Author's Note: I hereby disclaim all characters not originally created by me. Here is chapter 19 for you. I particularly enjoyed writing the second half and I hope you enjoy reading it as much!

Enjoy xx

Elphaba did not want Fiyero to see how uncomfortable she was that there was little chance she would get home. In the back of her mind, she still held onto the hope that Galinda, with her powers of persuasion and parentage, would be able to convince a cab to come to Briscoe Hall. She desperately wanted to beg her best friend to do more for her, but with Fiyero sitting next to her and able to hear every word she knew she was in an impossible position.

Elphaba wondered why she did not want to spend the night with Fiyero. In truth, it was something she would have gladly submitted to and it was not as though she had any preventative religious belief – if anything, she would have slept with someone just to spite abstinence rules. But Fiyero was different. Elphaba's aptitude for magic had always given her sensitivity to the supernatural and unseen and though she had dreams and nightmares like everyone else, she also had visions. The visions that would come upon her – waking or sleeping – would vary in their clarity and subject, but their presence always guaranteed their truthfulness. She felt strongly towards Fiyero and her visions were equally as powerful. She did not trust herself to be alone with him and not give in to desire. Spending the night away from him was, she felt, the only way to prevent them from rushing into a sexual relationship.

"Really, Galinda? There are no cabs? None at all? Surely you're over-exaggerating. It wouldn't be unprecedented now, would it? Can't you call someone and use your omniscient influence, dearie?" Elphaba clocked Fiyero's nonchalant expression and breathed more easily. The man was an open book and a terrible liar, at least to her, and she was glad to see him relaxed. "Come on, Lin." She heard sighing on the other line.

"Alright! Fine, dear me Elphaba you are very lucky you're my best friend or I'd be hanging up on you now. I'll go and get you one myself. I imagine you've had your dress soaked, so I'll bring clothes too and in the meantime seeing as you're on your first date and seeing as you've probably imbibed a large amount of alcohol I am taking it upon myself to ensure Miss Elphaba's reputation remains intact. Along with other things. You are to remain downstairs and companionable. Now, what if there were a fire and someone were to come rushing in and find you in the same room or – Oz forbid – in an embrace that could be misconstrued by some ill-mannered person. What would they think? Well, I'll tell you!"

Elphaba grabbed the phone from Fiyero. This was ridiculous. "Galinda, I'm sure Fiyero and I are perfectly capable of arranging ourselves, thank you." She fervently wished Galinda would take the hint. Who did she think she was? This was completely inappropriate. Elphaba was grateful to her but sometimes Galinda was incredibly tactless.

"It's not you I don't trust Elphie, it's loverboy-"

"Galinda!" Elphaba jumped from the bed and Fiyero had to grab onto the cable before the whole base was snapped and dragged across the floor. "This is not really any of your business. I'm hanging up now. Thank you for your offer; we'll be waiting for you." Fiyero could hear Galinda's squealed protests from the speaker as Elphaba snatched the base from the table and slammed the phone down. She scrutinized the device, daring it to ring again. He was not going to be the first one to speak. He just watched her as she carefully sat down next to him and took a few deep breaths. "I'm sorry." She said, eventually. "For your phone, if it's broken and for Galinda, if she doesn't apologise herself."

"Can't see her doing that, Fae." He lifted her hand and played with her fingers. "She's . . . she's something else. She'll be sorry, though."

"She's ignorant." She snapped.

He pressed her hand and she looked at him. "You don't mean that. You know she's not being vindictive."

Elphaba blanched. "You can't tell me you're defending her!"

"I don't think there's anything to defend. You get so bothered about everything but this isn't an issue. She's Galinda and she's crazy." He laughed, noticing how Elphaba galled at him. "What she said annoyed you, and all you can do is tell her when she brings your clothes. You don't need to make such a big deal out of it." Elphaba wrenched his hand away and paced in front of him. She certainly looked intimidating when she was angry. Her features were sharp and fixed and shadows only cut lines across her face making her look harder. She was such a striking woman.

"I don't like people interfering in my business. This is private, Fiyero. It's between you and me. I don't want this to be a three-way relationship. And who does she think she is saying those things to you? It's just so inappropriate. I swear, sometimes Galinda doesn't have a clue what's coming out of her mouth. Or at least I hope she doesn't. I don't want to think about how her mind works if she genuinely thought those were good things to say."

She huffed and folded her arms. Fiyero suppressed a laugh and simply emitted a snigger. Her playful little gesture removed any sense of fierceness and now her eyes were big and wondering, like a child's. He stood and took her hands and kissed each one. "You know, in some ways, you and Galinda complement each other very well."

Elphaba sighed. "Oh I know." She said, looking down. "I think I'm spending too much time with her." Fiyero chuckled and brought her face up to kiss her. Elphaba's hands crept up around his neck again, their favourite place, and she melted into him when his own hands snuck around her waist. She loved his hands; they held her so well. Her eyes snapped open and she pulled back however, when she felt his tongue open her mouth. She stared at him, a little surprised, but pleasantly so, especially when she saw that he'd turned a deeper shade of red from kissing her. He didn't say anything, but waited a few seconds before he kissed her again.

Elphaba responded, though a little more tentatively now. Fiyero grinned into her reciprocation and kissed her more firmly. Elphaba began to pant for breath and she wondered how much better it could get.

Not that her imagination had to work very hard. As their kisses became more intense, Fiyero grew bolder and his hands travelled down her body, to her thighs, where they stroked up the shirt that sat just below them. "Fiyero," She breathed, continuing to kiss him, but softer and more innocently now. It was a strange reaction she had when he seemed to sense the boundary they were reaching and stopped. Elphaba found his own awareness very attractive and suddenly wanted him to keep going. "I don't want to stop." She admitted, receiving little kisses from him still. What slaves we are to desire. If I deny reason, I cannot be conquered by it.

Fiyero put a finger to her lips and watched her eyebrow arch towards the heavens. "Oh so sexy." He partly expected her to blush and look away. When Fiyero looked back on the moment he wondered why; Elphaba had such an edge and no matter how well he knew her, she could always turn his world upside down and shock him. She smiled through her heavy black lashes and winked at him. Fiyero struggled not to pounce on her. "I think . . ." he swallowed, making Elphaba's heart leap a little, seeing how she could affect him, "maybe we should go to the bed – I mean the couch! The couch . . . we should go to downstairs to the couch."

"Your Ozness, she is an intelligent young thing, but an optimistic one and her faith in you is as passionate as any I have ever seen. She believes as they all do that you have the ability to fix anything and everything. Not that this is not a truism, you understand, but her blind faith could certainly be manipulated and very easily, too!"

"Madame, I will remind you to treat this young lady with respect. I, too, have come into contact with her ilk and I am aware of real passion when I see it. Her words and actions have spoken louder than any other's and I can sense strength in her that you would be wise to remember. Miss Thropp's talent is very powerful and we should utilise it carefully. And I shall make it clear to you that though she may be optimistic where I am concerned, she is not blind nor is she stupid. Miss Thropp is strongly attached to her causes – as she calls them – and will sway her allegiance if she feels they are threatened."

"Certainly. Miss Thropp is an exceptional young woman. I will never forget the moment I came to know her abilities. Oscar, I must go. Shiz is still a high priority on my list, and until Miss Thropp proves to be a secure venture for Oz, I must maintain my position as Head Shiztress. A Fine Oz day to you, Oscar."

The silver-haired old man heard the telephone click and breathed in heavily. He had been unable to do so without some discomfort as of late and there was not a part of him that did not doubt that he should have been hospitalised a long time ago. His disguise, his persona, his alter ego 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' was now a pain in his backside in more ways than one. He had begun to regret the impositions he had made on the Animal community, and his experience of Elphaba's writings placed a deep-rooted feeling of guilt in the back of his mind and he felt nervous at the thought of telling her. He did not think that she would take it well.

With a groan, he lifted himself from the wing-back chair and reluctantly walked away from the blazing warmth of the fire. His private quarters were unseen by all bar three members of staff, and even they had no idea as to his blatant lack of power. Such ignorance always helped him rest at night: if they were so easily fooled here, they were certainly incapable of running Oz. His objectivity and common sense was enough and he knew the values and benefits that could be won by sacrificing the few for the good of the many. It just so happened that the Animals were the few and the humans were the many. Oh well.

The vaulted ceilings of the Emerald City palace seemed to watch him as he walked the Quoxwood floor to his bed and he once again felt the unwanted pang of judgement even as he placated his guilty thoughts with shallow excuses.

The clocks that sat along the mantelpieces, dressers, and on every wall read half past midnight. For a moment, he clipped the radio on and listened absent-mindedly to weather forecasts for the rest of Oz. Miss Elphaba Thropp and her friends would be experiencing the heavy rainstorms unique to Shiz Town while the Emerald City enjoyed the calming autumn winds. He turned to face his room. Empty and bleak, he almost felt lost all alone as he was and kept the radio on for company. He cheered himself slightly with the thought that however lonely he might feel in Oz he was at least housed and clothed and fed. On Earth, wherever it might be in relation, he would have been both lonely and starving.

It took him a good forty-five minutes to undress himself for bed and he was grudgingly reminded that his declining health was why he had enquired to the best schools in Oz for their recommendations for students studying Sorcery. He would not be around for long and he needed an heir, someone who would not need to lie or rely on mechanics to earn the trust of the people of Oz.

Wistfully, he wandered over to his dresser and pulled open his most commonly visited drawer. The files of hundreds of average wand-waving students were crammed inside and filled it. But on top was one marked with the Shiz University logo and bore a bright red 'Urgent' wax seal. He lifted the papers carefully and read over the gathered personal details of 'Thropp comma Elphaba'. His eyes scanned quickly over the information regarding the extent of her heretofore unseen magical talents, which of course had been the original source of his fascination with her.

But it was the final few pages that so interested him now. They would not usually have been contained within such a file, but at his personal request to be made aware of every detail concerning her, Madame Morrible had then sent along an inventory of her belongings that she had made for insurance purposes at the beginning of the semester. At an unremarkable point on this list, there was described a small, cylindrical glass bottle containing emerald green liquid with unknown effects. The description sent his heart racing upon first reading it and he had spent the subsequent days researching Miss Elphaba's family.

His work brought him to the conclusion he had already presupposed. There was no other possible explanation for the possession of that bottle. Returning the file to the drawer, he then made for his bed. As he lay back on his plush and sublimely expensive pillows, he made sure to remove his own small, cylindrical glass bottle containing emerald green liquid from his pocket and placed it under them. He thought with a smile that Miss Thropp would soon know, as he did, the effects of the liquid, and in the very near future he would no longer be lonely.

Oooh! What's he gonna do?