Chapter Twenty-Five: Decisions

"Hey," she sat up, knocking her pillows to the floor with her forearm. She reached for them as she waited for a response and held them close to her protectively with one arm, as if she felt that whatever had woken her would deal a blow straight to her chest. When no imaginary fist emerged and there was no movement from the other side of the bed, she thrust out her free arm and clutched his shoulder to shake him awake. "Hey!"

He opened his eyes, stared at the high wooden ceiling for a moment and grumbled at last, "What?"

"I was thinking," she began.

"Well, you certainly do too much of that," he replied.

"I need to make up for the thinking that someone," she coughed, not politely, "doesn't do."

"Who? Me?" He still did not sit up; he merely turned his head on the pillow, looking at the sheets where her hair and the pillows had been earlier that evening. Not even when he realized that he was talking to darkness did he make an attempt to rise.

"Well, some people I know." She said quickly. "Don't prod me; I'm trying to talk to you." She snipped.

"Okay," he closed his eyes again and took a deep breath.

She quit holding the pillows and grabbed each of his hands in hers roughly. "I'm serious." She tugged. "So listen." She stuck her nose out proudly when she had sat him up.

"Fae," he sighed, "last week you were mad at me for waking you and now look what you're doing!"

"This is appropriate to wake you for; it's important."

"I thought the reason I woke you last week was important."

"This isn't about sex, you dumb idiot, it's about our future!" She protested, yanking on his arm to keep his attention.

"Then it can wait until the morning; that's not far in the future."

"You think you're so funny," she did not let go of him. "Tomorrow's the last day to take up another class. We have to discuss this now!"

"Another class? You're taking five; you don't need another. I'm perfectly happy taking three. I'll only have to take two more next year and that'll be nice." He reasoned.

"But what if we didn't go to school at all next year? What if you took those two classes now and I took the last four more I need?"

"I, unlike you, Fae, don't have the brainpower to take five classes at a time, or the instinctive genius, either."

"I'll help you."

"When you have, what was it you said, nine classes? You won't be sleeping, much less even acknowledging that I exist." He guessed.

"I wouldn't!" She argued. "I'd still be around. I know what you're thinking, too. Just because I have a lot of classes, I promise it won't affect anything between us."

"You'll be too tired to even talk to me." Fiyero insisted.

"It won't be like that. We can still make love most nights, we can still even have our weekly…"

"I don't care. I don't want you stressed. It won't do either of us any good."

"But, Fiyero… don't you want to get started making a family and a life for us as soon as possible?"

This thought made him pause. He would love to have Elphaba with him day in and day out, without classes or studying or papers. He would love to lead her to bed without her protesting that they'd have to wake for class early the next morning, so she'd rather sleep. He would love to come into the room, tired from the life of being a prince, to the comfort of her arms. He would love to see her relax, to sit down and let herself be treated right instead of working for just one moment. He would love to sneak up behind her midday and hug her. He would love to watch her belly grow as the child they would no doubt eventually conceive would grow inside her… He looked at her as he thought these things, and began to wonder if they could do it. "Fae, we couldn't. Could we?"

"We could. Don't you see?"

"But what would you do all day?"

"I don't know. I don't want my degree to be worth nothing, but I'm not going anywhere without you." She promised.

"You could teach Animals out in the Vinkus. There are some. The Vinkus children, aside from the royal ones, don't even go to school. We could teach them to be a better culture than the one here."

Elphaba smiled at this idea and seemed to consider it. "I think I'd like that."

"See? We could be happy."

"Exactly. And we could be happy a year earlier if you'd just register for two more classes and I for four." She pushed.

"I can't imagine you'll have time for married life and nine classes and social life outside of this marriage." Fiyero shook his head in wonder.

"I barely have a social life outside of this marriage, my hero. You are my social life." She admitted.

"Glinda. Boq."

"Two people. The rest of the group doesn't even count. When was the last time we all went out, anyway?"

"Last month."

"We left early. You were desperate to get home, as I recall."

"I wanted you. I'm sorry, it happens sometimes. Would you rather I looked at you and was disgusted? If seeing you in that very tight dress made me run my hands up your thighs, I'm sorry."

"It was at a dinner table. You almost put your fingers in me at a dinner table. I still haven't quite forgiven you for that."

"You were very forgiving when we got home." Fiyero did not hesitate to remind her.

She blushed. "Well, I… you… I couldn't help… when you… oh, it's your fault anyway!" She began getting out of bed.

"What are you getting up for?"

"I don't know." She admitted, helpless. "I hate it when you prove me wrong. I hate it when I prove you right."

"Well," Fiyero kidded, "you must hate this marriage then."

"Don't you start that with me! I'm right more often then you are."

"Elphaba…"

"Oh, forget it." She sat down on the edge of the bed. "But Fiyero, don't you see what I was talking about? This summer, it could be just like," she crawled over to him in the bed playfully and tore the covers away, "our honeymoon."

"A second honeymoon when we haven't even been married for a year. That makes no sense whatsoever." Nonetheless, Fiyero could not hide his interest.

"Yero, don't you want it?" She begged, pouting her lips.

"I've never seen you do that."

"Stop trying to distract me or yourself. I can see you want me, but you're not getting me until you give me a definite answer. We have to make this decision by tomorrow." She pushed him down on the bed and straddled him.

"Fae!"

"Answer me."

"You are not fair."

"You'll have me whether you say 'yes' or 'no'. I just want an answer."

"You know it's yes," he told her, rolling over and pinning her down with a heated kiss.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Elphaba giggled. "That's what I wanted to hear."

"And it's the same thing you'll be screaming in just a few minutes."

The last thing she said before she fell asleep was, "I hate it when I prove you right."