Chapter Nineteen: Breaking Point

By the time the conversation was over, he was fuming. So Fiyero snuck into her room that night. He had to. "Fae, your father is an ass."

She sat up in bed. "Tell me something new."

"No, you didn't tell me this. You told me he was stern, that he favored Nessa. You never told me he was so hateful to you. This is why you refuse to even let me try to tell you how I feel about you. You've been told all your life that no one could feel that way towards you. I thought I was going to hit him, Elphaba. That man does not deserve to have you as a daughter. No wonder you want to make him so angry."

She just stared at him in the moonlight that came in through her window. "I've never seen you so upset, by the way."

"That's because when I'm with you, I'm usually pretty happy. But not just now, not watching someone treat you that way. To talk about you like that as though you weren't even there! Forget my asking him for your hand, Fae, I wouldn't respect him enough to." He wanted to sit next to her, to hold her, but he was so frustrated he paced her room instead.

"Fiyero, stop. Things out here are different than the Vinkus. What would you have done if you had a child born with such an aberration?"

"Don't try to use culture as an excuse for him, Elphaba. I don't know what I would do, but I wouldn't behave like that."

"You're sweet. But he's a preacher and when his daughter is born green as sin, it means something to him. He took it as a sign. Please, stop that and sit down."

He clenched his fists and sat next to her. "I'm sorry. I just… it made me so mad."

"I could tell." She laughed.

Fiyero couldn't understand how she was taking this so lightly. Then again, this had been her entire life. If she hadn't taken it lightly, she might have lost her mind. He knew she hadn't let him touch her when they'd been alone since their trip, but he put a hand over hers. "What I said earlier, about understanding you better, I meant that part. I had no idea how bad it was."

"It's fine, Fiyero."

He decided not to argue. She hadn't taken her hand back, and that was more than he had expected from her. "I've missed you," he said.

"I think maybe I missed you, too," she replied. Then her head shot up. "I hear footsteps. Are you still up for making him think we're fucking in here?"

"Absolutely." He threw his shirt off quickly and pushed her back on the bed, pulling the blankets over them and rocking the bed just a little as he climbed over her, careful to hold himself so his body wasn't actually pressing against her, making sure the bed made plenty of noise as he shook it.

He loved the sparkle in her eyes as she unbuttoned the top few buttons of her nightdress and slid it down her shoulders and he tried to ignore that he could almost see her breasts. Then she faked a moan. "Oh, Fiyero…"

The door burst open and Frex stood there with a light, staring at them. "I heard voices… oh, Unnamed God forgive me. What in Oz is going on in here? Elphaba!"

Hiding the fact that she was still clothed under the blanket, she glared at her father. "Father, please! Give me a moment. I'm not exactly decent."

"That's for sure!"

"Sir, please, you don't understand…" Fiyero didn't even know what he was trying to say.

"Do not presume to know what I understand, young man. I want you both out of that room in less than two minutes." The door slammed behind him.

Elphaba clapped a hand to her mouth to stifle a giggle. "That was even more satisfying than I thought it would be."

He reached for his shirt and threw it over his head. "Any idea what he's about to do to us?" But he liked seeing her smile like that and he didn't particularly care what he had to endure to get it.

"Make us pray for forgiveness for the next several days, probably." She shrugged, pulling the nightdress back over her shoulders. "Oooh, did you see his face? It was perfect!"

"By the way, that moan was more realistic than the ones you tried when we were staying at Kiamo Ko. It reminded me of the trip back."

"Well, I had a little practice, thanks to you." She really must be giddy to be willing to talk about that. He wished he could keep her in there, see if he couldn't get through to her. But her father wouldn't allow that. Elphaba stepped out of the room first and he followed closely.

"Come into the living room. I don't want you waking Nessa. Though I'm surprised no one else heard." Frex grunted and ushered them into the other room. "The two of you need to explain yourselves at once."

"Explain ourselves? Father, what, exactly, did you see that needs further explanation?"

Frex raised a hand as if he were going to hit her. "Elphaba!"

Fiyero pulled her behind him and stepped between them, holding her tight. "I wouldn't do that."

Her father paused and shook his head angrily. "You do not get to tell me what to do, defiling my daughter like that under my own roof."

"Defiling? That's such an unpleasant word. And it makes it sound like he forced himself on me, which I assure you, he did not." Elphaba shot back.

Frex held up his hands to stop her from speaking. "Please, that's enough."

Fiyero held Elphaba closely, unable to get the image of her father about to hit her out of his mind. "Sir, I am sorry that happened where it did tonight. And Elphaba's right, there isn't exactly a good explanation for that. I can't give you an excuse."

"Well, I can," she quipped. "I couldn't help myself. I gave in. Like I have many, many times before."

Frex's face was redder than a Quadling. "You little harlot. Do you have any idea what the Unnamed God would think of such things?"

"I do. I also don't care!"

"I want him out. Now." Frex demanded. "He is not staying here another day. I may not be able to control what you do at Shiz, but I do not want this man under my roof for a moment longer."

He could tell Elphaba hadn't exactly been expecting that. "Father, don't."

"What else am I supposed to do? He can't stay here, not after that little display. You have siblings! And you can go with him, if it upsets you so much. I don't care what you do anymore," Frex shouted. "As far as I'm concerned, you're not my daughter. You never were. Go get your things. Both of you, if that's what you want, Elphaba."

"Fae, I need to talk to you. Now." Fiyero grabbed her and dragged her to the guest room, leaving the door wide open while Frex stared in from the hall. Quietly, he said, "I don't want you staying here."

"Fiyero, this is my home. I'll handle it."

"No. Elphaba, he almost hit you. Tell me he's never done that before."

She wouldn't look at him and it was all the answer he needed.

"How often, Fae? How often did he hit you?"

"Not very," she said quietly.

"You're coming back with me." He said with finality.

"Fiyero, you're forgetting, I'm not actually your girlfriend and I don't have to go anywhere with you."

He wasn't going to take that from her. She knew there was more to them, even if she wouldn't say it. "So now you want to talk about us? About what we are? Because I've been trying to have that conversation since I made love to you on that train, Fae, and you've tuned me out every damn time. We can have that conversation later, whenever you want, but right now, you are coming with me, girlfriend or not." With that, he closed the bag he hadn't even unpacked.

"I'm not a damsel in distress for you to rescue."

"I'm not trying to rescue you, Fae. I'm offering you help because we all need it sometimes and I care for you. Let me do this."

"Fiyero, if I leave now, I can't come back. He didn't say that, but I'm pretty sure that's what it meant."

It only hit him what she'd just done. "What about Shiz? Tuition?"

"Handled by my great grandfather. Father only gives me spending money."

"You're welcome at Kiamo Ko any time. Not just the rest of the summer, but the holidays, too. My mother really does like you. And if you need help financially with anything, you know I tried to pay you for what you're doing and I still can. Just come, Fae. Please. I can't leave you here knowing what I do now. Get your things."

She looked at him, then at her father, who stood there looking back at them with nothing but anger in his eyes. He didn't see love or concern. He only saw rage. When she looked back at Fiyero, he watched her heart break in her face and a tear streamed down her cheek. He wasn't certain he'd ever seen her cry. "I… fine. I'll come. But I'm not staying long."