AN: Favourite review this time was from Woodland59: 'Fiyero, go ask her if she wants to build a snowman.' :)

Okay, guys, let me just make something clear. I never said this story would not have a happy ending; I'm just saying that it's no guarantee it does have a happy ending. So it may or may not have a happy ending. Frankly, I haven't even decided yet myself.

Also, killing of Hamold might be the hardest thing I've done since killing off Nessa in Shadows; but it's a war, there need to be casualties, and if I had to decide between Hamold, Lori and Cyara... well, I just couldn't kill Lori and Cyara.

This chapter is for Steph, who is currently in London to see Wicked for her birthday with our fellow Verkaikings. A very happy birthday to you, girl! 3

Chapter 11. The friend

"Elphie?"

Elphaba peered out from underneath her blankets – she had made a nest out of them and had been hiding in it ever since her fight with Fiyero. When she saw Galinda, she sighed and rested her chin on her hands.

"How did you get in?"

Galinda grimaced. "I, um…" She held up her own room key.

Elphaba raised an eyebrow.

"I thought I left it in here," the blonde explained sheepishly. "In the room, I mean. So that's why I thought I couldn't get in, because you'd locked the door with your key and I thought my key was still in here… but it turned out to be in my purse."

"So basically you could have come in at any given time and you didn't have to sleep over in Milla's room at all," Elphaba concluded.

Galinda sighed. "Yeah. Maybe I should have actually searched for my room key first," she conceded.

Then she shook her head and jumped onto Elphaba's bed. "Elphie, Gazilon and Nessa told us everything," she said solemnly.

Elphaba stiffened. "What?"

Galinda kicked off her shoes and crawled under the blankets with Elphaba, lying on her side, facing her friend. "Nessa slipped up," she said. "She said something about you trying to break up with Fiyero and it being too dangerous, and then she and Gazilon had to tell us, because they knew otherwise I would never have let it go." She giggled, but sobered again quickly. "Elphie, I'm so sorry."

Elphaba sighed. "It's fine, Glin," she said quietly. "It's just something I have to do."

Galinda shook her head fervently. "No. No, Elphaba Thropp, it's not fine," she said sternly. "I hate your father, do you know that? Would you mind me beating him to death with a stiletto heel?" she asked hopefully, which actually elicited a small smile from Elphaba.

The blonde hugged her friend. "See? You're smiling again. It'll be alright, Elphie. Really. We'll figure something out, we'll make it right… but before that, you have to forgive Fiyero."

Elphaba shook her head.

"Elphie, he's really sorry," Galinda tried. "He's being all quiet and moodified…"

"Do you know what he said?" Elphaba asked in a choked voice, and Galinda fell silent.

"No," she admitted quietly.

Elphaba sniffled and buried her face in a pillow. "He said… he said he didn't believe me," she said, her voice trembling. "He accused me of making it all up, everything about the Glikkun people and the attack on Shiz, because I'm really just in love with Gazilon and I'm too much of a coward to admit that to Fiyero. That's what he said."

Galinda was shocked.

"And then he asked me if it was nice, having two boyfriends at the same time," Elphaba continued bitterly. "So no, Galinda. I'm not going to forgive him."

"Elphie…"

The only reply Galinda got was a sob, and she wrapped her arms around her friend, holding the green girl as she cried.

"Elphie," she tried again, stroking her roommate's hair. "He didn't mean that, I'm sure of it. It's just that… he loves you. And he doesn't want to lose you. It's hurting him, Elphie. And I know it hurts you, too, but… but for him, this is just another thing going wrong in his life. After that letter… he's terrified that his family might be dead, that he might be all alone, and then you tried to leave him as well… he didn't really handle it well," she acknowledged, "and what he said was really, really mean and he's going to need to apologise to you for that at least a hundred times… but he's in a lot of pain right now. Fiyero's the kind of person that doesn't talk about his feelings until it's too late, and then he's like an exploding bomb or something."

Elphaba winced. "Don't say that," she begged.

Galinda didn't understand at first, but then she realised that an 'exploding bomb' really wasn't a good metaphor when the threat of an actual exploding bomb was rather real at the moment. If Elphaba and Gazilon didn't play their parts right, anyway.

"Sorry," she said, biting her lip. "I forgot for a moment. Elphie, they're really going to blow up Shiz if you and Gazilon aren't convincing enough?"

Elphaba shrugged, her face still buried in a pillow. "They called it 'an attack'," she said softly. "I'm not sure what they'd do, exactly, but there's no doubt in my mind that it would be awful and involving many, many deaths."

Galinda stroked her best friend's long, raven hair. "I'm sorry." She hugged Elphaba. "Just… just know that we're all here for you," she promised. "I'll try to talk to Fiyero, but Elphie, he… he's just not himself right now. Don't be too hard on him."

Elphaba just sighed and put her head on Galinda's shoulder as the blonde hugged her tightly.

"Do you want me to stay with you?" the smaller girl asked, but Elphaba shook her head.

"Go to class, Glin," she said. "Just… tell them I'm sick, or something. I'll be back tomorrow, I just… need some time."

Galinda smiled. "Of course, Elphie." She hopped off the bed and picked up her purse again. Then she turned around. "Elphie?"

The green girl peered over her blankets.

"For what it's worth," Galinda said softly. "You're my best friend. You're like a sister to me, and I'll do anything I can for you, I promise. I love you."

Elphaba's eyes filled with tears again and she sniffled. "I… I love you, too, Glin," she choked out, and Galinda smiled and wiped away a few tears of her own before quietly slipping out of the room.

"Elphaba?"

There was something in his voice that caused her to push away the blankets and stare at the door. He sounded like he was hovering on the verge of a breakdown.

"Fae, please…" His voice was hoarse. "I know what I said was mean and unforgivable, and I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. Just… please come out. Please." He was quiet for a moment. Then he said, his voice barely audible, "I got another letter today."

She swung her legs over the edge of her bed and padded over towards the door on her bare feet. She turned the key in the lock and opened the door.

Fiyero was on the other side, looking more horrendible than she had ever seen him. He looked up and his eyes were filled with tears, but also with relief when he saw that she had opened the door for him.

"My father is dead," he choked out, the tears spilling over and streaming down his face.

Elphaba wordlessly spread her arms and he immediately collapsed into them, wrapping his arms around her and sobbing into her shoulder.

She gently led him inside, kicking the door shut, and moved them over to sit on the edge of her bed. He never once let go of her; his face was still buried in her hair and neck and he was crying a lifetime's worth.

She softly rubbed circled on his back, trying to calm him down a little. His grip on her was so tight that she was sure she would end up with some bruises, but she didn't mind so much.

After a while, his sobs died down a little, though he still did not let go of her. Instead he stayed still in the same position, clinging to her almost desperately. When he finally said something, it was hoarse and barely audible, but she heard it anyway.

"Thank you," he whispered. "For… for letting me in. I was so horrible to you, and…" Another sob escaped his throat.

She heaved a sigh, running her long, green fingers through his hair. "Fiyero," she said gently. "This is much bigger and way more important than me being mad at you because you said something hurtful. Of course I let you in. No matter how angry or hurt I am, I still love you, and I hate seeing you in pain."

He closed his eyes and tightened his grip on her even further.

She put her chin on his shoulder, her arms wrapping around his waist. "I'm so sorry," she said softly. "About your father."

He sniffled slightly. "Will you…" He swallowed. "Will you come to the funeral with me?" he croaked. "Please?"

Her heart broke – how could she say no?

"I'll ask everyone," Fiyero added quietly. "Glin, Nessa, Boq, Gazilon… to keep people from getting suspicious. I just… I need you. Please."

She pulled away slightly to look into his eyes. It pained her to see all the hurt and grief in there, where first there had only been joy and love. She knew this had cut him deep. Not just the loss of his father or the attack on his family, but what had happened between the two of them as well.

"Of course," she said softly now. "I'll be there."

He cried silently and he curled up in a ball, clutching one of her pillows. Elphaba lay down beside him, leaning her forehead against his back.

"I'm sorry," she whispered again. "About everything."

His fingers found hers and he took her hand, squeezing it gently. She planted a kiss on his back and then she opened her mouth and started singing an old Munchkin lullaby her mother had always sung to her when she had still been a little girl.

Slowly but surely, he calmed down; and finally he turned around again to face her, lacing his fingers with hers and looking into her eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice small and childlike. "I really am. What I said to you…"

She shook her head and brought her hand up to stroke his cheek. "It's okay, Yero," she said softly. "Really. It's not important. I'm sorry, too. I was being childish, locking myself up and refusing to talk to you…"

"No," he cut her off. "You had every right to be upset." He pressed his lips to her forehead, and she closed her eyes.

"Are we okay?" he whispered.

She nodded, even though she wasn't sure what 'okay' was, exactly.

He curled up in the foetal position again, his head on Elphaba's upper stomach, where he could hear her heartbeat. She ran her fingers through his hair and started singing again, softly, trying to lull him to sleep.

By the time Galinda came in, half an hour or so later, Fiyero was fast asleep, his arms wrapped around Elphaba firmly; and the blonde gave her roommate a questioning look.

"His father died," Elphaba explained in a whisper, and Galinda softened.

"That's awful." She sat down on the edge of Elphaba's bed, looking at the prince. "Will he be okay?"

Elphaba sighed, biting her lip. "I… I don't know."

Galinda placed a comforting hand on her best friend's arm. "Elphie," she said quietly. "We'll all try everything we can to make this easier on you. You need to be with Fiyero right now, and we'll cover for you. Actually," she said with a small laugh, "Gazilon is in his room right now, pretending to be with you. It's all over campus, the fact that you're spending 'so much time'," she used her fingers as quote marks, "in his dorm room. No-one even has the faintest clue that you're actually with Fiyero all the time. It's okay, Elphie. We're helping you in every way we can. He just… needs you right now."

Elphaba nodded, a soft look on her face as she looked down at a sleeping Fiyero. "I know."

Galinda squeezed her hand tightly. "I'll just go and stay over with Milla again tonight," she decided. "If anyone asks, I'll just say that I don't like sleeping alone in my room or something, but… I think you guys need some privacy."

Elphaba flashed her friend a tired smile. "Thanks, Glin." She gingerly shifted a little in order to be able to hug the blonde. "You're the best friend ever."

Galinda tossed her hair. "Why, of course," she giggled, winking at Elphaba. Then she patted the green girl's leg. "It'll be alright, Elphie."

"I hope so, Glin." Elphaba sighed and looked down at Fiyero again, lost in thought. "I hope so."