AN: So it's been a while. I'm having major writer's block and I have to write a lot for classes and stuff and fanfiction doesn't count, lol. I'll try and keep updating...

Chapter Eighteen: Family

Pulino was too angry and (though he'd never admit it) afraid to do anything more to Elphaba that summer, and so the couple returned practically uninjured to school. Well, they weren't completely fine, of course. Elphaba was deeply disturbed by what Fiyero's father had attempted to do to her, but the fact that he hadn't succeeded comforted her enough for it not to affect her actions and every day life.

Elphaba was asleep the day before classes began when Glinda came knocking. She'd been plagued by some sort of nightmare the night before, though she'd avoided telling Fiyero exactly what it was. It was Fiyero who answered the door.

"Where's Elphie?"

"Taking a nap. She's tired. I don't think she slept last night, at least not very well. She kept me up, anyway, tossing and turning and whatever."

"Then why aren't you tired?"

"I don't sleep much to begin with." Fiyero shrugged. "Um, would you like to come in?"

"Thank you," Glinda nodded and stepped inside.

"How did your summer go?"

"Oh, it was dreadfully boring. What about your and Elphaba's summer?"

"It was certainly not uneventful." Fiyero laughed.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, just more awkward stuff with my family. You know."

"What stuff with your family?"

Fiyero bit his lip. "Elphaba never told you about my crazy family, did she?"

"She might've said something. I'm terribly forgetful."

"Well, in that case… because of the entire wedding night fiasco, Elphaba gets really uncomfortable around my parents. My mother wasn't exactly nice to her and my father… well, this summer he and Elphaba got in a bit of a fight."

"Why is she so uncomfortable?"

"Wouldn't you be if your husband's family had to watch the wedding night?"

Glinda's jaw dropped. "WHAT?"

"Okay, she didn't tell you…" Fiyero looked like he was facing his death in an uncertain amount of time (that amount of time being how long it took for Elphaba to wake up and how long it took for Glinda and Elphaba to talk). "Why don't you go?"

Elphaba stirred just then. "Fiyero, what was that?"

"Elphie!" Glinda squealed.

Elphaba groaned. "I knew I should've just gone back to sleep."

"Come on, get up!"

"Turn around and let me get dressed first, would you?"

"Ooh, Elphie's naked."

"I sleep naked, damn it."

"Why don't you just let her sleep, Glinda?" Fiyero tried.

"No, no, love, don't bother. I've been woken already. It's too late now." Elphaba sighed and dressed quickly. "Glinda, you can turn around now."

"How come you never told me about your wedding night?"

"I did, didn't I?"

"Like, for five seconds, but you never said that his family was there."

"I didn't plan on discussing that with you. How the hell did you know that, anyway?" Elphaba's gaze settled on Fiyero. "Of course."

"I thought you'd told her!" He protested.

Elphaba rolled her eyes and turned back to Glinda. "It was and is none of your business, thank you."

"Was it embarrassing?" Glinda questioned.

"Do you even have to ask?"

Glinda seemed to think for a moment. "I don't know; you're really weird. Sometimes you and I have different ideas."

"That's for sure." Elphaba looked at the clock. "Fiyero, you idiot, it's four-thirty and you didn't wake me?"

Fiyero kissed her on the cheek. "You had a bad night. I thought I'd let you sleep."

"Fiyero, I never sleep this late."

"Oh, Fae, don't be mad at me for trying to do something I thought was good for you," Fiyero pleaded.

"Letting her in here certainly wasn't good for me."

"Hey!" Glinda bounced in her chair.

"Glinda, is there anything specific you wanted to talk to me about?"

"No, just to see how you were doing."

"Well, you see that. Now go."

"But…"

"Glinda, I'm exhausted and if you don't get the hell out of here, I'll give Boq a detailed description of your underwear drawer."

Glinda scurried out of the room squealing.

"That was a little mean," Fiyero observed.

"I'm tired, and she's trying to get me to talk about things I really didn't want to happen, much less talk about, I mean, come on."

"You should apologize next time you see her, though."

Elphaba wasn't paying attention. "Why do I feel so damn tired? It's four-thirty!"

Fiyero scooted near her on the bed. "You had a bad night."

"I'm still way too tired."

He felt her forehead. "You're not feverish."

"I don't even have an excuse not to go to class."

Fiyero's jaw dropped. "Excuse me? Did you, Elphaba, just say you don't want to go to class?"

Elphaba nodded.

"Maybe you are ill." Fiyero checked her forehead again. "But you're definitely at a regular temperature." He studied her face.

"I'm just tired, you're right." Elphaba fell back on the bed. "Maybe if I go to sleep now, I won't be tired for class tomorrow morning."

"If you are, you can just skip class." Fiyero got an idea. "Hey! I'll skip, too, and I'll stay here with you."

"You dumb oaf," Elphaba muttered, taking off her dress soon after putting it on and getting back into the bed, "you just want an excuse not to go to class."

"And I want to take care of you."

"I don't need to be taken care of!" She threw a pillow at him.

They sat there in silence for about half an hour, Fiyero staring at her and clutching the pillow.

"Um, Fiyero?"

"Yeah?"

"My neck hurts; give me the damn pillow back!"

He tossed the pillow back to her. "So, you were mad because I hadn't woken you up earlier, and then when I did wake you, you went back to sleep? That makes a lot of sense, Fae."

"I already admitted to being a hypocrite, give me some peace, for Oz's sake."

It was, to state the obvious, a very pointless argument. Fiyero sighed and let it go.

Amazingly, she was fine the next morning – well, fine enough to go to class. She decided she was no longer feeling that ill, which meant that she was still not feeling great, but she was not going to miss class on account of that. That didn't surprise Fiyero in the least. It looked as if she'd be completely better within days.

Elphaba took a deep breath and looked out the window of their dorm again. She was trying not to do homework. Since the summer and married life, she'd become a bit lazier than she'd used to be. Of course, she still got things done, but she wasn't as eager for schoolwork and classes as she'd used to be. More of the time she wanted to do other things, social things. "Damn, this is just not normal!"

Fiyero jumped, sitting at the other desk, half asleep – he didn't have to try not to do his work. "Fae? What the hell?"

"I don't understand it. More and more since I've been with you I like school work less and I want to be social."

"And that's not normal how?"

"Not for me."

"Oh." Fiyero rested his head on his hand and went back to thinking to himself and daydreaming.

"Fiyero, that's not it. It's just weird." Elphaba was exasperated.

"It's not weird. I know it feels wrong, to you, but you'll get used to it. Being sociable isn't a bad thing, love."

"But it's not me!"

"It is now." He got up and put his hands on her shoulders. "You have plenty of time to do that work later, Elphaba. For once, you don't have to do all your work the minute you get out of class. Everyone's over at the café, we could be, too."

She looked up at him. "You go. I'm going to finish."

"Finish? The book is upside down. I don't think you've even started. Take a break." He massaged her back gently. "You're going to overwork yourself."

"But…"

"But nothing. You need some time away from homework, now let's head over to the café." He grabbed his light jacket and searched the closet for hers. Finding it, he draped it around her shoulders. "Come on."

She nodded and took his hand as they headed over to the café. "I guess a few minutes can't be that bad."

He smiled and led her into the café, making his way towards the table their group sat at, glad to see enough space for the both of them on one side of the booth. Waiting for her to sit down first, he informed everyone, "I got Little Miss Hermit here to come out of hiding."

Boq and Glinda pretended to clap. Crope and Tibbett did a shimmy and the rest of the table shrugged, uninterested.

Elphaba sat down and settled in. The booth was now a bit squished, but she didn't mind being pressed up against Fiyero. She was grateful for his body heat, as it was beginning to get cold. Conversation began again.

Glinda smiled at Elphaba across the table, not angry in the least over having been kicked out of the room two weeks previous. "Hey Elphie."

Elphaba smiled back at Glinda. Both her and Fiyero may have families they didn't want to be associated with, but she realized, they both had another family right there, one that they really did love.