Chapter 3: Only with you

'Where something pretty' was fiyero kidding, Elphaba thought as she hurried back to her and Glindas room.

"What on earth do I have that's pretty" Elphaba said out loud to herself, as she reached the small dorm room, Elphaba quickly shut the door behind her and plunked down on her hard mattress, she immediately began thinking up excuses not to go to the party with Fiyero, she contemplated whether she'd make herself sick or she would fake a fever. Neither one of which would persuade Fiyero, he was Relentless it seemed, Elphaba was in a panic.

"What if this whole thing is just some joke, that him and his foolish friends thought up? What if he only invited me to be a part of the joke that awaits me?" Like what happen at the Ozdust ballroom "And…what if Glinda is a part of it? She wouldn't! I thought we were friends, maybe she's just pretending like Fiyero is…" Elphaba continued muttering to herself for the remainder of the night. She couldn't sleep; it was the anticipation of seeing Fiyero again, although she was now convinced that it was all a cruel joke to embarrass the green girl, again. Elphaba eventfully fell asleep, until a loud banging at her door awaked her, she looked at the clock on the wall, and it was easily 6:00am. Elphaba rubbed her eyes and wrapped a black bath robe around her slender body, she swiftly checked herself out in Glinda's mirror, and gussied up a little, she jumped at loud thumping at the door once again.

"I'm coming!" she nearly shouted, Elphaba opened the door to see…whom other than Fiyero. Of course he looked suave, even in the morning at such an early hour. His dirty blond curls were damp, she assumed he'd just had a shower, he was wearing a white button down shirt with casual black slacks, and Elphaba was lost in his exquisiteness. Fiyero also looked her up and down.

"What are you doing here?" questioned Elphaba.

"I'm picking you up?"

"It's 6am!"

"I know."

"But you're party isn't until eight?"

"Yeah I know, but last night, I believe you lost in a game of 'Jinx' and you owe me breakfast, besides it's my birthday." He bit his bottom lip and smiled like the spoiled prince he is. Elphaba sighed and closed her eyes. "Elphaba?" she opened them and scowled.

"Give me five minutes!" she said, as she slammed the door in Fiyero's face. Fiyero stood there for only about two minutes, until Elphaba opened the door again, she was now wearing, one of her signature frumpy black dresses that went to her knees, and a simple black sweater, it looked as though she had put a comb through her hair, and washed her face.

"That was fast!"

"Whatever, I need coffee."

Fiyero beamed "Great! I know the perfect place!"

"You're crazy…you're way to happy in the morning"

"I guess I'm a morning person, I'm even more of a night person…" He raised his eyebrows; Elphaba punched him in the arm playfully.

"Oh Fiyero, you're so honest"

"Only with you my dear, only with you." Fiyero grabbed her arm and linked his with hers, although Elphaba would not show it, she was becoming infatuated.

--

"Fiyero this is taking forever, where are you leading me anyways, are you going to kill me? You might as well do it now, my feet are beating you too it!"

"Are you always this whiney, we're almost there!"

"I never whine, but this is just painful!"

Fiyero lead them to a black iron gate, the gateway was ancient, there were great green vines interlocking with the gate and there was a smell of lavender and vanilla, Elphaba waiting eagerly for Fiyero to open to gate, she desired to see more. Fiyero got out a key, from his left pant leg pocket and opened the door, he grabbed Elphaba's head and led her in, and she gasped. It was the most beautiful sight, she'd ever seen with her own two eyes, the sun had just rose and was waking up all the flowers, so many colors to observe at once, Elphie's skin almost blended in with the scenery. Fiyero gazed over at Elphaba he let her have a moment to take all of this in, he smiled gently to himself, he'd always wanted to take a girl here, not even Glinda has had the privilege.

"Do you like it?" he asked finally.

"I…I…I didn't even know there were places like this near Shiz! I'm speechless, this is beautiful."

"Yes well, I knew you'd like it."

"Like it? I love it!"

Fiyero was ecstatic that she liked it, his stomach started to feel weird and dizzy, when Elphaba showed so much passion for the garden, the way she expressed herself, she looked so peaceful to him, he promised himself, that tonight he would make it known to her that he cared for her deeply, maybe more than anyone.

"Well…shall we eat?"

"Yes, I'd love too." She answered, this was the first time Elphaba hadn't responded in a sarcastic tone, she truly wanted to be there, and never wanted to leave.

"Me too." He smiled and took her thin hand and led her to a gazebo, where he had a breakfast prepared.

"Fiyero! Wow this is too much, I don't deserve this."

"What are you talking about of course you do!"

"No, I feel weird eating all this elegant food, Glinda should be the one in my shoes, well actually she'd hate my shoes, but nevertheless, she is more chic than I, I feel like a wild plant amongst these flowers"

"Elphaba…" Fiyero's face saddened.

"It's the truth, now I don't know why you even brought me here, probably a dare…" Fiyero frowned "Come to think of it…why did you bring me here?"

"Why do you do this? Every time…" He shook his head and continued "Elphie…I think you are exquisite, you are the most lovely and brutally honest woman I've ever had the pleasure of meeting, you are as stubborn as hell, but that's what makes you so unique and enduring. I brought you hear, because I…" love you "because you're the only woman I've met with substance, and I love that and you should too."

"Oh…" Elphie said sounded a little overwhelmed. "What about Glinda?" she asked, trying desperately to change the subject, that she started.

"I don't know, what about her?"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know, I just don't love her, never have and probably never will, she's not like you…that's for sure."

The rest of morning was descent, Elphaba gave up her doubting questions about Fiyero's motives, and began talking about her passions and Dr.Dillamond, Fiyero didn't get many words in but he loved every minute of it. It was nearing 2:00 and Fiyero had to attend birthday shenanigans, he walked Elphaba home, and hurried off with Boq to confirm plans for this evening.

--

As soon as Elphaba reached her room, she scurried to get ready for the dinner and dance birthday party, also known as Fiyero's birthday. She quickly bathed herself in coconut oil, and tried to figure out Glinda's hair thingy-ma-jigs. After an hour of intense hair curling, she was finally done with hair. She rapidly searched through Glinda's makeup, she started to apply mascara to her eyelashes, but constantly kept poking herself in the eye, she then applied a deep purple lip stick to her lips, hair and makeup was complete. The biggest mission of all, was finding something to wear, she went to her closet of clothes and found nothing that was appealing, her eye drew to a simple dark purple dress, hanging in Glinda's closet, Elphie had never seen her wear it before.

"She wouldn't care!" she said, trying to convince herself.

Elphaba grabbed the dress and slipped into it, it was gorgeous. The dress hugged her slender figure, it went down just above her knees, it was strapless and curved in at her beasts, into a v-shape, the material was silky against her shiny oil soaked skin, it was perfect. The outfit was almost complete, the only thing missing was the shoes, and once again she snooped through Glinda's closet and found a perfect pair of dark purple pumps. As she slipped the last one on her right foot, she heard a knock at the door. Her head spun in the direction of the door, and then to the clock it was 8:15pm.

"Just a second!"

She checked herself out in the mirror, ran her index finger across her teeth a few times and she took a minute to breathe, and opened to door, to once again see Fiyero's handsome face.

"Hi." She said.

"Hi…" Fiyero could barely even say that, his jaw dropped a little, she was a vision. Elphaba grew self-conscious, due to the silence.

"What? Do I look okay?"

"You're beautiful."

TBC…