Chapter Thirty-Six: Really loving someone

"Your husband really loves you, doesn't he?"

Elphaba looked into the deep brown eyes questioning her, gritting her teeth. She followed the circles along his face, intent on hiding the fact that Fiyero had been more than hard to deal with lately, no matter how much he really loved her.

He respected her wishes and never came before two hours was up, but was always there at exactly two hours, no later. By this time, since summer was long gone, it was getting dark and she didn't mind having him there to walk her home. However, their conversations on their walks home she did mind. Every time, Fiyero would try to subtly mention the fact that he didn't think she was around enough, that he wanted to be with her more. Fiyero was never good at being subtle. And thus, every evening they'd have a slight disagreement. She'd always win, but she'd always feel slightly guilty, too. So she'd curl up next to him at night and remind him that she loved him, but it didn't stop her from being irritated.

Winter break had come and gone and Elphaba had wanted Glinda to come out, since she hadn't over the summer due to Elphaba's untimely sickness. Fiyero had adamantly refused, claiming she was never home and that when she finally was she was going to pay attention to someone else. It had been the one fight that, due to guilt, Elphaba couldn't win. They'd pushed each other almost to tears and ended up tangled in the bed holding one another helplessly. Elphaba cringed at the memory, visualizing both of them, naked, on the bed, Fiyero clutching her and begging while she closed her eyes and tried to drown him out, hoping it would drown out the slight pang she felt when he looked this hurt. It hadn't.

At the end of winter break, Fiyero had tried to convince Elphaba to stop taking the birth control. He'd tried to make it seem like her idea, first, by mentioning that they'd been married a year, they'd had a good, easy year… but she hadn't fallen for it. When he'd spat out the idea, she'd been horrified. There was no way she could leave the school now. He'd said they could hire someone educated to replace her. She'd replied, "Replace me until when?" He'd been quiet. "I get it. You want me to stay home, have a baby, take care of it all of the time, and be your wife and reproduction machine. I'd barely have just had one child and you'd be trying to get me pregnant with another, wouldn't you? That's the only way you can think of to keep me home. That's your way of controlling me. It's not happening."

He'd reminded her then that she was his wife, and that they couldn't wait forever to have children. But Elphaba always had something to retort with. "I'm your wife, not your baby making slave! I married you because I love you and want to spend every night by your side, not because I wanted to sit at home and have your children. We're twenty-two, Fiyero, we have plenty of time." At this, she'd gotten out of bed and hidden herself in the study for a day. He was lucky he hadn't been stupid enough to come after her. She'd have done something irrational out of anger as an excuse for a punishment. It wasn't as if she wasn't getting back at him in her own ways, anyway. She hadn't been nearly as keen on sex since that conversation, and there was no way he could bring it up without looking like a pig.

Kalendrio asking about her and Fiyero's relationship had shocked her. He'd talked with her daily since the first day of school, always leaving half an hour before Fiyero would come get her. This way, Fiyero always found her doing work, which is exactly what she'd said. Besides, she could do her work while talking to Kalendrio at the same time. It was much easier for her to work when she was in a room with a man who, for a change, wasn't remembering what she'd looked like naked the night before. She laughed aloud at that and flushed, looking back at Kalendrio. It was an odd question, for someone who talked with her about reading and math and science and political subjects. They rarely spoke personally. "Yes," she answered, "he really loves me. A lot."

Kalendrio nodded solemnly. He'd sent Drienna home with Liana to take her nap, which hadn't bothered Elphaba in the least. She loved the little girl, but she didn't mind talking with her father. The man was one of the few people she had to talk to about something other than personal issues and clothes.

"Do you miss your wife sometimes?" She asked quietly. Drienna had accidentally mentioned that the previous day had been the anniversary of her mother's death. Kalendrio hadn't said anything. All she knew was that the woman had died at twenty-one, giving birth to Drienna five and a half years ago.

"Every day." He muttered, moving away from the window and sitting at the chair next to her desk. "Liana has been so helpful, but she's only doing it for Drienna's sake. I barely speak with her, either. It's depressing only having your five-year-old daughter to talk to."

"It would be, wouldn't it? It's depressing just having a man who's so needy he could be five as the only one I talk to." She clapped a hand over her mouth. Maybe she shouldn't have said that.

Kalendrio only chuckled. "Who, your husband? Or me?"

She rolled her eyes and smacked him. "If you acted like a five-year-old, I'd be teaching you."

"Really, I don't see the Crown Prince Fiyero acting childish."

"Well, you don't sleep with him every night." She shook her head. "He's a needy, pathetic little baby inside those Palace walls."

"And you love him?"

"And I love him. But it is nice to have someone else to talk to." She smiled gently at Kalendrio, who smiled back. Looking beyond Kalendrio, she watched the door open and the ever-present form of Fiyero amble through the door, shivering slightly.

Kalendrio stood up, bowing immediately. "Good afternoon, your Highness."

"More like good evening," Fiyero responded. "It took me long enough to trudge out here it might as well be evening."

"I'd better get home. Drienna's probably waking up." Kalendrio grabbed his coat from the chair nearest the door and headed towards the door, lingering in the doorway for a moment to wave goodbye.

"Wasn't he here to pick up his daughter?" Fiyero asked.

"He was talking. Playing both mother and father kind of have him on the outs with the men and the women. He talks to me." She shrugged.

"You never let me sit and talk with you for two hours at a time."

"I most certainly do! We have hours upon hours after dinner every night."

"But there's also a little thing called sleep…"

"That little thing called sleep wouldn't be needed so quickly if you didn't insist on working off your dinners with a good, long lovemaking every night… or a fight."

"Fine." He grinned mischievously and swooped in to kiss her. It was long, demanding and the slightest bit primal. "We can work off lunch right now. And then after dinner, we can just sit and talk."

She made to move away. "Fiyero, we're in the middle of a schoolhouse!"

He caught her arm, spun her back to him in a circle and picked her up in his arms playfully. "The children are gone for the day, there's a nice fire in the corner…" He brought her to the floor in front of the fire, stealing another kiss before she could protest. Quick hands undid the zipper at the back of her dress.

Her eyes were wide as he pulled her clothes off. Temporarily dizzy from his game, she forgot that she'd meant to seem uninterested. She reached to help him with his own, but he caught her hands.

"I can do that in a minute. I don't need to for this part." He slipped two fingers between her legs and pressed them roughly into her.

She moaned helplessly as he slid his fingers deeper, right where he knew she'd feel it most intensely. In minutes, she was crying out recklessly.

He cleaned her up with his mouth and then sank his tongue into her, eagerly sipping the wetness inside of her. His hands held her down by the waist as she writhed beneath his mouth, losing control yet again. When she'd regained her breath, he was beaming down at her. Now, he decided, he could remove his clothes.

Just as he was removing the last piece of clothing, she jumped onto him, taking him into her readily. "Fiyero," she whimpered.

"I knew I'd get you to take control." He whispered knowingly. "I knew you'd get to the point where you couldn't stop it anymore."

"Shut up," she giggled, "or I'll be done now."

It was long, slow and had him excited to the point of no return. Nearing the end, as she moved almost painfully slowly, drawing it out, he pinned her down and finished the job, thrusting through all of her screams and his own deep groan. When it was over, he kissed his way down to her thighs, cleaning up the mess of liquid that was running down them. He helped her dress before dressing himself and then pulled her to him, smiling down into her eyes. "I'm sorry, Fae. I just love you so much I can't keep myself under control."

Her eyes sparkled and she laughed sweetly, the euphoria of all the times he'd pleased her still running through her veins. "I don't think you have anything to apologize for."

He wrapped her coat around her and opened the door to the schoolhouse for her. "Oh? Well, we'll see what you think about that after dinner."

"I thought you wanted to talk!" She pouted teasingly. Any other night, she knew she'd stop him there. She'd have stopped him before. But the feel of his mouth, of his hands, of him was just too good to give up that night. He'd never realize that there were times when she wanted sex just as much as he did, and she never planned on letting him in on it. She had to have some power, some control, and if that was it, then she was fine with it.

"Not tonight. Tonight there will be almost no talking." He slid an arm around her shoulders as they wandered from the schoolhouse. "No talking. All night long."

The corner of her lips turned up into a smile and she ducked under his grasp and ran ahead of him, screaming into the night. "Come get me and shut me up, then."

Fiyero didn't even pause before chasing after her.

From the side of the schoolhouse, Kalendrio laughed, wishing he hadn't let the noises he'd heard distract him from heading home. He'd almost opened the door as the Crown Prince had taken Elphaba's clothes off. It wasn't as if he'd meant to stare; he just saw how happy and playful they were and it had frozen him for a little while. To himself, he said, "Yeah, he really loves her."