Fiyero checked her knot and tested the fit of her harness. The waist hung too loose, and he reached around her to tighten it, trying as hard as she did to ignore the proximity. He worked the rope through the belay, and convinced she'd be safe, he took a step back.

"Alright. Make sure you have a good grip before you release the other, especially footing. Always three points in contact." He climbed up a couple feet, demonstrating as he talked. He looked back and caught her eying his taut biceps. His unvoiced laugh colored his words, "Plan ahead so you don't get trapped. You can see from below if the holds are spacing apart more than you'd like."

Without a safety line, he couldn't go much farther, so he jumped down and picked up the belay rope. She didn't step forward until he nudged her arm.

"You'll be fine. I've got the line. I won't drop you." Her anticipation was palpable, more than he'd seen since they had started this. "Belay on. Climb."

She took a tentative grasp of the first handholds. Her eyes trained on the rock, but she didn't move for a full minute. Right as he drew breath to intervene, she lifted herself off the ground to the first set.

"Great. Edge left, toward the wider holds." She followed instruction, her discomfort apparent. He could see the fatigue settling into her arms, and he called out, "Use your legs. They're stronger. Weight down while you lift up."

About ten feet up, she reached a handhold too narrow to support her weight, and the next a few inches out of reach. Her balance precarious, she stretched toward the hold. He held his breath, watching her arms strain toward the narrow hold.

Her fingertips brushed the protrusion. He willed her to hold on, to stretch the extra half-inch she needed. She lifted a foot to brace against the wall and edge higher, and though he cringed, he didn't dare call out advice and risk distracting her.

The rubber toe of her shoe slid down the face without reaching a grip, and the unexpected motion tipped her precarious position beyond repair. She skidded off the narrow ledge, her one hand all that kept her from empty air.

He slammed the belay device locked, though it didn't need much more than a tap. "Hang on," he encouraged. He could see her chest rise and fall with desperately controlled breaths. "Try to get your feet under you again."

Her shoes scraped without purchase on the rock wall. Her arm shook with the weight of her entire body dangling for it. He let out a breath. She wasn't going to like this.

"Okay, let go."

"Let go?" He could sense the panic in her voice, though she kept her eyes resolutely locked on the grip above her.

"Yes, let go. I'll lower you down, and we can try again." She hesitated, every instinct screaming to cling to the rock, but she forced herself to trust his instructions. The rope pulled taut as she fell back, and she let out an inadvertent squeak. "It's alright. I've got you."

She let out a shaky breath and nodded. With a measured hand, he maneuvered her steady descent. A few feet lower, and she'd relaxed considerably. "Well, that went spectacularly."

"It's part of the process."

She narrowed her eyes. "If you give me that 'we only fall down to get back up' speech again, I'll-"

"What?" he interrupted, an eyebrow raised at her current position dangling four feet in the air. "Spin at me?"

"Shut up and get me down."

He swallowed an easy retort and lowered her to the ground. She deflated and moved to take off the harness. "Hey, slow down there tiger. You don't think you're done, do you?"

Her eyes widened, fear creeping back in her expression. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, you're done when you reach the top."

Her lips wedged between her teeth. She wanted to argue, but she squared her shoulders and faced the rock. He unhooked the belay rope, and she spun to face him again. "No safety? What if I fall again?"

He rolled his eyes. "Of course you'll have a safety. You think I'm trying to kill you?"

"If I say yes?"

He thumped her nose and led her over to the auto-belay. This would be interesting, both of them hooked together, but the system could handle more than two if necessary. He slipped on his harness under her watchful eye. "Coming?"

"I don't have a choice. Why, are you?" His grin echoed on her face. "You're coming?"

He focused on the rejuvenated energy she displayed, fear replaced so quickly with his presence. "Alright, weight on your heels, three points of contact at all times," he reminded, and they started up the face of the wall side by side. Within a few feet, she had begun to emulate his rhythm - lift, pull, step. "Alternate sides, right hand, left leg."

They reached thirty feet before the first sign of trouble. She started toward another dead-end, and realized a safe four feet beyond. "I think I'm out of holds soon."

He leaned back to study the course. "Yeah. Can you come toward me?"

She edged right, but the holds spaced too far apart to work horizontally. "Diagonal?"

"I think you'll have to climb down a few feet and veer this way instead. Think you can manage to go down?" She paled, but nodded. He felt a thrum of pride for his brave girl. Definitely not a quitter. "Alright, I'll mirror. Watch me first if you need to."

He reversed the process. The balance on descent was more difficult, but she managed to do so without falling. He had reached about a foot from her when her toe slipped. She jerked forward, slamming herself into the rock.

"Hey, deep breaths." Her wide eyes turned on him, and he edged toward her to grip her waist. "Step up. I've got you."

It strained his arm, but he held her steady. "Okay, I think I've got it."

He let go of her harness gradually to keep her as steady as possible, and then guided her to a path closer beside his. "Ten more feet." The new path led them to within a couple feet of the edge before it thinned out. "Alright. Follow me up."

He reached the summit and hauled himself up onto the ledge at the top. She reached the edge behind him, and he helped her over the brink to rest.

"You made it."

"Thank Oz." She flopped against his side, breathing hard. "How do you make this look so easy?" Then she made a face. "Never mind. You make everything look easy."

"Everything?" he grinned. "Even geometry?"

"Geometry is easy."

"Not to me." He leaned back on his hands, pleased when she didn't leave the space at his side. Their legs hung over the edge, dangling above forty feet of empty air. "But I've been climbing for probably as long as you've done geometry, so that's pretty even. Haven't you calculated equations since birth?"

"Shut up," she knocked lightly against him. "Why, have you climbed since birth?"

"Not birth, per se. Unless you count furniture."

"I bet you were a handful as a child."

He leaned his head toward her. "Still am."

"That's the truth." She rested her cheek against his joint of his shoulder and collarbone. "What about rock climbing?"

"I used to climb cliffs with my father. The mountains near one of our palaces were especially close, and he would take me in the mornings at the crack of dawn. Sunrise in the Vinkus is breathtaking." He drew a sigh against the nostalgia. "I'll have to show you, when we go for break."

"So you're serious about that?"

He peeked down at her. "If you are."

"You're sure you don't mind?"

"Mind? I'd love the company. That's a long trip without anyone to talk to." And far too long without seeing her face. He changed the subject before she conjured some excuse. "Ready for your final? Less than a week now, right?"

"Yeah, this is the last retest."

He regretted the end even as he anticipated her success. She'd earned her reward, and he wanted her to enjoy it. But he would miss this time together and the way it felt for her to need him. "You'll be amazing."

The conversation lulled. After a moment, she looked up. "So I need a plan." He lifted an eyebrow, and she explained. "Nessa still doesn't believe me about Liam, and I can't just let him take advantage of her."

"Even after what she said?"

Elphaba refused to acknowledge his question. "If I can get him to admit it in front of her, she won't have a choice but to accept it."

"How're you going to do that?"

She shrugged, the motion rocking his side. "Galinda thinks I should go on a double date with them."

"Does she?" he chuckled.

"I know, that's always her solution. But it's not the worst idea, and I don't have anything better."

"I suppose it's worth a try. Not like it'd hurt anything."

"So you'll do it?" His breath caught when she tipped her face toward his. "You'll come with me?"

"Of course." He kept his voice calm, though inwardly he vacillated between worry if the date were genuine and thrill at escorting her, however contrived the reason might be.

She ducked her head back to his shoulder, and he let his cheek come to rest against her. He had to be careful though. This hesitant exploration of her feelings had taken weeks, and if he scared her away again, he didn't want to think of the cost.

"Ready to head down?"

She shook her head. "It's nice up here. Quiet."

"Our very own fort, huh?" He cherished her soft smile. "Much as I would love to stay up here with you all day, we'd probably better head down before dinner."

She eyed the cliff. "That's a long way down. What if we just live up here?"

"And what, forage for food from the dust bunnies? I don't think they're edible."

"We could tackle other climbers and steal their granola bars."

"Could we?" He tried not to laugh at her somber nod. "And if they have none?"

"Eventually they would. It's a numbers game."

"So we'd just have to tackle an endless supply of climbers poised on the top of a precipice high in the air to subsist on their hypothetical granola."

"Hey, I never promised you a rose garden."

"Come on, chicken. It's not so bad." He slipped his arm from behind her with regret and dangled himself over the edge until he reached a foothold. "Gravity's with you. Worst comes to worst, you can always fall down."

"Thanks, Yero, very helpful."

"That's what I'm here for." He gave her a significant glance, and she sighed heavily. "Lower yourself down."

She reached awkwardly down, and he looped an arm around her for stability. "Maybe I shouldn't have discounted that falling thing."

"You'll be fine. Okay, keep your weight back and walk down." He led her down without incident, and she breathed a sigh of relief when her feet touched the ground. "Alright, now to Nessa?"

Her shoulders slumped. "I hate you."

Fiyero walked with her to the bottom floor of Crage and knocked on her sister's door. She fidgeted next to him, and he gave a quick squeeze to her elbow. "Just don't get baited into another argument."

"Easy for you to say."

The door swung open, and when Nessa saw who had knocked, she crossed her arms. "What do you want?"

"I would like to apologize," Elphaba stated woodenly. "I shouldn't have criticized Liam's intentions, and I'd like to prove I mean it by taking you both to dinner."

"Dinner?"

"A double date," she sighed. "What do you say?"

The younger girl clearly wanted to agree, but she hesitated. "I don't know. Liam might not want to."

"Why not?"

"You did say some pretty mean things about him."

Elphaba straightened her spine. "Hence, the dinner. Think of it as aiding my repentance."

"It's atonement, actually, but I suppose that would be the virtuous response." A smile broke free on Nessa's face as she caught her sister's hand. "Oh, Fabala, we'd love to double date with you and Avaric. It would be our first double."

"Avaric?" Then Elphaba turned her steely eyes at Fiyero. "Right. Of course, Avaric. My 'boyfriend'."

He flashed her an apologetic wince.

"I do so hate it when we fight, Fabala." Nessa held her arms out for a hug, and her sister complied. "About what I said-"

Elphaba held up a hand. "It's forgotten."

Like hell it was. Fiyero hid his disgruntlement with a faux scratch to his nose. Though he supported their reconciliation, she at least deserved an apology.

"So when should we plan our dinner?" Nessa twittered happily. "Tomorrow? Or the weekend?"

"Friday," Fiyero suggested, and Elphaba nodded.

"I'll get back to you on the time."

"Where are we going?"

The girl's enthusiasm was infectious, as if she'd never been on a double date, period. "Where would you like to go, my pretty?"

"Oh, wherever you want." Nessa wheeled back toward her closet. "I wonder if I should get a new dress."

Elphaba caught his eye and made a face, unnoticed by her sister. "We can work out the details later. Fiyero and I should probably shower."

Nessa turned around a little faster than he'd expected, and he took a reflexive step back. "Pardon?"

"We've just finished my training session, and I'm sure I've taken up enough of his time." He lifted an eyebrow, but she avoided his eyes.

Nessa wheeled back toward the door behind them. "Alright. Talk to Avaric and let me know what time on Friday. Bye, Fiyero."

He tipped a wave on their way out and waited for Elphaba to stoop in a tense hug. As soon as the door closed, she turned on him. "Avaric is just the gift that keeps on giving, huh?"

"It's not like I did it on purpose. I was trying to help." She made a condescending face, and he threw his arms around her ribs to tickle her. "Hey, if you can forgive Nessa, you can forgive me. I'm much more loveable."

"That's debatable." Then Elphaba hung her head back with a groan. "Oh, I'm an idiot. I should have just told her we broke up."

"Well, it's too late now." He caught her hand in a loose grip. "I'll talk to him. Warn him to behave."

She spun to face him. "You're not going?"

Taken aback, he cocked his head to the side. "How would I?"

"We can triple."

He lifted an eyebrow. "So you want me to invite a girl?" Even brainless as he was, he knew that was a terrible idea.

"Sure. Why not?"

He took a step toward her, encroaching on her personal space and drawing a warm flush to her cheeks. Her eyes drifted to his lips, and he trailed a hand inch by inch up her arm. "I should think that's fairly obvious."

"It doesn't have to be a date date. It could be a friend."

"Like who? It's not as if I could ask Galinda, and you're not available."

She stepped back and crossed her arms. "Are you saying you can't find someone?"

"I'm saying," he closed the distance again, "I'm not interested in looking." Not with her right in front of him. She frowned, but he tipped her chin up. "I suppose I can be persuaded."

"Oh?" He nodded, and she uncrossed her arms to slide up his shoulders. "And how does one manage that?"

His lips dipped toward hers, brushing feather light against her brow. "Again with the obvious answers."

Her eyes flicked up to his. "What if I ask very nicely?" He tilted a smile at her. "Yero, please?"

Damn. He would literally do anything for her the way those sweet eyes pleaded at him. He leaned down before he caught himself, and by the time he realized it, he'd almost touched his lips to hers. He diverted the kiss to the edge of her mouth, but it was still enough to singe his veins with the electricity between them.

He pulled back to touch her forehead to his. "Consider me persuaded."

"Not so difficult," she teased. She moved to step back, but he didn't release his grip on her waist.

"Maybe for some. Care to work for inspiration now?"

"Oh?"

"Well, how do you expect me to pick up a girl if I don't practice?"