Chapter 4

Fiyero had always enjoyed train rides. He could have driven to the Vinkus, but he didn't want to deal with everyone else travelling to the Vinkus for Lurlinemas. And he could only handle two hours max in a car at a time, and stopping too often only made the drive feel longer. Buses were an immediate non-option when travelling through the mountains, ever since he was twelve and had gotten horrendibly carsick (bus sick?) on that very journey; and flying at Lurlinemas cost a small fortune. So, thankfully, he enjoyed train rides.

And it seemed Elphaba agreed with him as they found their assigned seats in the correct carriage, stowing their things away. She settled into her seat comfortably, pulling out her librumE e-reader and Myxes player from her bag. Fiyero had brought snacks.

"It's like an hour-long train ride," Elphaba pointed out when she noticed this.

"An hour and fifteen minutes," Fiyero corrected her.

Elphaba ignored him and opened her e-reader.

"I thought you were against e-readers. 'They don't smell right' was the phrase, I believe?" Fiyero teased her, nudging her with his elbow.

Elphaba chuckled. "That doesn't count for travelling. Saves me taking up room in my bags for multiple books."

"Fair."

As the train left the station, Fiyero busied himself playing games on his phone while Elphaba read. They were barely over the border into the Vinkus when the train came to a halt between stations, the conductor announcing there would be a "short delay" due to debris on the tracks.

Fiyero groaned, sinking down into his seat. "Of course there's a delay."

Elphaba pulled off her headphones. "It shouldn't take too long. You're just upset because you've eaten all your snacks," she teased.

Fiyero made a face at her. "Funny, Fae."

He heaved himself up out of his seat, and headed down the aisle towards the doors for the next carriage. Elphaba assumed that he was heading for the dining car, which proved correct upon his return. She was a little surprised though, when Fiyero handed her a cup of tea.

"It's peppermint."

"Thanks," she said, wrapping her hands around it. "So, tell me about your family."

Fiyero shifted in his seat, stretching out his legs and crossing them at the ankle. "Haven't I already?"

"Your parents and sister, sure. Not the extended family."

Fiyero took a sip of his coffee, grimacing at the taste. Train coffee was only a step above police station coffee.

"Uh, well. There's my grandparents- Grandpa and Nana. They're my dad's parents. Mom's mom is Grams. Dad's an only child, but Mom's the eldest of three. Aunt Vala is… well, I don't think she ever got over the fact that Mom and Dad fell in love and brought the Sutcliffes and the Tiggulars together- bringing the firm together, you know? I think she thought her husband was on track to be Managing Partner when Grandpa finally retires, because he's older. And Vala thinks Mom and Dad marrying means one of them will be Managing Partner."

"Will they?"

Fiyero scoffed. "I don't think my grandfather's made any decision about that, and I don't think my parents care, really. Like, either of them would do it, but I don't think they've been plotting it for the past thirty-five years. But Vala seems to think it's their goal. So, her revenge is to make sure her kids are more successful than my Mom's kids."

Elphaba wrinkled her nose. "So, what are your cousins like?" she asked in trepidation.

"Great," Fiyero reassured her. "Nothing like their mother. Fintan and his partner are expecting their first kid in the spring via surrogate. Minali and her husband have five kids, which is ridiculous; and Tri and her fiancé had twin girls over the summer."

"And your sister has Noak, right?" Elphaba said.

Fiyero tapped a finger to his nose. "Yep. Thank Oz for my Aunt Rilla. My mom's youngest sister. She's never married or had kids, so she has my back. Although I guess it's different for men and women."

He'd heard Elphaba's rant on that subject at least twice before.

"Yeah," Elphaba nodded. "It is. But that doesn't mean it's not annoying, even if your family have good intentions. They all work for the law firm?"

"In one way or another," Fiyero nodded. "They're not all lawyers."

As the train began to slow as it pulled into Red Windmill Station, Fiyero raised an eyebrow at Elphaba as they got to their feet and began collecting their things.

"You ready for this?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

"And I've told you that I will owe you forever?"

She grinned. "A few times, but feel free to keep reminding me."

Fiyero chuckled. "Sure."

Julyan was on the platform waiting for them, beaming. "Hey!"

"Hey," Fiyero grinned back at him. "This is new," he said, nodding towards the blue tips to his friend's blonde hair peeking out from beneath his winter hat.

Julyan grinned. "Yeah, I felt like a change. I almost dyed my hair red, but I'm not sure if it's my colour."

His eyes flickered to Elphaba briefly before his grin widened. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your girlfriend?"

Fiyero glared at him. "I hate you," he replied, before turning to Elphaba. "Not that you two haven't already spoken before, but Julyan Worcestershire, meet Elphaba Thropp."

Julyan reached out a gloved hand to Elphaba as she shifted her bags to shake it.

"You are a much better friend than I am," he informed her.

"Yeah, I know," Fiyero muttered, which Julyan ignored.

"I would have let him suffer."

Elphaba chuckled. "I felt sorry for him," she explained simply. "And now he owes me for the rest of our lives."

"That is true," Julyan said thoughtfully. "Make sure you make the most of that," he warned her. "Make him get you out of parking tickets."

"I've never had a parking ticket."

"How do you manage that?" Julyan asked in interest.

"She's a better driver than you, and she looks at signs when she parks," Fiyero replied. "Can we go now? It's freezing."

Julyan rolled his eyes. "Sure. Here, Elphaba, let me help."

On the drive, Julyan chattered happily about the advertising company he worked for and some drama that had unfolded at the office Lurlinemas party, and Elphaba found herself rather homesick for Galinda as she listened. She made a mental note to call her once she got a moment alone.

"Wow," Elphaba said without meaning to, accidentally interrupting Julyan as he pulled the car into the long driveway. "This is beautiful."

"The Sutcliffe Manor," Julyan informed her.

Fiyero turned to look at Elphaba in the backseat. "My grandparents built it once the firm started doing pretty well. Mom and Dad moved in after my grandad died about nine years ago so Grams wasn't on her own."

Elphaba knew lawyers in Oz made pretty good money, but the house was still grander than she'd imagined.

"The Sutcliffes and the Tiggulars are both old families," Julyan added, like he knew what Elphaba was thinking. "Combining the family practically makes Fiyero royalty, as far as The Greater Kells is confirmed."

Fiyero groaned. "Oz, don't say shit like that in front of Vala," he warned Julyan. "She already hates me and Kas."

"Well, don't expect me to curtsey, Your Highness," Elphaba said teasingly.

Julyan snorted. "Oh, I knew I'd like you."

Fiyero narrowed his eyes at her. "My gratitude only extends so far, Miss Thropp," he warned her.

Elphaba laughed.

They entered through the front door into an honest to Oz oak panelled entrance hall, and Elphaba gazed around in wonder. Even beyond the elegant and sparkling Lurlinemas décor in the room, the grandeur of the room on its own was clearly evident.

"Are you sure you're not royalty?" she whispered to Fiyero.

"You're hilarious," Fiyero grumbled, dumping his bag to the ground. "Hello?" he called out, peering around. "Anyone home?"

"Something smells good," Julyan noted, sniffing the air interestedly as they stripped off their outwear and hung it on the coat rack nearby. "Shall we try the kitchen, Your Highness?"

Fiyero rolled his eyes. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

"And miss the debut of you two as a couple? No," Julyan refuted with a grin.

Fiyero rolled his eyes again and headed for a doorway.

"Don't forget your girlfriend," Julyan sang out quietly.

Fiyero stopped dead, spinning on his heel to glare at his friend. Julyan continued to grin at him, and Elphaba stifled a laugh.

"It's going to be a long two weeks at this rate," she said gently, stepping over to Fiyero. "This isn't going to be that big of a deal."

Fiyero looked to her and let out a breath. "Right. We can do this."

"Absolutely," she agreed.

Fiyero paused, hesitated and then took her hand in his, leading the way out of the entrance hall. Elphaba followed in surprise. They hadn't discussed what their 'relationship' actually looked like, in terms of physical affection. It honestly hadn't occurred to her, and she suddenly felt like an idiot for not thinking about it before. Fiyero's hand was warm as it clasped hers, and Elphaba barely took in anything of the house as he led the way through the house, Julyan trailing behind them almost gleefully.

In the kitchen, there were two women sitting at the island having tea, whom Elphaba recognised from family photos she'd seen on Fiyero's Timely page as his mother and grandmother.

"Hey, Mom. Hi, Grams," Fiyero said cheerfully.

His mother broke into a warm smile as she got to her feet. "Hi, honey. Oh, welcome home!"

"Thanks," Fiyero said, dropping Elphaba's hand before moving to hug his mother briefly and then leaning over to kiss his grandmother's cheek.

"So, this is Elphaba," he said, a little nervously.

If there was anyone he needed to fool with this ruse, it would be his mother. He'd never had much luck lying to her as a kid. Elphaba didn't look nervous at all, but perhaps a little wary. When Fiyero caught the way his grandmother's eyes flickered in surprise as she took in Elphaba's exposed skin, he recalled what Elphaba had told him about the reception to her skin outside of the Emerald City, and braced himself. He hadn't noticed any particular glances or behaviour on the train, but then again, he hadn't been looking for it, had he?

"Elphaba, this is my mom, Kasmira and her mom, Odede," Fiyero introduced them, hoping he hadn't been lying to Elphaba that his family would be accepting of Elphaba's skin.

There was a breath of a pause, and then his mother smiled warmly at Elphaba.

"Elphaba, it's so nice to finally meet you."

"You too," Elphaba replied politely. "Your home is beautiful, Mrs Sutcliffe," she said to Fiyero's grandmother.

"Odede is fine, dear," Odede replied. "Or Odie."

"Odie?"

Odede smiled at Fiyero knowingly, who shrugged at Elphaba. "I used to call her Gammy Odie as a kid, and it stuck," he admitted.

Elphaba smiled faintly. "Right."

"Let me give you a tour and show you where you'll be sleeping," Kasmira offered.

As she led Elphaba through the house, Fiyero and Julyan trailing behind them with the luggage, Kasmira asked Elphaba about their journey.

"Fiyero didn't drive you too crazy? He's never been very good at sitting down for too long. Family road trips were a nightmare when he was a kid."

Elphaba chuckled. "I'm used to tuning him out when I need to by now."

Kasmira laughed. "Good. I still can't believe all these months he's mentioned you and never mentioned that you were dating."

"Mom, come on," Fiyero protested from behind them. "I'm thirty-one. You want daily updates on every detail of my life?"

"I'd settle for weekly," Kasmira replied with a smile. "But I'm just teasing, honey. Kastle explained it all to me."

She turned to Elphaba solemnly. "I hope I didn't put too much pressure on you to come, Elphaba. I just assumed-"

"No, it's fine," Elphaba hastily interrupted. "I'm happy to be here."

Kasmira smiled. "Good."

Unwilling to tell his sister the truth, but knowing he had to tell her something, Fiyero had told Kastle that the reason he had insisted he didn't have a girlfriend was because he and Elphaba "hadn't labelled anything yet" until the Lurlinemas issue had come up.

Kastle had accepted that, writing that off as the typical behaviour of her "commitment-phobic brother". Explaining why he'd told her he didn't know anyone called Fae had been more difficult- Fiyero had told her the name was a private joke, and he hadn't been aware that anyone besides he and Elphaba were aware of it (let alone his family), so he hadn't made the connection when Kastle had said it. Fiyero was less sure Kastle had bought that one, but she'd let it slide anyway. Or at the very least, she had been distracted by Noak in the background begging to talk to his Uncle Yero.

It made sense that his family was now under the impression that Elphaba might have felt pressured to join them for the holidays before she and Fiyero had reached that point in their relationship naturally.

"Here we are," Kasmira announced as they reached the guest room that Fiyero typically used on his visits home.

She ushered Elphaba inside, but Fiyero stopped dead just short of the door, a horrifying thought just occurring to him then.

"Fiyero, these bags are heavy and these hands are not built for manual labour," Julyan informed him from behind. "You're blocking the hall. What is the problem?"

"Uh…"

Elphaba stuck her head out into the hall, raising an eyebrow questioningly at Fiyero. He smiled weakly at her, stepping up to the doorway.

"This room does get a little cold," Kasmira was saying to Elphaba. "But I know Fiyero runs warm, even as a baby he hated sleeping under too many layers, and I wasn't sure what your preference is Elphaba, so I've just left a few at the end of the bed and you two can do as suits you."

Fiyero saw the moment it dawned on Elphaba what had just dawned on him, but even as her eyes flickered towards him apprehensively, her only visible reaction was to stiffen slightly. Julyan on the other hand, drew in a sharp breath.

"Oh my Oz, there's only one bed!" he hissed delightedly to Fiyero, who pointedly dropped the bag he was carrying on his friend's foot.

"Ow."

Fiyero smiled sweetly at him. "Sorry, Jules. Slipped."

Julyan glared at him.

"Fiyero knows the Wi-Fi password, so he can give you that," Kasmira continued. "There's towels and everything in the bathroom, but if you need extra, the linen closet is just across the hall. And the power point is just behind the nightstand."

"We got it, Mom," Fiyero interrupted. "It's not my first visit."

Kasmira gave him a chiding look. "Alright, I'll let you two settle in," she said. "Grams baked scones this morning, Yero, so just come down when you're ready."

"Thanks, Mom," Fiyero said faintly.

"Julyan-"

"I'm going to help them settle in," Julyan informed Kasmira brightly. "But then I will absolutely join you for scones and jam."

Kasmira laughed. "Alright."

She left the room and Julyan bounced onto the bed, looking between Fiyero and Elphaba with twinkling eyes.

Elphaba still held herself tensely, her eyes flickering over Fiyero, the bed and Julyan in turn before turning to Fiyero.

"Why is he so happy?"

"Because he's a jerk," Fiyero informed her.

Julyan rolled his eyes. "Come on, Yero. You have to admit it."

"Admit what?" Elphaba asked warily.

Fiyero sighed, moving all the luggage to the corner of the room. "He's obsessed with those stupid Quillark Lurlinemas movies."

"They're not stupid, they're sweet," Julyan corrected him. "Elphaba, you've seen them, right?"

"I've seen some," Elphaba shrugged. "Not really by choice. My best friend loves them too. And her husband works part-time for Quillark- the card company side, not the movies."

"Okay, but you see my point how this is totally like one of those movies, right?" Julyan pressed. "The fake thing… there only being one bed… and then the lines blur…"

"Hey, Jules," Fiyero interrupted as Elphaba's face flushed darkly and she averted her gaze. "Go away."

Julyan heaved a sigh. "Fine. But I reserve the right-"

"Get. Out."

Julyan huffed, but obeyed. Fiyero shut the door pointedly behind him, before turning to Elphaba awkwardly.

"Sorry," he apologised immediately. "I didn't even think-"

"Me either," Elphaba admitted, smiling weakly.

"I can sleep on the floor," Fiyero offered, and Elphaba shot him a look.

"Don't be ridiculous," she said. "You can't sleep on the floor the whole time we're here."

Sure, Fiyero's neck would not thank him after a night or two, but it was doable.

"It looks like a pretty big bed," Elphaba said slowly, although she looked at it as though it were a pit of vipers.

"You sure?"

"No," Elphaba admitted freely. "But we're both adults. At least physically."

"Ha. You're funny," Fiyero said dryly.

She laughed slightly. "What did Julyan mean? About reserving the right…?"

Fiyero rolled his eyes. "Nothing. Ignore him."

Elphaba faltered, but then nodded.

"Julyan really does remind me a lot of Galinda," she said, reaching for her bag to unpack anything that might crease and needed hanging.

"Then you understand my pain," Fiyero joked.

Elphaba smiled, but really it just made her miss her best friend more. She made a mental note to arrange a proper visit with Galinda after the holidays- even if that meant returning to Munchkinland, a prospect which didn't exactly fill her with joy.

"You hungry?" Fiyero asked, jerking her from her thoughts.

Elphaba had eaten breakfast before leaving that morning, but suddenly her peppermint tea on the train felt like a long time ago.

"Sure," she agreed, resolving to put aside her trepidation about the sleeping arrangements for now.

Fiyero flashed her a smile and reached out a hand. Letting out a breath, Elphaba took it.

Here we go.