanity to unpin her hair.

Fiyero frowned. "I thought Galinda was going to be sleeping in Xia's room?" he frowned.

Annalie chuckled. "Xia will be back from her vacation while Galinda's still here," she reminded him, pulling out the last of the hair pins.

Frex frowned deeper. "So, if she's in the guest room, where is Fiyero sleeping?"

Annalie's fingers stilled for a moment in the middle of reaching for her hairbrush. "Frex," she said gently.

It dawned on him slowly and Annalie watched in the mirror as what could only be described as a pained grimace spread across his face as he slowly sat down on the bed.

"Anna-"

"Frex, they're adults," she cut him off.

Frex's eyes fell shut and he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Annalie," he said finally. "Tell me that I did not buy a bed for my daughter's birthday so that she can sleep with her boyfriend under my roof."

Annalie said nothing and when Frex opened his eyes, she had turned around to face him, her face a picture of innocence and sympathy.

"Annalie."

"Frex, she is twenty-three years old," Annalie reminded him. "Fiyero is twenty-five. They love each other. You bought Elphaba a bed for her birthday because she needed a new bed. It just happens Fiyero will be sleeping in it."

Frex didn't buy it. "And you weren't planning on telling me? The boy's going to be staying in my house for three weeks and you didn't think I wasn't going to know where he was sleeping?"

Annalie rolled her eyes. "'The boy'?" she repeated. "Frex, you like Fiyero. You know it, I know it and Elphaba knows it."

Frex sighed. He did like Fiyero. He just liked him a lot more before he knew that the prince was sleeping with his daughter.

"And if you say any of that 'in my house' or 'under my roof' stuff to Elphaba, she's going to be furious with you and you know it," Annalie pointed out.

Frex did know that.

Annalie got up from the vanity and climbed into bed, settling against the pillows and reaching for her book on the nightstand.

"You don't need to worry, darling. They love each other, and they're being safe. Elphaba has no desire to have a baby while she's still in school, and I highly doubt Fiyero does either."

Frex narrowed his eyes at his wife. "You know this how?"

"Elphaba told me, of course."

"When?" Frex demanded.

"Over Lurlinemas."

Annalie glanced up at him over the top of her book and her face softened at the look on his face.

"Frex, don't be upset. You know how much Fabala loves you, but can you really blame her for not wanting to talk about this with you?"

Frex rubbed a hand over his face and shook his head. "It's not that," he said heavily.

Annalie put her book down. "Well, what is it?"

"It's just another reminder that she's grown up. How much longer is it going to be before she moves out for good? Before they get married?"

"I don't know," Annalie admitted. "I think those are questions for them. Elphaba hasn't said anything about it to me."

Frex got ready for bed silently and then climbed into bed himself.

"Is out of line to ask Fiyero what his intentions are?"

"You know his intentions," Annalie reminded him, returning to her book. "He intends to marry her."

Even if Fiyero had yet to explicitly say so to Frex and Annalie, they'd known that since he'd released that statement last fall.

"Is it out of line to ask when?"

She chuckled. "No, I don't think so. But he may not have an answer for you."

That was rather what Frex was hoping to hear, but he wouldn't admit that to his wife.