Author's Note: See disclaimer in previous chapters.

Okay so there was pretty much no response from the last one. Was it because you didn't like it? Feeling a bit like I'm just sending this out into the abyss here. Oh well. I'll continue to write, but if there's no obvious readings going on it seems a bit pointless to continue updating. Please just take a moment to let me know you've read it, even if you've reviewed properly before. Thanks!

A bit of fiyeraba progress here. Things will start to take a turn for the worst next time so love the happiness!

Enjoy x

Fiyero let his hands ghost over her arms. They found rest at her waist and pinned her against the wall. Elphaba gasped. She smiled into his kisses and her hands tangled in his hair, grasping his shirt. Not a sliver of light appeared between their bodies. Fiyero moved to her neck and fiercely sucked on her skin. Boldly he lifted her until her legs had wrapped around his waist. He kissed her mouth again and felt the heat of her reciprocation. He carried her to his desk, sat her on its surface and fingered the hem of her skirt, bringing it up around her waist.

"Fiyero . . ." She breathed.

"Fiyero." She said again, more firmly.

"Fiyero!"

Fiyero shot up, out of his dream state and breathed heavily. He ran his eyes around the room quickly and confirmed that he was alone. Thank Oz, he thought. What a dream. Chuckling, he noted that he had been sweating profusely and his sheets were in one hell of state. He leaned back on his pillows and rubbed his eyes, sighing. That nap had not been as restful as he had planned.

"Fiyero!" A harsh voice came from the door accompanied by several loud knocks. So it had not all been a dream. "Fiyero, I'm sorry for what I said to you. It was rude and inconsiderate." Silence. "I just need give you your notebook." Elphaba was determined to talk to him, especially since she had gone to the trouble of finding someone nice enough to guide her around the labyrinth of a dormitory. She vaguely noted that he had his own plush sitting area and that she had had to ascend another flight of stairs to a private mezzanine to reach his room.

Fiyero leapt from his bed and bounded across to the door. "Elphaba, I was asleep." He flung it open and revealed his green-skinned dream vision looking very subdued. "And how the hell did you find my room?" He asked, knowing it was a winding walk through Briscoe Hall.

She looked disappointed that she had disturbed him and seemed to ignore his latter question. "I'm sorry. I keep turning up at the wrong moments and saying the wrong things. I promise I did not mean to irritate you. I just wanted to give you your notes back. Look, just consider me-"

"Elphaba, just stop talking for once." Her hands fell limp by her side. Her appearance here did surprise him and she didn't need to apologise, rather he felt like he should explain. Like she was the only person that would believe what he said. "Come in."

"Really?"

"It's just my room."

She blushed and rolled her eyes, a response that seemed contradictory in its simultaneous embarrassment and sarcasm. "I know that. I just thought you were angry at me because of what I said to you. It was rude."

He took her hand and guided her towards a chair. "I was but . . . but I'm not now." He said simply, confusing her.

"You're just not anymore?" She inquired, shrugging. He shook his head and hung her bag on the bed post. He took a seat opposite her and held her hand again, a gesture they were both very aware of. "Okay. May I ask why?"

"Yeah. I just have a hard time telling you. Telling people that won't believe me defeats the purpose of revelation."

"How philosophical of you." She smiled and he breathed more easily now that it seemed they were on easier terms. He thanked her light-heartedly and offered her a cup of spiced wine. She eyed the label. "Vinkun? Are you trying to poison me?"

He laughed and unscrewed the lid, taking her playfulness as a sign that she was willing to try it. "It's not harsh if you don't drink it neat, which is exactly what we aren't going to do." The bottle tipped over and thick wine sloshed into two glasses. Elphaba loved the heavy red colour of the liquid; it made her feel warm. Fiyero topped off the drinks with several shots of water. "It's good; trust me."

Elphaba scoffed at the promise, but brought the drink to her lips anyway. "I suppose I didn't suffer too badly from those stouts you gave me." He shrugged in support of her point and she sipped delicately. It was sweet but not sickening. It was full-flavoured and it took her a minute or two to discern all the different spices mixing around in her mouth. A little kick followed the liquid.

"Told you." She grinned and toasted him, taking another sip.

"I promise I'll believe you." She spoke softly, after he had left them in silence for a moment.

Fiyero nodded, having known this. He looked at her carefully. He studied her features. She was beautiful; her skin was beautiful. Her hair was unlike anything he'd seen before and her modesty about it all made her even more attractive to him. He lifted a chair under his arm and set it down in front of her. She watched him take her hand.

There was a large part of his mind that made him feel awful about his behaviour considering he had just broken up with Galinda and he hoped he wasn't taking any kind of liberty with her, but he liked holding her hand. She made him curious, which was a feeling he had not known for some time. "You're so different. You're not like everyone else."

Elphaba prickled. "And like everyone else you refer to my looks."

"I adore your looks." She was fuming at him and ready to snap back with some cutting retort. But his words completely caught her off guard. He knew she was looking for an insult or an ulterior and malicious motive; he knew her so well now that he could almost hear the cogs turning in her head. "I mean that just as I said it Fae. Don't read things into what I say. I know you think I'm simple and in this case you're right on the money."

"You're wrong. You're so utterly wrong. I don't think you're simple." She leaned towards him. "I never said that. I just wanted to know why you're working at Shiz. I thought maybe your parents had threatened . . ." she let her thought trail off, "but it isn't any of my business."

He smirked at her and for a moment, enjoyed watching her cheeks turn a darker shade and feeling her pulse race where his skin touched hers. Equally, she was elated at the sensation of his quickening heartbeat. "My parents haven't threatened me about Shiz yet. They have before and I'm not the best son in the world. I know they want me to represent the Vinkus and I've increased their popularity but not really for the right reasons." She rolled her eyes at his reference to the lifestyle that had attracted Galinda and so many others like her.

"So why Shiz?"

He took a deep breath and tried to appear as calm as possible. Elphaba almost wanted to congratulate him on his effort; she did not know why he was nervous but he was struggling to get out his words. "Not Shiz, Elphaba. There's someone here who I have a lot of respect for and she's become somewhat of an inspiration to me."

She frowned. "Galinda's an inspiration to you?"

Fiyero laughed at her a pillock he must look like with his pathetic attempt to show her how he felt. It was even worse when he considered that he didn't really know how he felt and yet all his decisions seemed to be based around a desire to let her know how much he cared for her. That isn't too huge is it? Of course it is, you ass, when it's Elphaba. You don't even know what you're doing. "You're my inspiration. If I hadn't met you I wouldn't give a flying shit about this school."

"Really?"

"Yes."

She considered what he had said for a moment and smiled gratefully, but the previously unnoticed tension between them came upon her and she felt awkward. She self-consciously yanked her hand out of his grasp and tried to leave, pouring the entire contents of her glass all over the floor in the process.

They both stared at the rapidly spreading and staining liquid for a while, as though through study it would disappear or clean itself up. Elphaba was mortified and covered her face with her hands only to feel the burning heat of her blush. Fiyero didn't really care about his floor; he was more surprised than annoyed. At least now she had a reason to stay.

Softly, Elphaba laid a hand on his shoulder. "I am so sorry." She put her glass on the table. "I'll help you clean up . . . I mean I'll clean up."

"Fae, it's alright. Really I don't care." It was his turn to lay a hand on her. She looked at him, her expression full of shame. "It's a wooden floor." She stopped abruptly and glanced between him and the mess a few times before waving her arms over it all and muttering under her breath. "What are you doing?" He knelt beside her and leaned down until he could see her face; it was focused solely on the wine now seeping into the wood. Her hands moved around invisible boundaries and foreign words escaped her lips. Fiyero thought she looked very pretty and couldn't take his eyes off her. He didn't even notice when the red substance had completely dissolved.

Elphaba, now supremely proud of herself, looked at Fiyero with triumphant glee. She giggled happily at her achievement, not really having expected the spell to work because she'd never tried it outside of Morrible's practice room. She was suddenly struck with another shot of gladness that she had been gifted with her magical abilities, but Fiyero seemed interested in something else. Namely her. "What? Don't you know I'm famed for my magical talents?"

"Of course. I've just never seen them in control before. You look invincible when you practice magic."

"Thank you." She said, more emphatically than he had expected. Fiyero made a mental note to remember that she liked to be complimented on her powers.

"You look pretty, too." Her smile disappeared, but it wasn't borne from anger. She was blushing and looked away. "You don't need to be embarrassed. It's a compliment."

She thumbed her glass lazily, bashfully. "Yeah, but I don't get many of those, do I?" Quickly she met his eyes and smiled before dropping her gaze back to her glass.

"Then I'll give you another one." He sat up and thought for a moment, enjoying that her face was a mixture of curiosity and shock, before leaning in and whispering. "You have such a thrilling smile." Deliciously, she bestowed just such a one on him and he laughed. "See? It's just so rare. You should smile like that more often."

Feeling slightly wary of the area they were getting into, Elphaba stood and moved around his room, surveying the luxury before her. "There isn't anyone who makes me want to smile, really. But thinking about the Wizard makes me happy."

He ignored her comment about the Wizard; in his opinion it was too easy and convenient and inevitable a target. He knew her talent would allow her to achieve the career she had always wanted. No, he was interested in a different kind of happiness. "There has to be someone. You've been here for three more weeks than me; has no-one caught your eye?"

"This is ridiculous, Fiyero. Nobody looks at me like that; nobody makes me feel like that."

He was willing to believe her, but her straying eye made him want to push her further. "Liar. There is someone." She shook her head, laughing as though he were joking with her. "Elphaba, come on, tell me."

She snapped her head up and stared at him incredulously. "Are you kidding? I'm serious. There isn't anyone." Fiyero was slowly making his way towards her, his eyes never leaving hers. "Fiyero, I promise you." He stepped forward. "I'm asking you to leave it alone. Leave it, Fiyero." She was aware of a revealing desperation in her voice.

"It's more than that Fae. Don't lie to me. You're blushing." She looked away from him, a feeling of awkwardness creeping up on her. "You're telling me there's nobody that makes you feel good about yourself? That makes you feel happy?" He took one final step and was right next to her. Elphaba felt his arms travel from her shoulders to her hands. Their fingers touched. Both of them shivered.

Fiyero didn't have a clue what he was doing or why he was being so demonstrative. She made him want to do things he knew he shouldn't. Elphaba let her head fall forward and she closed her eyes against his chest. It just all felt so good. He was warm and strong and bigger than her. She was protected with him. "You make me feel happy. You make me feel good about myself."

Fiyero's stomach gave a little leap and he lifted her chin to look at her. She was a deep emerald colour now and as he gazed at her realisation of what she had said dawned on her and her expression turned to one reminiscent of when she spilled her drink. Elphaba was horrified at the implication of her words and her hands flew to her face. This time, when she left, Fiyero could not find a reason to stop her.

On Sunday night, Galinda watched her close to comatose friend enter Crage Hall from her latest and distinctly solo jaunt at the library. From her window seat she saw how she seemed to trudge even more than before and not for the first time questioned what the hell was going on. Glancing at the flowers left on her bed, she wondered if it had something to do with Fiyero. He had come by muttering something about her deliberately trying to avoid him and asking if she would give the bouquet to Elphaba. The very same he had used to apologise the first time, she noticed. Galinda did not understand how he kept putting his foot in it with her.

"Hey, Galinda. How're you?"

Galinda curtly responded in the positive, eyeing her best friend. "But I think it is much more important for you to tell me why Fiyero has given you flowers again." At Elphaba's frown she nodded her head towards the offending item.

Elphaba could have killed him. What in Oz was he doing sending her gifts when he knew Galinda would want to know what they meant? How was she supposed to explain them? Oh they're nothing. It's just that I admitted to your ex-boyfriend that I have feelings for him and now he's trying to let me down easily. Elphaba was too accustomed to burying her head in the sand with her feelings to say much to Galinda, especially when it was liable to blow up her new friendship in her face. She felt safest as an unperson and though it hurt her, it was less risky than opening up an expired can of unwanted worms. "I don't know what they mean."

Galinda heard herself gasp when Elphaba threw the whole bundle on the fire as though it meant no more to her than a piece of script that was full of ink blots and run-on sentences. "Elphie, why would you do that? You'll hurt his feelings."

Elphaba waved her off. "Oh don't be ridiculous. He's my friend. They're just nothing."

Galinda didn't know that what her usually eloquent and loquacious friend had said made any sense or provided any kind of explanation at all. But she knew her well enough to know that Elphaba was more easily understood under study of her actions if one did not comprehend what came out of her mouth, which would regularly confuse, mystify, deceive and almost always try to create distance.

Galinda, satisfied enough with Elphaba's response for now but vowing to watch her more carefully, climbed into bed. Elphaba settled in soon after her, warm and comfortable. She hoped her dreams would make more sense than her feelings.

Fiyero slid his hand around her waist and drew her closer. She grasped his shirt and he felt her thumb softly ghost his cheek. Her eyes were level with his neck and he kissed her between the eyes to bring them up to his own. They smiled and blushed, both aware of the line they were about to cross with that first apprehensive kiss. Fiyero knew her self-consciousness would not allow her to make the first move, so he leaned in and gently brought her closer to him with the hand that had found its way into her lush hair. Elphaba closed her eyes. His lips tentatively touched hers, testing her reaction and finding it positive, he kissed her again. She responded more confidently now. A well of desire surged in her and she pressed herself closer to him, revelling in the joyous feeling of his arms wrapped around her.

Drop a quick hello! x