CHAPTER 2:

The next morning, Elphaba rose with the sun, showered, dressed and shoved what she had taken out back into her suitcase. At seven-thirty sharp, she rapped on the door to Fiyero's room.

There was no reply.

In fact, there was no reply to an entire five minutes' worth of rapping on that door.

Finally, after a particularly loud knock, Fiyero's sleepy voice floated through the door. "Who is it?"

"Please don't tell me you're still in bed, Tiggular," Elphaba said through gritted teeth, ignoring his question.

The moment of hesitation was all the answer Elphaba needed.

"You'd better get up, get ready and get your arse down there within the next ten minutes, or I might just conveniently forget I ever had a travelling companion."

Fiyero's tone was smug yet jesting as he asked, "Would you like the rest of me down there, too, or do you just have a thing for my arse?"

Elphaba's eyes narrowed dangerously at the door as if she could see through it. "If you don't get down there, I'll have a spell for your arse," she hissed. "And trust me – it won't be a pleasant one."

She could practically hear Fiyero's grimace, and, with a smirk of satisfaction, she stormed off downstairs.

Ten minutes later, Fiyero was indeed downstairs and having breakfast with Elphaba. Well, not so much with her as near her. If sitting on the opposite side of the room could be classed as being 'near'. Fiyero kept glancing at her tentatively, whilst Elphaba resolutely stared at her plate in stony silence.

By the time eight o'clock rolled around, the pair was seated inside the carriage once more, their luggage securely tied to the luggage rack, the carriage itself pulling away from the little inn.

The day's journey was passed in much the same fashion as the day before – with Elphaba reading and Fiyero sleeping – until about one-thirty that afternoon, when the carriage was drawn to an unexpected halt.

Elphaba frowned, looked up from her book, and immediately poked her head out of the window in an attempt to discover what was going on. She couldn't see or hear anything, much to her chagrin, but she didn't have to wait long to find out what had happened, as, at that moment, one of the coachmen appeared at the door beside the slumbering form of Fiyero. "What's wrong?" Elphaba questioned him eagerly.

"I'm sorry, miss," the coachman said apologetically, "but it looks like it's been snowing pretty heavily here, for there is a deep snowdrift blocking the road. I'm afraid we can't, at the moment, go any further."

Fiyero chose that moment to awaken from his nap. With a yawn and a stretch that nearly knocked out the poor coachman, he enquired sleepily, "What's going on?"

"There's a snowdrift and we can't go any further." Elphaba hesitated for a moment, before asking the coachman, "We just passed a public telephone box, did we not?"

"Well, yes," the coachman confirmed, "but that was a good two mile back, miss."

Ignoring his last words, Elphaba scrambled out of the carriage, roughly telling Fiyero over her shoulder to "come on".

Fiyero's eyes snapped to hers. "Where are we going?"

"To call Madame Morrible," was Elphaba's tossed-out reply, "and explain our situation in case we're late to the exhibition."

Frowning, Fiyero exited the carriage and caught up with Elphaba. "You're not proposing we walk two miles in the freezing cold to a telephone box, are you?" he questioned her incredulously.

"Well, what else are we meant to do? Sit here and wait for Mehrphyu Trogba to come by towing the Ozian Queen and ask him for help?"

Fiyero growled, knowing he had no good answer to that, and Elphaba smirked.

"That's what I thought." Turning her back on him abruptly, Elphaba began to trudge along the snow-covered gravel road in the direction from which they had come.

Throwing his hands in the air in frustration, Fiyero stormed after her. "This is not a good idea," he muttered as he strode along. "Any number of things could happen between here and the telephone box."

"Well, if you're so concerned, you don't have to come," Elphaba snapped.

"And let you wander off by yourself?" Fiyero snorted. "I think not."

Elphaba stopped and turned to glare at him, hands on her hips. "I am perfectly capable of looking out for myself and I don't need you or anyone else doing it for me!" By the end of the sentence, Elphaba's voice had risen to a shout and her face was hovering dangerously close to Fiyero's. Her eyes were blazing and she was breathing hard with anger.

Fiyero stared at her for a minute, quite taken aback at her sudden outburst. Finally, realizing she wasn't going to back down, he sighed and dragged a hand through his hair, turning back towards the road. "Come on."

Elphaba took a brief moment to glower at Fiyero's retreating back, before she stormed after him, a thunderous scowl etched on her features.

The two walked in silence for about half an hour before the desired telephone box finally came into view.

"I hope you have a nickel," Fiyero grumbled as they approached their destination.

Elphaba had the decency to blush at that. "Ummm…I was kind of hoping you would."

Fiyero threw her an incredulous glance. "I thought Morrible gave you money to cover our costs?"

"She did, but she didn't give me any change!" Elphaba defended herself.

Fiyero stopped and stared at her, prompting Elphaba to pause in her trek as well. "You mean she didn't allow for telephone calls?"

"No, she didn't, alright?" Elphaba threw back at him, irritation clear in her voice.

Muttering curses under his breath, Fiyero began to dig through his pockets, before eventually extracting a nickel and holding it up. "You're lucky," he growled as he strode over to the telephone box and stepped inside.

Elphaba hurried to join him, cramming herself in between Fiyero and the telephone.

Receiver halfway to his ear, Fiyero turned to look at Elphaba, one eyebrow raised. "Yes?"

Fighting a blush, Elphaba covered it up by snapping, "I just want to make sure you do it right."

His expression morphing into one of amusement, he asked, "Do what right, exactly?"

"Just make the bloody call!"

With a roll of his eyes, Fiyero put the receiver to his ear and slid the nickel into the coin slot. It was then that he realized, however, that the phone was not working. With a loud groan, followed by another string of profanities, Fiyero slammed down the receiver and expelled a huge sigh, raking a hand through his hair and resting his head against the handset.

Elphaba frowned. "What is it?"

"The line's dead."

"Great. Just great." Elphaba squeezed out of the telephone box, slamming the door behind her, and began to stalk back to the carriage.

Grabbing the nickel from the coin return, Fiyero exited the telephone box in much the same fashion and hurried to catch up with Elphaba.

The two walked along in silence until they reached the carriage. Fiyero went around to the front to discuss the situation with the coachmen while Elphaba tried to come up with another plan. A few minutes later, Fiyero returned and began to pull their luggage down from the luggage rack.

Elphaba frowned. "What are you doing?" she demanded.

"We," Fiyero replied, "are going to stay here while the coachmen seek help."

"What?!" Elphaba screeched. "What do you mean, 'stay here'? They'll be gone for hours; we can't stay here!"

Fiyero rolled his eyes. "Calm down, Thropp. We're not staying exactly here 'here', but rather there 'here'." He pointed through a few trees off to the side of the road.

Elphaba followed Fiyero's finger with her eyes and saw a small, run-down-looking cottage set a little bit back from the road. "In that cottage?"

Fiyero nodded.

"But what if they won't let us stay there?"

"Relax – one of the men went over there to seek help, but there was no-one there. It's unoccupied – and, judging by the state of it, has been for a long while." Fiyero handed Elphaba her suitcase and locked eyes with her. "Well? Are you coming?"

Elphaba hesitated for a moment before grumbling, "Fine, I'll come. I guess there's not much I can do at the moment, anyway. My last great brainwave didn't exactly work out."

Fiyero shot her an almost sympathetic glance. "You couldn't have known the lines would be out."

"Yeah, well, it doesn't make me feel any better. It was still my brilliant idea," she muttered sarcastically.

Fiyero sighed as they approached the cottage. "Look, at least we tried, right? So it didn't work out. Let's just focus on the here and now."

Elphaba bit her lip, processing his words, before nodding in agreement. "You're right."

"Wait, what?" Fiyero, almost dropping his suitcase, turned to face her in surprise. "I am?"

"Yes. We can't dwell on the past when we have more important things to worry about."

Fiyero whistled. "Wow. I never thought I'd see the day when Elphaba Thropp admitted that I was right and she was wrong."

"I'm not wrong!" Elphaba snapped. "And I never admitted anything. I just happened to agree with you on something. For, like, the only time ever."

Fiyero shrugged. "Same thing."

"It is not!" Elphaba hissed indignantly. "There is a whole world of difference, and if you're too brainless to see it, then I'm not going to even bother spelling it out for you," she spat, before storming into the small cottage.

Fiyero thrust his arms skyward, letting out a strangled sound of frustration, before following Elphaba inside. When he saw no sign of her but her suitcase resting near the door, Fiyero frowned. "Elphaba?" There was no reply. "Elphaba?" he tried again, starting to become a little bit worried despite himself.

Just at that moment, Elphaba emerged from an adjoining room. "What is it, Tiggular?"

"I thought something must have happened to you. Where were you?"

"Checking out the facilities."

"Oh. Well?"

"The pump appears to be in good working order. There's a kettle and a wood stove with plenty of wood – enough to last through the night and maybe tomorrow morning; maybe even for a couple of days if we're economical." Elphaba darted into another room for a moment. When she returned, she announced, "Bathroom – there's a good-sized bathtub in there."

Fiyero smirked. "Is there, now?"

Elphaba let a low growl escape her throat. "Not another word," she warned him. She disappeared into what appeared to be a bedroom, leaving Fiyero to glance around the sitting room where he was standing.

The first thing he noticed was the lack of furniture. There was a dining table with two chairs off to the side near the doorway to the kitchen; other than that, however, the room was distinctly devoid of any other such comforts. "I wonder what's up with the scarce furnishings?"

"I don't know," Elphaba's voice floated towards him.

Fiyero theatrically put a hand across his heart. "You don't know? Elphaba Thropp admitted there's something she doesn't know?"

Ignoring him, Elphaba continued, "But there's nothing in here, either."

"You mean not even a bed?" Fiyero asked incredulously.

"Not even," Elphaba confirmed.

"Damn."

"Don't start your rubbish, Tiggular," Elphaba said, poking her head around the doorway to glare at him, "or I might just leave you here once we're able to travel again."

"You'd never do that," Fiyero said confidently. "You love me too much."

Elphaba made a gagging sound before disappearing back into the room. This was followed by a few bangs, and then a loud "Ah-ha!" was heard.

"What is it?"

Elphaba emerged, looking victorious. "I found the linen," she announced. "There's a blanket and a bath towel each. So at least we won't be cold or wet."

"Fantastic."

Elphaba spared him an inquiring frown, before heading back into the kitchen and out the back door. A few minutes later, she returned with a bucket of water, from which she promptly proceeded to fill the kettle. "There's some tea in the cupboard; I thought we could do with a cup," she informed Fiyero as she placed the kettle on the stove. She then opened the door to the range and put in a few pieces of firewood from a nearby pile. Afterwards, she began opening the drawers, clearly in search of something, but eventually gave up and turned to Fiyero, looking almost sheepish. "Ummm, I don't suppose you would have any matches on you, would you?" she asked.

Fiyero's face scrunched up. "What do you think I am, an arsonist?" Nevertheless, he put his hand in his jacket pocket and withdrew a box of matches, which he tossed to Elphaba.

"Why do you keep matches on you, then?" she challenged as she deftly caught the box and struck a match. She turned and threw the match into the range, and then quickly shut the door.

"Just one of the many things I was taught as a young boy growing up in the Vinkun wilderness. Be prepared."

Elphaba raised a sceptical eyebrow. "Because cushy palaces and servants waiting on you around the clock can be called 'the wilderness'," she shot back sarcastically.

"Hey," Fiyero said defensively, "growing up in the Vinkus isn't exactly easy, even for royalty. Perhaps it's even harder for royals; we have to prove not only that we are men, but that we can be strong, capable leaders."

"Does that go for the women, too? Or don't you have any over there?" Elphaba sniggered at his choice of words. "Is that why you're always flitting from one girl to another? Seeing what you've missed out on?"

"Oh, go on, laugh," Fiyero said, glowering at her. "One day, you're coming to the Vinkus, and I'll show you exactly how tough it can be."

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "Whatever." At that moment, the kettle started its shrill wail, and Elphaba quickly took it off the stove, only to nearly drop it as the heat burnt her skin. She withdrew her hand with a hiss of pain and a muttered curse.

Immediately, Fiyero's brow creased in concern. "Are you alright?"

Elphaba shrugged indifferently. "Should have grabbed a towel or something to pick it up with; I think I just burnt my hand, that's all."

"Here, let me see." Ignoring Elphaba's protests, Fiyero gently took her hand and turned it over, spreading out her fingers so that he could get a good look at her palm. After examining the angry red marks, Fiyero led Elphaba outside.

Elphaba watched on in confusion as Fiyero squatted down and began to roll up a small ball of snow. "What are you doing?"

Instead of replying, Fiyero straightened up and reached once more for Elphaba's hand. Gingerly, he pressed the snow to the affected area of skin.

"Fiyero?"

Fiyero looked up to meet Elphaba's questioning gaze. "I learnt it in the Vinkus. If it's winter and you don't have running water, ice packs or cold compresses, snow works just as well on minor burns. Don't leave it on there for too long, though," he warned, "because we don't want your body temperature to drop. We just want to take the heat out of the burn."

Elphaba couldn't help but reluctantly look somewhat impressed. "And then what?"

"Then I'll lightly wrap a bandage around it and you'll take some painkillers. Do you have any with you?"

Elphaba nodded. "Yes, I have some in my bag."

"Good."

"Just one question."

Fiyero looked at Elphaba. "What's that?"

"We have running water. Why didn't you just use the pump?"

"It would have been too strong," Fiyero explained. "There's no way to slow down a pump, and the strength of the water pouring from it would likely have given you a lot of extra pain you don't need."

"Oh."

The two stood in silence for a few minutes, before Fiyero instructed Elphaba to remove the melting snow from the burn. They then went back inside, and Fiyero delved into his suitcase and extracted a first-aid kit. He found a hand towel in the linen closet, which he used to gently pat the burn dry, and then he carefully wrapped a bandage around Elphaba's hand, making sure he didn't put too much pressure on the wound.

Once he had finished, Elphaba took some painkillers and Fiyero told her to let her hand rest for a while so that she wouldn't cause any further damage to it.

"But how am I to do anything?" Elphaba complained.

"What do you need to do?" Fiyero asked in confusion.

"Well, for a start, I'm going to need to make us dinner tonight. Well, fix something to eat, at any rate. And how am I to take a bath? I do everything with my right hand."

Fiyero's lips quirked into a lopsided smirk. "I could help you out there."

Elphaba threw him a disgusted glance. "I'm sure you could."

Fiyero's smirk widened into a grin. "Did you just give me permission to help you bathe?"

"No, I most certainly did not!" Elphaba snapped.

Fiyero gave a fake pout. "Awww, c'mon, Elphaba, I'm a dab hand with a sponge…"

Elphaba turned away with a scowl. "You're disgusting, Tiggular."

"Just one of the many qualities you love about me, Thropp."

"I've a good mind not to bother fixing you anything to eat at all."

"I don't need food when I've got you, honey," Fiyero cooed sweetly.

"I can't believe you're wasting your pathetic lines on me," Elphaba muttered.

"Flattered?"

"Far from it."

"Well, you know me – I never pass up the opportunity to chat up a girl, even if she refuses to feel flattered. Or if she refuses to let on that she's flattered."

Swinging around, Elphaba shook her uninjured fist in Fiyero's face. "If you keep talking like that, I'll flatter you – with a steamroller!"

Fiyero placed a hand over his heart with a mock-wounded look on his face. "You wouldn't."

"Wouldn't I?" Elphaba snarled.

Fiyero shook his head. "Nah. You love me too much."

Elphaba threw up her hands. "Oz, what is it with you? Not everyone loves you, you know! Get over yourself, Tiggular."

"Don't want to admit your feelings for me yet, Thropp? That's fine, that's fine," Fiyero said lightly, "but don't hold out too long or you'll drive me crazy."

"You don't think being delusional is a sign of craziness?" Elphaba spat. "Personally, I think you have erotomania. Though why in Oz you would want to believe that I, of all people, love you, I simply cannot imagine. Unless it's just an ego thing. Is that it? No girl has ever not fallen for you before, so you want to remedy the situation? Even if it's just in your mind?"

Fiyero sighed dramatically. "You know me so well," he teased.

"Believe me, it's not a pleasant feeling."

"Thanks, Thropp."

"Any time, Tiggular."

Author's Note: There are two lines in here I kind of borrowed and altered to suit my own purposes. Purely because they sprang to mind and I could neither get them out of my head or come up with anything better. The first is, "Sit here and wait for Mehrphyu Trogba to come by towing the Ozian Queen and ask him for help?" The original line is from an episode of 'As Time Goes By'. In that particular scene, the two main characters are lost in an overgrown field, and one says asks if they should "stand here and wait for Humphrey Bogart to come by towing the African Queen and ask him the way?"

The second line is when Elphaba says, "...I'll flatter you - with a steamroller!" I borrowed that from Margaret out of M*A*S*H. Yes, I'm a huge M*A*S*H fan. I'm constantly quoting M*A*S*H. So naturally, I had to quote it here.