Disclaimer: It belongs to Steven Schwartz (who I totally did not cuss out during my history exam for not stating whether or not Charlemagne reinstated the Roman Empire in Pippin. At all.)

A/N: Sorry if this is a little choppy; that tends to happen with flashbacks/one-sided arguments. Basically the story line goes back-and-forth between the present and what was happening with Boq and Nessa during the first chapter. Also, Nessarose is Jenna Leigh Green just this once, because her features work best for my descriptions (you'll see.)

"Oh come on, it's only just one night! How much trouble can she get into?"

It was a really sad day when the Prince (okay, one prince) of the Vinkus was starting to think even a girl's snorts were cute.

"You obviously don't know Nessa," Elphaba replied; and with that she was gone, a swish of green and black winds blowing through the door.

About six hours earlier, give or take…

He was too busy trying not to get flattened by the mob surrounding her door to really think about it, but the disappointing thought that he wouldn't catch a glimpse of Miss Galinda that night still lingered in the back of his mind. After all, with such competition for her company- he managed to squeeze his way out of the mob- it was doubtful he'd see her again before this time tomorrow, since he was not in her Ozmotology class, which she had her first TOTO for (not that he memorized her schedule, or anything.)

Boq sighed, pulling out his room key. He tried to convince himself that at least now he'd get some extra studying in- though he hardly needed it, he added cockily.

He tossed his bag carelessly onto the bed and reached behind his pillow, where he kept his cosmetology book (what?! It's a co-ed class!); however, instead of feeling the thick pink cover against his fingertips, something crumbled inside them. Something that was decidedly too flimsy to be a textbook.

Boq pulled out the balled-up pit of parchment and unfolded it. Oh my Oz, he thought as his eyes ran over the note:

Dearest Boq,

Since we both have our first TOTO tomorrow (not that I memorized your schedule or anything!) I figured we could study together. You know, like a da- casual gathering between two acquaintances in the hope of broadening our education. My dorm room is unlocked, I'd be honored if you stopped by!

Love,

For her signature, she had scrawled Nessa with a flower-like doodle next to it. He supposed that was supposed to be a clever way of signifying the word "rose."

Boq sighed; Oh well. He had a pretty good instinct involving color textures, and according to the professor not even Galinda had gotten better marks on their manicures in class (another thing for her to hold against him). He supposed it wouldn't hurt him too badly if he couldn't review his textbook.

He reached for his knapsack- which had been on his person all day- in order to get a head start on Ozmotology.

The pack was empty.

Dang, she's good, Boq thought, unable to deny the small twinge of appreciativeness in his chest as he started for her dorm.

Back to the future…sorry, couldn't resist…

Elphaba stalked down the hall towards Nessa's room, trying to ignore the nagging voice in the back of her head.

You. Are. An. Idiot. WHY? He tried to kiss you and you LEFT! Have you lost your broccoli-colored brain??? WHY???

"He's Galinda's boyfriend- he's off limits," Elphie firmly reminded herself aloud.

The little voice wasn't having it. WHO CARES??? Galinda can have anyone; you can barely walk outside without having males cringe at you. Then the most sizzlin' stud in all of Shiz tries to kiss you and you WALK OUT??? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU???

"Are you certain you're not some defamation -of-caster spell Galinda cooked up?" Elphaba asked the voice sardonically, "Because my subconscious would never, under any circumstances, invoke the words 'sizzlin' stud.'"

Little Voice gave an audible "humph." You've been repressing your inner ditz since you were four, it has to express itself somehow," it replied snippily. I think some of you're inner child was mixed in there too, but that's for you and Frex to sort out later. The point is, YOU DESERVE SOME HAPPINESS LITTLE GREEN GIRL JUST LET YOURSELF HAVE IT!!!

"I am happy to see Galinda with her dream date, because I am a loyal friend, who would never dream of stealing anyone's boyfriend," declared Elphaba, so determined to make this statement true she forgot that she was talking to herself.

You are so not that girl, Little Ditzy Voice chided as Elphaba turned the doorknob to her sister's room.

Past is the point we return to…

Okay, Boq told himself sternly, You go in, ask- no, demand the books back, no feeling whatsoever, totally heartless, no matter what look-at-me-I'm-a-pretty-cripple-pity-me crap she pulls, then OUT. NO LINGERING.

That plan pretty much dissipated as soon as he crossed over the threshold. Nessarose was sitting at her vanity (a hand-me-down from Galinda?), her pale face bent over his cosmetology book. The hand that was not running down the page as she muttered the text aloud to herself held an eye shadow brush covered with green dust.

It was this powder that really got to him; Nessa detested wearing green because it reminded her of her main social liability other than her chair, but the book clearly cited several times that it was the color most flattering to her complexion, hair, and eye tone. She must have wanted to look her very best- for him.

Heartless! He reprehended himself sternly.

"Miss Nessarose?" he prompted formally.

Nessa quickly swiveled herself around to face him. "Boq!" she greeted him warmly. "Goodness, you gave me a start! Given other circumstances I would have jumped out of my skin!"

Hah! Nice subtle reference to your disability, Ness, but I'm not taking the pity bid this time!

"I'm sorry for disturbing you," he replied, his voice oozing with cool courtesy; Morrible would have been proud. "I was hoping to inquire after my books? I find it more intellectually stimulating to study alone and- pardon me- but I don't recall you signing up for cosmetology this term."

Nessarose flushed. "Yes, of course," she said embarrassedly. She snatched the book off the table, fumbling with it nervously in her hands. "So sorry- just a thought, you know-" the book slipped through her fingers. "Oh!" she squeaked, the tint in her cheeks going from pink to scarlet. "Oh I'm so sorry- now the pages are going to be all bent and everything, let me get that-"

She stooped over in her chair, but the book was just out of arm's length. Anyone else could have nudged it with their toe and grabbed it up easily, but since it was Nessa-

It was a pathetic display, to be frank. She was half-falling out of her seat by now, face a beet with exertion and humiliation, and still she was not able to reach it.

"Here, let me-" he scooped it up himself, no longer able to stand the pitiful sight.

"Um, yes, right," Nessarose said awkwardly as he tucked the book under his arm. "Well, here are the other ones, I put them in my satchel."

The satchel in question, however, was poised on the back of her chair, arm loops dangling over the steering handles. Nessa twisted around, groping for it, but was met with the same results as with the other textbook. The only difference was that Nessarose was so mortified now that as he stooped to help her Boq saw unshed tears glistening in her eyes.

No feeling! He cautioned himself, but his inner voice was feeble. Remember, she's a conniving shrew!

A conniving shrew with paralysis on the brink of a crying jag over him.

Boq sighed. Deeply. "You know, Nessarose," she brightened visibly at his return to the informal use of her name, "I suppose…if you really wanted to…" stupid, hopeful brown eyes! "…you could quiz me awhile…"

She squealed shrilly. "Really? Great!"

And somehow or other, he found himself being thrust in front of the large mirror, the crippled girl yanking open drawers filled with all kinds of facial products- she must have had even more self-esteem issues than he realized. As she rolled inward to grab a brush, Boq thought he might have seen a kind of malicious gleam in her eye- almost as if tears had never lingered there at all.

Presently…

Don't look up. She had already lost focus by dozing off. She had to stay on task. If she just didn't look in the mirror, keeping her baby-blues down, she could do this. Don't look, she coached herself. Don't look at the mirror, don't look at the mirror, don't look-

"AHH!" Galinda screamed, catching sight of her reflection and nearly falling backward into the privy. Her mascara was smudged, giving her the look of a hung-over Raccoon; her rouge was uneven, giving her skin an unflattering burgundy tone; and, worst of all-

"BEDHEAD!!!" she shrieked, combing her fingers frantically through her blonde locks. She nearly fell over again as she pawed around for a brush.

"Where is it, where is it?" she murmured distractedly. "There!" she cried, diving for the pink piece of plastic.

Once that- and reapplying her makeup, and running through her flaxen mane, and readjusting her hair ribbon- was taken care of, she straightened, furrowing her brow in a way that would most likely leave tiresome wrinkles later in life, but she was too caught up in her predicament to note that. She should continue studying- she didn't think she had actually retained anything over the past six hours- but then she really ought to check on Elphie. It seemed to her that the green girl had been having an episode, and, Galinda vaguely recalled, she might have called her roomie some sort of jab at vegetable promiscuity during her own panic attack.

She probably needed to apologize for that. Most likely it hadn't been very polite.

In the end, friendship won out, and after checking the mirror once more to make certain every golden tendril was in its proper place, Galinda unlatched the door and stepped out.

"Fiyero!" she cried in surprise, seeing the young prince collecting a stack of books and staring dejectedly at the front door for some reason- boys were such oddities. "You're still here?"

He nearly left out of his skin. "Galinda!" he cried; even when taken-aback, he still looked scrumptious. "Oh, yes, well I know it's rather inappropriate given the hour," he babbled (Galinda glanced at the clock- midnight), "but I just- I mean you-"

"You wanted to make sure I was alright?" Galinda prompted, her heart warming. "Oh, sweetheart, that's so- sweet! We really do deserve each other, you know."

Though Galinda did not know it, the prince thought, The only thing I can recall having done to deserve you is drop Lady Allison Schunard's puppy down the fish well when I was four. Teen.

"Yes, I know," was all he said aloud.

Galinda beamed. "Oh, Fifi, you're such an Angel!" she said, half-squealing.

Fiyero thought that he ought to receive a mountain of cookies for not wincing at the use of that hideous pet name- or perhaps just one ounce of sugar from Elphaba.

Speaking of which, oh Oz, was that little pink pomegranate starting to lean in…?

Hee hee, cliffhanger…still the present, Bessa is caught up now.

Still trying to clear her selfish head, Elphaba knocked on her sister's door, prompting, "Nessa? It's me."

She received a curse, a clang, and a call of "Just a minute- crap!" in response.

There was a brief pause before Nessarose opened the door; Elphaba raised an eyebrow at the odd sounds that issued forth before Nessa stuck her head out, positioning herself so that the wheelchair was the only thing keeping the door open- and thereby preventing Elphie from seeing inside.

"Oh, hello Elphaba!" the younger Thropp said, her voice far too pleasant. "It's awfully late for a call, isn't it?"

"I…thought I heard a noise," Elphaba lied slowly, testing her sister's suspicious air.

Predictably, Nessa paled for a moment, then said in a cheery, high-pitched voice, "Oh, no! Can't imagine where you got that idea, I was just about to go to bed-"

At this there was a loud, muffled sound of protest, followed by a loud thunk. This and the nervous smile across Nessarose's face were all the incentive Elphie needed to wedge herself past the wheelchair to see what was going on for herself.

"Oh, Rosie," she said tiredly, taking in the scene. "Again?"

Boq lay floundering on the ground, bound and gagged, his mascaraified eyes glaring daggers at Nessarose. Actually, everything about him was mascaraified, and every other type of makeup-ified as well. He looked like a cross between a clown, a mime, and a desperately impoverished hooker.

"What do you mean, again?" Nessa replied defensively.

"Um, does the name Barnabas Frank ring any bells?" Elphaba asked snidely.

"I was seven, and he was ugly!" the other protested vehemently, "You can't possibly hold that against me!"

"Watch me," Elphaba replied sharply, kneeling beside Boq, who was now trying in vain to get close enough to Nessarose in order to kill her without use of his limbs.

This was proving rather difficult; go figure.

"Oh, please don't untie him!" Nessa begged. "I was only trying to have a little fun before exams start! I guess the strain made me lose it a little-" Boq whacked his ankles, still bound together, on the floor in furious agreement- "but it's not like I hurt him or anything! I didn't even let anybody else see him! Please, just for tonight, I'll never do it again!"

See, I am your subconscious; Rosie is the only psycho in your family, Little Voice drawled, popping up suddenly.

Shut up, Elphaba told it inwardly. She glanced at Boq, still writhing on the floor in anger, and reason told her that she should obviously let him go and get her sister examined. But then she looked at Nessarose again, saw the mask of genuine sadness across her face- a face that other than its color looked very near her own. Same black hair, same brown eyes…same inability to be with the men they loved.

Yes, it was sentimental and stupid and she would kill herself or else be killed by Boq in the morning, but screw it. She had been repressing her "inner ditz" for awhile.

"Fine, whatever," she told her sister, then promptly stomped out before Nessa's squealing (or possibly Boq's) could cause her to change her mind.

Okay, this wasn't so terrible. If he just kept his eyes shut- which was the more appropriate way to do it, anyhow- he could just pretend it was Elphaba.

No, no, that wouldn't do. Elphaba never wore lip-gloss, from what he could tell. Besides, if his imagination got away with him in this particular situation…no, it was better not to think at all while he was doing the right thing with the wrong person.

Can't you walk any faster? Little Voice urged her once she was back in the hallway.

"Stop it," Elphie ordered it. She shouldn't give herself false hope- she shouldn't give herself any hope. It was probably all in her imagination that Yero- Fiyero, she corrected herself- had taken an interest in her at all. He probably thought she was a complete freak after her study-rampage. He had no feeling towards her whatsoever- she was positive of it.

That is such total bull-

Every inch of her froze as she stepped into the doorway. Among the heap of disorganized books- though some were now stacked, for some odd reason- Fiyero stood, Galinda's arms wrapped around him in a long embrace.

An embrace that, from where she stood, looked as though it was going to involve tongue in a minute.

She inhaled sharply, barely registering that she did so. Galinda, however, must have, for jumped away from the prince as quickly as though he had caught on fire.

"Elphie!" she cried, embarrassed. "I was just looking for you! Well, I mean, not just now, obviously-" she smiled shyly. Elphaba tried very hard not to imagine littering those pearly whites all over the floor. "I wanted to apologize- for earlier, I mean."

"It's…fine…" she said slowly, not having a clue what she was talking about. She was too busy trying not to claw the other girl's eyes out.

Galinda didn't notice, thinking it was one of the green girl's many quirks- like that whole reading thing.

"Um, I guess…I'll just…" Fiyero faltered, staring helplessly at the Elphaba, whose eyes were now cast on the floor. He felt as though he had been punched in the gut; those beautiful brown saucers couldn't even stand to look at him…

"Oh, no, don't go yet!" Galinda chirped, oblivious to the tension. "Didn't you say at dinner you had a surprise for me?"

A surprise- he was even bringing her presents! Elphaba wanted to curl up under a rock and die…no one would even notice, they'd just think she was a bit moss…urgh, and he was grinning from ear to ear at her mere mention of it…!

Fiyero was, indeed, beaming down at the little blonde. "I'm so glad you reminded me," he said sincerely, and quickly pulled out a compact disk out of his jacket.

"EEEEEEEEEEEE!!! I LOVE YOUR MOM, SHE IS SO COOL!!!" Galinda screeched several octaves higher than was thought humanly possible. Elphaba slowly lifted her gaze off the ground, her mouth twitching as though she didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Galinda started to jump up and down. "SHENSHEN IS TOTALLY GOING TO DIE!" she squealed.

"We can only hope," Fiyero said, completely deadpan; Elphie's mouth continued to curl upward in spite of herself.

"Is it her new one, The Duch-ed?" asked Galinda excitedly.

"Um, you mean The Dachshund?" Fiyero asked uncertainly; Elphaba's eyes were downcast again, but he could see that this time she was biting her lip to keep from losing it.

"Oh. Right. That."

"Don't worry about it," he told Galinda in earnest; Elphaba looked up again, unnerved by the sweetness in his voice. He locked eyes with her. "I always thought that title was stupid. I recommended: 'She Don't Mean a Thing, You're the One that Makes me Swing.'"

Crude to the point of heinous, but it got the point across; those deep brown eyes had widened into saucers, gaping at him in shock and- was he imagining it?- pleasure.

Miss Upland, thankfully, remained ignorant of this shocking declaration. "I've just got to flaunt this in everyone's faces!" she gushed. "I mean, what's a better way to distract them from exam stress and sleep deprivation than sharing my joy?"

And with that completely selfless statement she flounced out, humming "Ozian Bridge" under her breath and leaving the other two alone to make awkward small talk.

"Well…" Fiyero said after a minute, breaking the silence. "It's late; I suppose I should go…"

"You should," she agreed, but there was an implication in her voice that she couldn't quite mask.

Yero smirked. "It was rather rude of Lady Galinda to scamper out of here without so much as a goodbye, wasn't it?"

Elphaba raised an eyebrow at the playful nature in his tone. "I suppose," she replied guardedly.

"I mean really, I gave her a gift and everything! Surely I deserve a treat in return…" he trailed off, eyeing her speculatively.

She smiled crookedly at him. "I think," she said slowly, taking a step towards him (Fiyero forgot to breathe), "that considering all I've heard you say tonight-" (the lack of breathing was now companied with hopeful lightheadedness) "-my not mocking your suggestion of an album name is a treat enough."

So. Friggin. Close.

"This isn't over," he informed her as he started out the door.

The chocolate eyes twinkled. "Let the games begin."

A/N: Oh, thank God, I finally finished this chapter!!! Seriously, people, you have no idea. I know it's rather crappy but I promise the next chapter will be better and now I don't have exams hanging over my head, sucking out my creative energy (WOO-HOO!)

Special thanks to Melody for editing Galinda's section, and for my Muse for guest starring as Little Voice (only, like, ten times less annoying- again, you don't even know. )

However, I know I want some reviews!!!