AN: 11 reviews on the very first chapter! Wow, thank you guys so much!

I love how you all immediately assumed it would be a Fiyeraba baby (most of you, anyway). Who says it's not a Glinda/OC baby? Or a Madame Morrible baby, or an Elmain baby? Did I ever say the baby was for a Wicked fanfic at all? I didn't, did I?

Elphaba'sGirl, I love your theory on it. Yes, it's for my original story, and normally I would do exactly as you said, weren't it that that story is written half from Xav's point of view and half from Cenna's, so the opposite gender of the main character is not really an option :').

I'm just going to think about it a little bit more.

PrincessKadenceofMusic: Yes, I brought Cyara back from an older fanfic of mine, 'Made to be broken' :).

Musicgal3: You're right. You know me, don't you? This will most likely become pretty angsty, and not just because of heated arguments between Elphaba and Fiyero.

Kudos to Sander for reviewing. Hi, Sander! (He's actually one of the... um... one... people I know in real life who reads my stories :P. Remember the Shakespeare film project I told you about? (If not, I refer you to my blog.) He's part of the production team as well.)

And last but not least:

I'd like to dedicate this chapter to ThroppSister. I saw you even mentioned me in your profile - I'm really honoured, and I'm so glad I can help you just a little bit by writing these stories. Thank you so much, and I hope you'll be okay soon 3.

Chapter 2. The university

"Yero?" the Queen called as he passed by the sitting room. "Would you mind coming in here for a moment?"

"Sure." He entered the room and plopped down in a comfortable armchair. "What's up?"

His mother rolled her eyes. "Your father told me about Elphaba," she said. "That's what's 'up'."

He grinned at her.

"Yero, I think it's amazing that you're this serious about a relationship," she said honestly. "But your father and I talked, and we just want you to be careful."

Fiyero frowned. "Careful? About what?"

Lori sighed. "I wish I could tell you it doesn't matter," she said softly. "But it does. Fiyero… you're the Crown Prince of the Vinkus, and as such, the things you do… the people you see… can have political consequences."

He was still confused. "Yes," he said. "Dad gave me this speech about a thousand times when I was still partying and drinking all the time. I thought you would be happy to see that I am settling down, focusing more on my studies, actually fell in love with someone…"

Lori smiled softly. "We are happy," she assured him. "Really. But –"

Fiyero's eyes had narrowed. "Is this about her being green?" he demanded. "Because in that case, I'm going to get up and leave right now and –"

"No, Fiyero," his mother said with a sigh. "Of course this is not about her being green. Do you really think we're that shallow?"

He kept silent.

"What I was going to say is that you know about… about the Glikkun attacks."

Fiyero nodded – he had heard about those attacks, as had everyone in Oz by now. Apparently some Glikkuns were trying to spread fear. Some people said that they were looking to expand their territory; others claimed that they were just terrorists. It was a fact, however, that they had attacked several targets all throughout Oz and there had been many casualties. A City Hall in Munchkinland, some robberies in the Vinkus and on the Yellow Brick Road – there had even been an attack on the Emerald Palace, though that one had been struck down by the Gale Force and the terrorists had been arrested.

Still, there were more of them. Many, many more. What had really caused the unrest in Oz to reach a high was the attack on a primary school in Gillikin not two months ago. Hundreds of young children had been killed, and the Wizard had gathered the leaders of the other provinces to make sure something would be done about this.

"There have been rumours," Lori began, "about the Governor of Munchkinland, Elphaba and Nessarose's father, trying to placate the Glikkun terrorists by forming an alliance with the Glikkus."

Fiyero frowned. "Why in Oz would he do that?" he wanted to know. "He'll be stronger on our side. Gillikin is with us, so is the Wizard, and with Munchkinland –"

"I know," Lori cut him off. "But Governor Thropp is worried that his home will be the next target. After the attack on the Emerald Palace, and the one last week on the Duke and Duchess of Gillikin, he has grown afraid."

Fiyero had to admit that he couldn't blame the man.

"He is trying to reach an agreement with the Glikkus. I'm not sure what he is doing – grant the Glikkuns free passage through Munchkinland, maybe; or promising some Glikkun people a high position in his government… but the point is, people are starting to grow suspicious. They fear Munchkinland is siding with the terrorists, and, of course, that is not a good thing – especially not after the attack on that school this summer…"

"Mum," Fiyero interrupted her. "I know. I understand. I've heard it all. But what in Oz does that have to do with me and Elphaba?"

Lori sighed. "I just want you to be careful, Yero," she said. "I wish I could tell you that you can do whatever you please; but it remains a fact that you are the Crown Prince of the Vinkus, and if things get ugly, if the rest of Oz turns towards Munchkinland… you and Elphaba may have a hard time being together. This thing could quickly turn into a full-blown war between the Glikkus and Munchkinland on one side and Gillikin, the Vinkus and the Emerald City on the other, and if it does… you're the heir to the Vinkun throne, she's the heir to the Governorship of Munchkinland. It might not end well."

"Okay." Fiyero rose to his feet and paced back and forth, counting on his fingers. "One: Elphaba is not the heir to the Governorship of Munchkinland. Nessa is."

Lori opened her mouth to say something, surprised, but Fiyero cut her off before she could make a sound, explaining, "The Governor doesn't want her to rule Munchkinland because she is green and he is the meanest, stupidest, most superficial jerk in all of Oz."

Lori closed her mouth again and just nodded, silently encouraging him to go on.

"Two," he said, turning to look at the Queen again, "everything you've just mentioned is a possibility. This might become a war. People might think this, the Governor might do that. Maybe this won't even become a war. Maybe the Governor is not forming an alliance with the Glikkus at all. Maybe the people don't care who I'm dating. Maybe I don't care whether the people care who I'm dating!"

"I'm not saying you should stop seeing her," Lori said calmly. "I wouldn't want you to. She's changed you – for the better. Yero, all I'm saying is that you should be prepared for anything."

He nodded. "I will," he said. "I'll keep it in mind. But until something actually happens, I'm just going to date Elphaba. We'll see to anything else when it happens, okay?"

Lori smiled at him as she rose to her feet and embraced him. "I'm proud of you, Yero."

He rolled his eyes, but he was grinning at the same time.

The entire carriage ride, Fiyero was all but bouncing in his seat – up to the point where the carriage driver threw an annoyed look over his shoulder. "Your Highness, would you mind sitting still?" he asked, sounding perfectly polite, but Fiyero could hear the annoyed undertone of the man's voice. He just grinned at the carriage driver and tried to sit still; but within a minute, his leg was wobbling again and before he knew it, he had gone back to bouncing.

The carriage driver just heaved a sigh.

The moment the carriage came to a halt, Fiyero jumped out, leaving the driver to take care of his suitcases. He looked around him, but before he even had the chance to see if he could catch a glimpse of green, a loud squeal sounded across the courtyard.

"Fifi!" Galinda came running towards him, jumping him and throwing her arms around him in a bone-crushing hug. "Oh, I missed you so much! I just have to tell you about this cute Gillikin boy I met and –"

"Whoa, Glin," he cut her off, gently but firmly pushing her off of him. "Don't you have friends for that? Girls, I mean? What makes you think I want to hear about your cute Gillikin boy?"

She pouted. "Oh, Fifi, please!" she whined. "Elphie isn't here yet, and even if she were, she wouldn't care about my Gillikin cupcake, and Pfannee, Shenshen and Milla are all just… ugh. They would only care about how handsome he is and how much money he has. But that's not even why I'm dating him! Can you believe that? I'm dating him because he's a genuinely nice person – wow, I never thought I'd say this… Seriously, though, he's really gentlemanly and kind, and he treats me like a lady… of course he's also handsome, you know – he's got brown hair, like, the colour of…" She thought about that for a moment, cocking her head. "Coffee… you know, coffee with milk and sugar… cappuccino, maybe? Or… latte macchiato? Or milk chocolate… yes, that's it! The colour of milk chocolate! And his eyes are just dreamy, but that's not all there is to him! He's actually really smartified, and –"

"Galinda, no offense," he interrupted her, "but I don't really want to hear all this. I mean, I'm happy for you, of course," he hastened to reassure her, "but why would I care what colour his hair is?"

She sighed and grumbled. "You were right before," she said, sticking her nose up in the air. "I think I'm going to find Pfannee, Shenshen and Milla. Goodbye, Fiyero. Nice to see you again." With that and a huff, she turned on her heels and stalked off.

Fiyero suppressed a grin.

Galinda had said that Elphaba hadn't arrived yet, which a visit to Madame Morrible confirmed – Nessa wasn't there. "I expect them later today," Morrible told him, at which he nodded and thanked her, then left the room.

With nothing else to do, he just started unpacking his suitcases – a job which he found the most boring thing in the world.

Clothes – closet. Extra blanket – top shelf in closet. Shoes – bottom of closet. Pencils and notebooks – desk. Toothbrush and toothpaste – bathroom.

Only then he found out that didn't remember where he had put the present he had bought for Elphaba; and so he started randomly pulling things from his suitcase and tossing them around the room in his search for the wrapped present. By the time he had found it, his room was covered in layers of clothes, pieces of paper, notebooks and other things that probably weren't supposed to be on the floor, but Fiyero could care less.

He waited in his room for some time, hoping that Elphaba would come to find him the moment she returned; but then he realised that Galinda would probably find her friend first and whisk her away to their dorm room for the rest of the day, which he really didn't want. Eventually, he left his room and went to sit on a low stone pillar in the courtyard, watching the arriving and departing carriages, hoping to catch a glimpse of green.

He didn't see it, but he did see Boq at some point. Jumping to his feet, he ran over towards the carriage the Munchkin had stepped down from.

"Hey, Boq!" he greeted the other boy.

"Fiyero!" Boq smiled at him. "Good to see you again. Did you have a nice summer?"

Fiyero shrugged, trying to peek inside the carriage. "It was alright."

"You're just in time," Boq said, tugging at the taller man's arm. "Could you help me get Nessa into her chair? The thing is so heavy…"

Fiyero's heart started beating faster – if Nessa was here, that meant Elphaba had to be, too! He had to be patient, however – first he helped Boq get the chair down from the roof of the carriage, and then he had to hold it still as Boq lifted Nessa out of the carriage and into her chair. She smiled up at the Munchkin. "Thank you, Boq."

He returned her smile.

Fiyero, who had been wondering why Elphaba hadn't exited the carriage to help as well – usually she was the first one to jump forward to assist her sister – was now peering into the carriage. His face fell when he saw that it was empty.

Nessa and Boq shared a slightly uncomfortable look. "Are you looking for Fabala?" Nessa asked softly. "She arrived here earlier… earlier today. She had someone else to escort her."

Fiyero frowned, puzzled, but he wasn't worried. Why would he be? "Okay… I must have missed her, then."

"Galinda probably kidnapped her the moment she set foot on campus," Boq told Fiyero with a small grin that looked a little bit too forced. "I guess she's in her dorm room."

"She'll come to look for you later," Nessa assured him. "When Galinda lets her go. I believe she wanted to see you."

Nessa believed that Fae wanted to see him? Fiyero's frown deepened. Both Boq and Nessa were acting strange, wriggling around all uncomfortably and forcing smiles and pretending to act normal while really, they weren't acting normal at all. "What is going on?"

They exchanged another one of those looks. "Nothing!" Boq blurted out, while at the same time Nessa said, "You'll have to ask Fabala."

Suddenly he was worried.

Without another word, he turned around and headed towards the girls' dorm room, making his way up the stairs and knocking on Elphaba and Galinda's door. "Fae?"

No response.

"Fae? Glin? Are you in there?"

He pressed his ear against the wood, but he didn't hear anything. Maybe they were out for coffee, or something. He decided to head back down and go search for them at the local café.

They weren't there, either, however; and no matter where he looked, he didn't find either of them.

"Where could she be?" he asked Boq desperately when the two of them were having dinner with some of the other boys. "I thought she would come to talk to me straight away, but…"

"Maybe she's sick of you." Avaric belched.

"Sick…" One of the other boys laughed. He laughed like a whinnying horse, Fiyero noted with growing irritation. "The Artichoke… sick… I think you're right, Av – she does look a little green to me!"

Avaric grinned at the boy. Boq cast his eyes heavenward with a sigh. Fiyero just gritted his teeth and ignored all the other boys.

Just then, the door to the café opened and a bubbly blonde walked in. She was dressed in a sky blue summer dress, matched with a pair of white heels with small straps, a white stash around her waist and a white-and-blue flower in her hair. She was alone, but still – she might know where Elphaba was.

"Glin!" Fiyero called, waving at her. The moment she saw him, her face fell and she started shuffling in that same uncomfortable way Nessa and Boq had earlier.

"Hi, Fiyero," she said timidly. The fact that she didn't use his nickname told him that something was off more than anything else. He pushed his chair back and walked over to her, touching her arm lightly.

"Where's Fae?" he asked her.

She shrugged his hand off. "She took Nessa out to dinner," she said. "In town. I'm just here to meet Milla and Pfannee."

He studied her face for a moment. "There's something you're not telling me."

She spluttered weakly, but he pressed on. "Tell me, Glin. Every time I ask about Fae, everyone starts acting all weird. What's wrong? Is she alright?" His eyes suddenly widened. "She's not sick or something, is she? Glin?"

"No, Fiyero, she's not sick." Galinda sighed and twirled a perfect golden curl around her finger. "She's… she's fine. Really," she added when she saw the disbelief in his face. "She just… Oh, Fifi, I can't tell you this – she should. Go talk to her."

"I've been trying to talk to her all day long!" he exclaimed, frustrated. "Would someone please just tell me what the problem is? Why is she nowhere to be found? What has she been doing all day long? Why won't she come and talk to me? I thought she liked me…"

Galinda's face softened. "She does like you, Fifi." She placed her hand on his arm. "And I can tell you where she's been all day – I dragged her out to Suicide Canal the moment she arrived and we had a picnic so that we could share stories about our summer, and then she left for town with Nessa. Fifi, I'm not going to tell you anything, but maybe… maybe you thought that was between you was more than it really was," she said gently.

He frowned. "What? What's that supposed to mean?" he demanded.

Galinda sighed. "It means that maybe you've been reading too much in the two dates you and Elphaba went on," she said. "That's all I'm going to say."

Fiyero felt as if he had been punched. "What?" he asked her faintly. "What… what do you mean? We wrote all summer, I thought… I thought we were good…"

Then he remembered how at some point, her letters had come less frequently; and if they did come, they were distant and not as long as they had been before. He hadn't really worried about it – he figured that not much was happening over there in Munchkinland that she could tell him about, and maybe her father was keeping her busy. He knew she had to run the household when she was at home.

Now, however, he was starting to worry that there might be more to it than he had originally thought.

"I'll send her over to your dorm room the moment she returns from town," Galinda promised him, her face almost… sympathetic.

He nodded, dazed and confused. He suddenly wasn't hungry anymore.

"I'm going back to my room," he muttered to the other boys, tossing some money on the table. He ignored their protests and questions and left the café, making his way straight back to his room, where he sat down and waited for Elphaba to come by.

She didn't show up all night.

Eventually he fell asleep in the chair he had been sitting in, only to startle himself awake again when he shifted and his hand fell away from underneath his head. He stretched and looked at the clock. It was past midnight already. There was no way she would still be coming by now.

He slowly got up and started to change into his pyjamas, then crawled into his bed. Maybe she just got back from town really late, he reasoned to himself. Maybe she and Nessa were having a good time and by the time she returned to her room it was late already. She'll come to talk to me tomorrow.

Not feeling reassured at all, he eventually drifted off to sleep again.