I still love reading about all your theories about the stalker. Let me put it this way: one of you has guessed something right, but of course I won't tell you who or what it is they guessed correctly. :P

I would love to hear any of your favourite lines from this chapter! It's one of my favourite chapters in the story. :)

15. Family

Elphaba's childhood home was a medium-sized house on the outskirts of a village in Nest Hardings. Due to his hatred of everything technological, Frex didn't have a car and, since Nessa wasn't exactly able to drive, neither did she. The both of them mainly stayed in and around the house, travelling by public transport if they had to. Despite its lack of technology, though, the house was pleasant. It had a small hallway, a comfortable living room, and a spacious kitchen on the ground floor and several rooms on the first floor, including Nessa's bedroom, Frex's, and a guest room. Elphaba was surprised to find that her own bedroom was still empty as well; she'd expected Frex to have turned it into an office or a storage closet or something, but her bed and wardrobe were still there. All the better, since the house wasn't exactly built to hold more than five people. For a short time, however, they didn't mind sharing rooms.

Nessarose was obviously happy to see her sister, but Elphaba could also see the worry in the younger girl's eyes. She greeted everyone cheerfully, offered them tea and lemonade, and then installed the twins in the living room with their drinks and some snacks. Oscar and the guards stayed to play board games with them. Nessa led Elphaba to the kitchen to talk.

"Now spill," she said and Elphaba told her younger sister everything Nessa didn't know yet about the man who was following her, including the events from the night before. When she was finished, Nessa slowly let out a breath she had been holding. "Sweet Oz."

"You could say that," Elphaba agreed, fishing her phone out of the pocket of her jeans to check it for new messages. There were five, as well as three missed calls. They were all from Galinda except for one text message, which was from Fiyero. Elphaba rolled her eyes as she scrolled through her best friend's texts.

Hey, Elphie. How are you doing? Have you arrived in Munchkinland yet?

Oz to Elphie, over. You should have crossed the border by now, right? Please let me know if you're okay.

Elphaba Thropp, why aren't you answering me? Tried to call you, but you didn't pick up. Call me back. I'm worried.

This isn't funny. There's a stalker on the loose and you're not answering your phone. CALL ME.

Never mind, Fiyero called to tell me Benn told him you're safe. Guess you're just being your obnoxious self – or forgot to turn on the sound of your phone again. Have fun and tell Ness I said hi.

"Is everything okay?" Nessa asked.

Elphaba just flashed her a small grin. "Galinda says hi."

Nessa raised her eyebrows and Elphaba conceded, "Well, she said a lot more than that, but the essence of it is that she's telling you hi. She texted me and tried to call me, but I turned off the sound of my phone last night before I went to bed and I forgot to turn it up again. It's fine, though. She knows we're safe." She showed Nessa the messages and her sister giggled.

"Poor Galinda. I can imagine her being worried, though," she said, looking up at Elphaba. "Do you think you're safe here?"

Elphaba shrugged. "No way to tell," she said. "Just to be certain, I'm planning on staying around the house, or inside it, as much as I can. We have Benn and Rodger with us to protect us, two guards from the Palace in the City who were personally approved by Fiyero as being "adequately skilled" to have our backs; and Fiyero himself will be joining in a few days' time. I don't think the guy could have followed us here, so we should probably just treat this as a bit of a holiday, I guess. Oz knows I definitely need a break and I think it's good for Dad and the twins to be in a different environment for a while, too."

"You're very welcome to stay here for as long as you'd like," Nessa said, smiling. Her smile faltered. "Although Father will be returning in ten days' time."

"I don't expect to stay that long," Elphaba assured her little sister. "I've got business to think about, too, and so does Dad. We had a hard enough time arranging this little last-minute trip as it was; I don't think either of us could take more than five days off, perhaps a week if we really stretched things, but we'll definitely have to return to the City sometime next weekend."

"That's fine. I'm glad to have you all for any period of time," said Nessa and Elphaba bent down to hug her.

"I've missed you, Nessie," she said fondly and Nessa smiled, hugging her sister back.

"I missed you, too."

As they both moved back to the living room, Elphaba read the last message she'd received – the one from Fiyero.

Benn already called to let me know you arrived safely. How'd the trip go? No crazy magical explosions or fainting spells? ;)

She scowled at her screen and quickly typed a reply.

Ha, ha. You're hilarious. Yes, we're here, and we're fine.

His reply came within a minute.

Good to hear it. Stay safe and away from small spaces, OK? At least until the handsome hero joins you all in savage Munchkinland in a few days to protect you with his life.

She snorted, her fingers flying over the screen.

Where are you going to find a handsome hero on such short notice?

Again, he texted back within a minute.

Now who's being hilarious, Fae?

She chuckled to herself and Nessa glanced at her curiously. "Who is that?"

"Fiyero," said Elphaba with a grin, putting her phone away. "He's an idiot, but he's not as bad as I first thought he was. I guess we're friends by now," she admitted. "I'm not even sure when that happened. Probably around the same time he got stabbed and my magic saved his life – or maybe when he rescued me when I was trapped in a storage closet with Avaric."

Nessa abruptly stopped wheeling. "Wait – what?!" she asked in a horrified tone of voice and Elphaba grimaced.

"Right. I didn't tell you about Avaric yet, did I?"

"Back to the kitchen," Nessa ordered, her tone making it clear she would bear no contradiction. "The twins probably shouldn't hear this, but I definitely do."

The two sisters made dinner together and in the meantime, Elphaba told Nessarose everything from Avaric's first email to the party last weekend. Nessa kept on shaking her head incredulously as her sister talked.

"And now what?" she asked when Elphaba finished the story. "Are you going to let him into the twins' lives?"

Elphaba shook her head. "He said he didn't want to and I don't want him to, either," she said. "He saw them now. That should be enough for him."

Nessarose pursed her lips. "Do you think..." She broke off. "No, never mind. That would be silly."

"What?" Elphaba asked and Nessa sighed.

"Do you think maybe he could be your stalker?"

"Avaric?" A shiver ran down Elphaba's spine. She hadn't even though of that possibility yet. "But... he didn't contact me until after at least one of the letters already arrived. I mean... if he wanted me back, don't you think he would have contacted me personally first? Or at least tried to?"

"Maybe." Nessa didn't look convinced. "I don't know, Fabala. It could be anyone, like you said, but wouldn't it be more likely that it's someone you know?"

Elphaba started pacing up and down the kitchen, racking her brain. Could it have been Avaric? The man she'd seen on the video footage of last night in her bedroom had been about the same height, and he'd had the same posture...

Then again, didn't lots of men have the same posture? If she was going just by that, then it might just as well have been Cohvu, or Fiyero, or even Duran or Gazilon. They were all about the same height and they all had approximately the same posture. It was hard to tell from a security camera recording, anyway – for all she knew, the guy's posture was closer to her father's.

She sighed. "I don't know, Ness," she said tiredly, rubbing her temples. "I really don't. It could be him, I suppose, but it could also be someone else. We don't have any clues at all."

"That much is true," Nessa amended and they lapsed into silence, neither sure of what else to say.

They had dinner, with the twins chattering to Nessa about everything they'd been doing since they last spoke to her and telling her all about their birthday party. They spent the evening playing board games together, just having fun and pushing their worries aside for a little while.

Unfortunately, however, the twins weren't through asking questions about Avaric. The moment the excitement of their sudden departure to Munchkinland wore off – which happened to be the same evening they arrived – their minds returned to matters they had been wondering about earlier.

"Mum?" Fawn asked when Elphaba was tucking her in that night. The twins were sharing Nessa's double bed, wanting to have a "sleepover" in their aunt's room while they were here; Nessa slept on a single bed that had been dragged in from one of the guest rooms.

Elphaba sat down on the edge of the bed and smoothed some dark brown hair away from Fawn's face. "Yes, sweetie?"

"That man at our party yesterday…"

She must have noticed the way her mother's face fell, because she trailed off and studied her mother closely. Beside her, Xalo propped himself up onto one elbow.

"You don't like him, do you, Mum?" he asked.

Elphaba shook her head. "You're right. I don't," she said.

"Why?"

The green woman bit her lip. "Because… because I've known him for a while already," she said slowly, "and although maybe he's changed now, he wasn't very nice when he was younger. Especially not to me."

Xalo looked puzzled. "But if you don't like him, why did you invite him to our party?" he asked in confusion.

Fawn, however, was regarding her mother sharply and Elphaba glanced at her. The little green girl seemed to contemplate something for a moment and then blurted out, "He's our father, isn't he?"

Elphaba was completely taken aback by that for a moment, but Xalo exclaimed instantly, "That's why he has the same eyes as you, Fawn!"

Two pairs of eyes settled on Elphaba now and she was having a hard time keeping herself composed. She remembered what Oscar had once told her. "I don't claim to be a parenting expert, Elphaba," he'd said, "especially not since you didn't come into my life until you were already seventeen; but my own parents always taught me that if children are ready to ask the questions, they're ready to hear the answers."

And so she heaved a sigh and then admitted quietly, "Yes, darlings. Avaric is your father."

Fawn let out a soft gasp and Xalo looked astounded by that revelation. "We've met our father," he whispered. "Cool."

"He was weird, though," Fawn said, wrinkling her nose. "And if he hurt Mum, then I don't like him."

Elphaba chuckled. "Listen to me." She crawled into the bed with them and pulled a twin against each of her sides. "Avaric may be your father, because all children have both a mother and a father," she explained. "Some people, though, aren't really suitable to be parents."

"And Avaric is one of them?" Fawn asked.

Elphaba nodded. "He is. I didn't think it would be good for you to have him around," she said. "That is why I have raised you by myself, along with Grandpa and Auntie Galinda and Uncle Cohvu."

They thought about that for a while, then nodded.

"Like I said, he was weird. I don't think he'd be a great father, either," Fawn said, hiding a yawn behind her hand.

"Me, neither," said Xalo sleepily. "But still. I think I'd like to have a dad. Maybe not him, but a different dad."

Elphaba's smile was sad as she leaned over to kiss both her children good night. "Who knows, my little monkeys," she said softly. "Maybe one day." With that, she left them to sleep – hoping they would be able to handle this information and at the same time relieved that the cat was out of the bag.

The next few days were spent baking cakes and biscuits, taking walks, and playing more games. Occasionally, Benn and Rodger joined in as well and the two guards joined the family every time they left the house, just to be on the safe side. Slowly but surely, Elphaba found herself relaxing a little and she could tell Oscar felt the same.

Galinda informed her at some point that several people had enquired about the mayor and deputy mayor's whereabouts – some business relations, including the people involved in the charity gala Elphaba hadn't been able to attend, as well as some employees and some personal friends. Galinda told them all that both Oscar and Elphaba had come down with a nasty virus and had to stay in bed, figuring that was the safest thing to say so as not to alarm people.

Thanks, Glin, Elphaba texted her friend in reply. Good thinking. I owe you one.

The blonde called her back. "Is everything all right, Elphie?" she asked. "Cohvu and I are a little worried."

"We're fine," Elphaba assured her. "We haven't been followed and we're all safe. It's nice to be out of the City for a while, not to mention seeing Nessa. Benn and Rodger are keeping an eye on us and Fiyero is arriving tomorrow, so don't worry about us."

"Good." Elphaba could hear the smile in Galinda's voice. "It will all resolve itself, Elphie. I promise."

Elphaba pursed her lips, playing with her hair. "I know."

"And the twins?"

The green woman sighed and told her friend about their conversation on the night of their arrival. Galinda was a little shocked to learn that the twins knew about their father now, but Elphaba reassured her they were taking it rather well and the blonde let the subject drop.

"Oh, by the way, Duran called," Galinda said. "He heard the illness story and since he knows about the stalker after having been attacked, he was worried about you. I told him the truth about you having taken a break and left the City – I hope you don't mind."

"Of course not," Elphaba assured her friend. "How is he?"

"You mean, has anything else happened to him?" Galinda asked knowingly. "No. He hasn't been near you again, remember? Your stalker would have had no reason to hurt him."

Elphaba had to acknowledge that that was true.

"Gazilon texted me, too, to ask about your illness and if it was anything serious, especially since he texted you last weekend and you never replied. I told him it was a long story but that you would be fine. He wants to meet up with you sometime in the near future."

"I know." Elphaba sighed. "I can't, though. Not yet."

"Anyway," the blonde continued, "Cohvu sends his love and so do I. Kiss the twins for me, will you? And let me know when you'll be returning to the City."

"I will," Elphaba promised. "Thanks for everything, Glin." She really was grateful to be able to leave everything in the capable hands of her blonde assistant. Between Galinda and her and Oscar's other employees, she was sure everything back home would be all right while she enjoyed some well-deserved time off in her home province.

On Thursday morning, Fiyero arrived, having taken an early flight from the Emerald City. He assured Elphaba and Oscar that security back at the Palace was as tight as it could be now.

"We've installed more cameras," he said. "There's an alarm on the doors to the fifth floor so no-one will be able to get to your private rooms anymore without security being alerted. More guards will be posted at all entrances to not just the building, but the grounds in general; and while we're away, they'll be installing electronic doors to all hallways that you need a pass to open, so no unauthorised people – including staff – can get through. Also, everyone who wants access to the fifth floor will be searched."

Elphaba smiled at him. "Thank you," she said sincerely.

He flashed her a grin in reply. "It's what I do."

He was quickly introduced to Nessa before being whisked away by the twins to go fishing at the lake with Benn and Rodger.

"Mum doesn't like fishing," Xalo told Fiyero. "Neither does Fawn."

"I think it's mean," the little green girl declared, crossing her arms. "How would you like to get a hook stuck in your cheek?"

Fiyero made a face. "You can go back to your mum, if you want," he suggested, but she shook her head.

"I like being outside," she said.

He nodded and helped Xalo prepare his fishing rod. "Who taught you how to fish?"

"Boq," said Xalo. "He's a friend of Auntie Nessa's. He lives just down the road from her home. Mum thinks they're in love, but Auntie Nessa says that's not true."

"It's true," Fawn assured Fiyero, which made him laugh.

He and Xalo fished in silence for a while, with Fawn wandering around and Benn and Rodger unobtrusively keeping an eye on both children.

Fawn glanced over at the rowboat lying at a short wooden pier just down the beach. "Can we go rowing later? The boat's Boq's. I'm sure he won't mind – we always borrow his boat when we come here."

"Of course," said Fiyero, giving her a grin. To his slight surprise, she grinned back.

"Cool."

"Will your mum come, too?" Fiyero asked, but the twins shook their heads.

"She doesn't really like boats," said Fawn. "She never comes rowing with us. She and Auntie Nessa will probably come to watch, though."

"And Grandpa," Xalo added. His face brightened. "Can we go this afternoon? We could make food and have a big picnic by the lake!"

Fawn's eyes brightened and Fiyero nodded with a smile. "That sounds like a plan."

Xalo went back to fishing and Fawn to walking around, kicking at pebbles; and Fiyero couldn't help but smile and hope that this whole stalker business would come to an end soon. These kids deserved to have a normal life and Elphaba perhaps even more so.

They returned to the house a short while later and told the others about their plan. Everyone agreed and they all went straight into the kitchen to start working on lunch.

"Hey, kids," Fiyero said casually as he mixed some lemonade syrup with water. "How did your mum hold up on the way here?"

The twins exchanged a look.

Elphaba groaned. "Do you have to ask them?" she demanded. "I held up just fine, thank you very much."

"You did hold both our hands all the time," Xalo pointed out.

"And you insisted on sitting by the door and keeping the window open just a crack," Fawn added.

"And you were really quiet," Xalo said.

"You know, apart from that one time when you started freaking out," said Fawn.

Elphaba glared at them. "Thank you very much," she said sarcastically.

Fawn giggled and Xalo said innocently, "You're welcome, Mum."

Elphaba scowled and chopped violently at a cucumber for the sandwiches, but Fiyero just grinned at her. "There's no shame in that, you know," he said.

She sighed. "I know," she admitted. "But it feels like a weakness and I hate being weak."

Fiyero rolled his eyes. Both Oscar and Nessa were suppressing grins.

"You managed," Oscar said. "That's the most important thing."

Elphaba grumbled something under her breath and Fiyero nudged her hip with his as he joined her at the counter. "Don't do that. I'm proud of you."

"For staying in that car?" She snorted. "It's not like I had much of a choice."

"No," he acknowledged and he gave her another one of those infuriating, crooked grins. "But at least you didn't faint. Or cause magical explosions."

Her cheeks coloured and his eyes widened. "You caused a magical explosion?!"

"Not quite," she muttered. "Dad calmed me down in time."

He whistled between his teeth. "Yeesh, Fae."

"Shut up," she told him and he laughed and stole a slice of cucumber from the counter, popping it into his mouth as he moved over to Oscar to help him fill the basket.

They all moved outside not long thereafter. Elphaba and Oscar spread a blanket in the grass and installed Nessarose on it; the guards wandered around, examining the area and keeping an eye out for unwanted visitors; and the twins dragged Fiyero over to the rowboat attached to the pier. They pushed it onto the water and leapt inside, the kids cheering as Fiyero started rowing farther out onto the lake.

"I want to swim!" Xalo cried, but Elphaba quickly intervened from the blanket on the shore.

"It's way too cold for that," she told him sternly. "Stay inside that boat, Xalo."

He pouted. "But Mum!" he whined, earning himself an elbow between the ribs from his sister.

"Don't be a baby," she scolded him. "Mum's right. It's not nearly warm enough for swimming."

He grinned at her and splashed her with some water. She shrieked and threw herself at him, attempting to wrestle him out of the boat, but Xalo was bigger than his sister and managed to hold her off.

"Kids!" Fiyero shouted. "No rocking the boat!"

On the blanket, Elphaba, Oscar, and Nessarose were watching in amusement as the twins obediently sat down. Fiyero gave them a stern look, but the moment he looked away, Xalo stuck out his tongue at the bodyguard. Fawn giggled and as her brother continued to make faces at Fiyero, she suddenly struck and pushed Xalo out of the boat, into the water. He screamed like he was being strangled and Fawn asked innocently, "How do you like the temperature of the water, Xalo? Isn't it a little cold for swimming?"

Fiyero, laughing, let go of the oars and gently pushed Fawn aside so he could hang over the edge of the boat and hold out a hand to Xalo. "Need some help, buddy?"

Grumbling, Xalo took the man's hand and Elphaba exchanged a grin with Oscar and Nessa at her children's antics. She looked back at the boat just in time to see the explosion that tore it apart.