A Lunch, A Storm, A Cold

Time went on, as it was wont to do, and the three unlikely people – the prince, the It Girl, and the Green Girl – formed an equally unlikely trio of friends that turned heads without fail whenever they ventured out of the university grounds. In the university, however, the students eventually grew accustomed to them and Elphaba no longer had to fake deafness to the whispers that had floated around in the early weeks of their friendship.

For it was a friendship for Elphaba, and the first one she ever had in her adult life that consisted of like-minded individuals of the same age. She still had to pinch herself (mentally) whenever she caught herself in the throes of laughter over a joke Fiyero cracked, or sharing a conspiratorial look with him over some of Galinda's more comical mannerisms. Galinda also had her own way with Elphaba; while she would never conform to her sparkly ideal of sleepovers and pillow fights, there were sundry talks late into the night about topics that were close to their hearts, and Elphaba told her more about her dysfunctional childhood than she had any other person. All these were rather new to her, and sometimes Elphaba had to resist smiling in excitement as she went on her way to meeting her friends again. After all, she couldn't afford the student population of Shiz thinking that she had grown friendly, could she?

"Elphie! There you are!"

Well, maybe she ought to invest in some earplugs first.

"Yes, here I am." She deadpanned, standing up from the bench in the park. "I doubt that there's a single soul in the whole of Shiz Park who doesn't know where I am by now."

"Oh, I can't help my vocal training," Galinda said airily, as the girls began to make their way to the cafeteria for lunch.

"Wait – Where's Fiyero?"

"Oh, he had to talk over something with Avaric –– something about his parents sending over a parcel of sorts and Fiyero can't get it himself later. He'll be with us for lunch."

"Alright. Oh, before I forget –– I invited Nessa and Boq to lunch as well, seeing that I haven't been spending time with Nessa recently."

Galinda was silent for a few moments, before sighing, "Does Boq have to be there?"

"Why?" Elphaba asked, surprised. "He's with Nessa, obviously she'd want him there."

Galinda fidgeted uncomfortably. "Well, he did have a crush on me before …"

"Oh please," Elphaba rolled her eyes. "Half the campus boys are in love with you and the other half are just pretending not to be because they're waiting for Fiyero to dump you."

"Perish that thought," Galinda giggled, cheered up once again by her nameless fans. "Anyway, I just hope it won't be awkward for Nessa, Boq and me."

"It won't be," Elphaba said confidently as they pushed open the door. Even though summer was gradually transitioning to autumn and the evenings were long, the afternoon sun in Shiz was still rather unforgivable and thus the cool air from the cafeteria was a welcome respite from the afternoon heat.

Boq rose up from the table immediately and hurried to meet Galinda. "It's so –– so good to see you again, Miss. Galinda," he said with an almost painful formality, bending over and kissing her on the hand. "I'm –– I'm afraid that I've been so pre– pre-occupied with Nessarose that I've quite –– quite forgotten to …"

"It's no matter, Boq," Galinda said distantly as she extracted her hand from his grasp and moved towards the table. "I'm delighted that you're with Nessa now." She smiled at Nessa, who smiled back shyly. "Congratulations, Nessa, you look really happy."

"Thank you, Galinda, and you too," Nessa said softly. "Please, everyone, have a seat."

Elphaba seated herself on Nessa's right, and Galinda seated herself immediately beside Elphaba to prevent Boq moving from his place on Nessa's left. These manoeuvres left one chair empty, which did not escape Boq's notice.

"Oh, is Fiyero coming too?" Boq asked resentfully.

"Yes, he is." Galinda said pleasantly. "He's on his way, I hope you all won't mind his tardiness."

"Of course not," Nessa said smoothly. "Boq and I were just talking about how we were looking forward to all of you coming."

Elphaba privately thought that perhaps not "all" of their company was preferred by Boq, but nonetheless put this aside.

"How have you been, Nessa? I'm so sorry I haven't been taking you to lessons recently, as our timetables are so out of joint that it's a wonder I even get to see you around campus."

"It's alright, Elphaba," Nessa smiled, laying her pale hand against Elphaba's green one. "You can't take care of me forever, and Boq has been doing a marvellous job."

"Thank you, Boq," Elphaba smiled at the Munchkin sincerely, which he received with a distracted nod of his head while trying hard not to stare covertly at Galinda.

Galinda pointedly ignored him and leaned in. "So, Nessa," she said with a bright smile. "Tell me about your studies. Can you even study with Madame Morrible hanging over your shoulder?"

Nessa flushed. "My studies are coming along … fine. Madame Morrible is always good to me, and she's quite busy with her Head duties anyway, so I can get my own space quite often."

"Does she go around muttering like the nutter she looks like?"

Everyone at the table looked up then, as Fiyero announced his arrival with a cheeky grin. He swept an elaborate bow to Nessa, before taking his place and tipping back his chair.

"You took your time," Galinda scolded him teasingly, leaning against his arm.

"My apologies, Princess," Fiyero affectionately kissed Galinda's golden head, missing the dark look Boq shot him.

"Well, now that our talk is undoubtedly enriched by your absen – I mean, presence," Elphaba coughed lightly, suppressing a grin. "I suppose we'd better start on our food."

"Yes, the Artichoke requires her sustenance," Fiyero mused, spearing some of his vegetables and twirling them in her direction.

"Why, you ––!" Elphaba said in mock outrage, pretending to swat his arm. It was a mark of how far the trio's friendship had come that they could joke about their acrimonious beginning.

"Ah, ah, ah," Fiyero said, grinning as she missed by a mile. "You cannot compete with a hunter trained in the Thousand Year Grasslands."

"I'd rather drop you into the Thursk Desert and see if you'd survive," Elphaba threatened.

"Oh, you wound my heart, lady 'o mine," Fiyero said, placing his hand over his heart with an aggrieved expression. "And here I thought we were onto something … more."

Something about his tone and playful expression made tendrils of heat threaten to crawl up Elphaba's face, but she resisted it with a toss of her head. "More? Dear Oz, you were more deaf and blind than I'd thought!"

"Children, children," Galinda broke in their rapid-fire exchanges with a flap of her delicate arms. "You two are worse than a Quadling and a Munchkin fighting over a fishing spot in the Munchkin River! Let's eat."

The lunch concluded thus with little fanfare, as each began to talk about the next class after lunch. Nessa had no classes for the remainder of the day, and Elphaba, wanting to spend a little alone time with her sister, offered to wheel her back to Madame Morrible's apartments. This relieved Boq of his duties, but when offered a chance to head back together by Fiyero, he sullenly refused and decided to return on his own. Fiyero shrugged and offered his arm gallantly to Galinda, and they left the cafeteria together.

"I've missed this," Elphaba said as she pushed the wheelchair, flexing her fingers in the grooves worn into the handles.

"So have I," Nessa said, turning around to grasp Elphaba's hand. "Oh, Elphaba, the sky looks really dark. It's really amazing how fast the weather changes now that we're nearing autumn. I hope we'll be able to get back without it pouring."

"I'm sure we will." Elphaba replied non-committedly. "So did you enjoy lunch?"

"I did." Nessa said, a smile playing about her lips. "And I think Fiyero likes you."

"Don't be daft, Nessa," Elphaba laughed after a moment's pause. "He's dating Galinda, remember?"

"I never meant it in a romantic sense," Nessa replied innocently.

"Oh – well – how else could you have meant it, then?" Elphaba said confusedly.

Nessa giggled. "I meant that he really likes you as a person, but it's interesting how you made that leap …"

"Well, isn't that what most people would do?" Elphaba said, her embarrassment making her irritable. "He's so charming that half the girls on campus are in love with him!"

"And you?"

"I'm as removed from it as I can be, which is ironic considering the close physical proximity I share with him daily is something most girls would swoon for. Unfortunately, I can't help the fact that my roommate is dating him, so such is life," Elphaba said, waving a hand to flick off a buzzing bee. She used Nessa's key to unlock the door to Madame Morrible's apartments and pushed her in.

"Do you really not like anyone at all, Elphaba?"

Elphaba paused, before turning around and kneeling to face Nessa.

"What brought this sudden bout of questioning, Nessa? You never used to care about such things."

Nessa blushed. "Well, after being together with Boq, I really want to see you happy too. You seem to really get on with Fiyero, so I thought …"

"I can achieve happiness by myself, Nessa," Elphaba said dismissively. "You don't need to start match-making me and Fiyero just because we like verbal sparring."

"Is that what you call flirting now?"

"Nessa!"

"Oh, sorry," Nessa said, not sounding very sorry at all. "But I just thought that it'll be better if you have someone to confide in, and to comfort you … since we're no longer living as close together as we once were."

"Is that what you call canoodling with Boq now?" Elphaba teased Nessa. "Spare me the details, I don't need them."

Nessa blushed even more. "It was only a few kisses, so far."

"'So far'! Well, don't let Father hear that, or Boq may find himself without home and country. Anyway," Elphaba said as she got up to put away Nessa's things. "Don't think for a moment that I'm going to find someone to replace you. Even if Fiyero was interested in me –– which would require a miracle or two, mind you –– he's dating Galinda and he makes her happy, and I'd rather cut my arm off before hurting her in any way."

By the time Elphaba left, it was starting to rain cats and dogs, and she cursed herself for leaving her umbrella in her dorm and not borrowing one from Nessa when she had the chance. She debated going up to retrieve one from Madame Morrible's apartments, but eventually decided that it would inconvenience Nessa. Besides, it wasn't like her dorm was too far away, right?

Wrong. The rain increased exponentially until it was just sheets of grey pelting Elphaba, and that was even before she got to the Square. By the time she managed to slip and slide her way into her dorm, her hair was hanging in drapes around her face, and she couldn't remember the last time she had been this wet.

"Elphie!" Galinda gasped as she opened the door. "Oh, why didn't you stay at Nessa's until the rain was over? You're soaked to the bone!"

"There –– wasn't – time," Elphaba chattered. "Quick, help me get changed, I need to be at a Law lecture in five minutes."

"You'll do no such thing! Why, your hair looks like it just took a bath, it'll take ages to wring out and dry before the fire in the common room …"

"Blast my hair! Cut it off, then!"

"I'm going to ignore whatever you just said as I know you think your hair is your only beauty. What –– Are you really going to that Law lecture?"

"Yes, yes, goodbye!"

Halfway through the lecture, Elphaba was beginning to think that Galinda was right after all. The Law professor liked to teach in a spacious hall, but unfortunately said spacious hall was also a notoriously drafty one, and Elphaba's wet hair had hardly time to dry before she piled it on her head in an attempt to stop it dripping on her books. By the time she got back to her room to collapse, her hair was not the only thing dripping.

Galinda tutted. "See what I meant? Now you're on your way to a fine cold."

"Shut it," Elphaba sniffed miserably, as Galinda used one of her huge fluffy towels to wring out the water still in Elphaba's hair while deftly supplying tissues for Elphaba's nose. "I feel like my head's a waterlogged cannon."

"It is a waterlogged cannon, since you thought it was a fine idea to go to that drafty hall with a head of long, wet hair!" Galinda admonished. "Sometimes, Elphie, you're really not that smart."

Elphaba bit back a retort and just let her head slump forward in Galinda's capable hands. "I feel like I could sleep for an age or two."

"Do you have any more classes?"

"Oz, no."

"Well then, off you go to bed. I don't want to hear a peep until I'm sure you don't have a fever."

By then too tired to argue, Elphaba dragged herself and all but collapsed on her bed, her mind instantly giving way to all-encompassing darkness.

The next few days were spent in a haze as Elphaba tossed back and forth in her bed. She was vaguely aware of Galinda tipping her head back and feeding her some vile-tasting medicine, as well as the voice of the school nurse coming in. Evidently the school nurse did not think this more than a common cold, as she was left alone in her room to recuperate without moving to the Hospital Wing. Fiyero's baritone voice also drifted through her jumbled imaginations, and more than once she thought she felt his large hand on her forehead.

Why would Fiyero try to feel my forehead? He's not even supposed to be here … She thought drowsily. Oh. Do I have a fever? Her head answered with a throb.

Hm. Looks like I do.

I wonder if Nessa knows.

Oh Oz, the amount of homework I'm going to have after my missed classes …

Three days later, she awoke with a start to a dimly lit room. The curtain was open, showing that the street lamps were lit, but whether it was night or early morning, she couldn't tell. She turned her head to look at Galinda's bed, but regretted it as soon as the resultant dizziness made her eyes swim.

"Hey." A voice that was decidedly not Galinda's sounded. Elphaba frowned as she tried to place it.

"Fiyero?" Her voice sounded scratchy even to her waterlogged ears. "What are you doing here?"

"Galinda is exhausted after caring for you these past two days, so I let her go sleep in my room while I stayed up. Avaric is a trustworthy fellow, he won't do anything untoward."

His face appeared above Elphaba's, curls in casual disarray. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I have dried wool stuck in my throat," Elphaba croaked. "And like I could drink like a Vinkan horse."

Fiyero chuckled. "I'll get you some water, hold on."

A few moments he appeared with a glass of water, which Elphaba gratefully gulped down. After setting it on her bedside table and helping Elphaba ease herself up, Fiyero settled back onto Galinda's bed and surveyed the room.

"Everything looks neat here," he observed.

"I'm surprised Galinda didn't tear this place up looking for a stray bobby pin of hers," Elphaba said in tired amusement. "I must have been quite sick, in order to occupy her full attention."

Fiyero laughed quietly. "You were. For a moment there yesterday we thought we ought to move you to the Hospital Wing, but your fever eventually broke. That's why I convinced Galinda to go rest today."

"Thank you," Elphaba said quietly. "… What time is it now?"

"It is …" Fiyero checked his watch. "About one in the morning. I sent her off around eleven."

"And you're not tired?"

"No, it's a Sunday and I had a rather late start to the morning. Plus, you have a wonderful book collection that I've been amusing myself with."

Elphaba was too tired to consider berating Fiyero for borrowing her precious books without permission. "Which one are you reading now?"

"Penance. A lovely story, this one."

"Mm, one of my favourites." Elphaba toyed with a fray in her blanket. "I sobbed like a little baby when I saw the film."

"You, crying?" Fiyero said incredulously. "My, my, that must've been a sight to see."

"Shut up," Elphaba said crossly. "Now I don't even want to tell you why I did."

"C'mon, Elphaba, I was just kidding." Fiyero leaned over. "So why did you cry?"

"It was just … I felt like all of it could've been avoided. All of the needless heartache, and all of the author's guilt, could have been avoided if but for that one single mistake. And she was not exactly to blame either; though I know most of other readers would disagree. After all, it's always easier to place the blame on someone rather than some events you cannot control."

Fiyero was silent for a while. "Sounds like you empathize with the girl quite a bit," he said eventually.

"Well – " Here Elphaba stopped, suddenly aware that she was about to spill more of her secrets. "I just know how it feels, I guess, to carry the weight of guilt." She said carefully. "For a very long time."

"It's because of Nessa, isn't it? That you feel this way?" Fiyero asked bluntly.

"Why – How did you – Did Galinda –?" Elphaba gasped, sitting up in alarm.

"Galinda didn't say anything, but it's not like I'm stupid. You care for Nessa immensely, though I'd felt sometimes that it wasn't just because she's handicapped. There was a kind of look in your eyes that made it seem as if you were almost trying to pay penance –– excuse the pun –– for something that had happened in the past. It's no secret among us students that your father is the Governor of Munchkinland, and it's no secret in the royal and political circles that his wife –– your mother –– had died of unknown causes shortly after giving birth to Nessa. While I ruled out the possibility of you directly causing Nessa's infirmity, it left the likelihood that you felt indirectly responsible or at least partially at fault, and knowing your father's reputation, it's quite clear who fed you that impression. Why or how is the question I never could answer."

Fiyero's words left Elphaba, quite literally, speechless. It took a few moments before she realised that she had tears streaming down her face and her nose was running again.

"I – " She sniffled as she blew her nose. "It was the milkflowers. Father was so afraid that another baby would be born green that he made Mother chew milkflowers day and night, and Nanny said that's why Nessa was born premature with her legs that way. But if I hadn't been born green …" Elphaba wiped away her tears with a little laugh. "I never had someone deduce the truth without wrangling it out from me. Even Galinda had to take my mother's bottle before I told her what you just said."

"Your mother's bottle?"

Elphaba dug under her pillow and retrieved the small green bottle. Fiyero took it and examined it, running his hands over the smooth emerald glass.

"It was the only thing of Mother's that I could keep without Father sensing it," Elphaba explained, taking in a deep breath. "In fact, I don't think he even knows she had it."

Fiyero got up and knelt in front of her bed. "Hey." He said quietly, pressing the bottle into her hands. "She was your mother, and you were right to keep it. Don't listen to anyone who says otherwise, least of all your father. He might be a good ruler, but I think he's a terrible father."

"He's not – really," Elphaba said weakly. "He's good to Nessa."

"Because she's sweet, gentle and wouldn't do anything to hurt a fly. Everyone loves Nessa because she's easy to love. You didn't deserve any less for being born green, and I think your father just found the cowardly way out to treat you this way. It wasn't your fault that he felt that milkflowers were a good decision."

Elphaba stared into Fiyero's resolute green eyes. "You really think so?" She whispered.

"I know so." Fiyero said firmly, grasping her hands. "And from now onwards I hope you'll believe it, too."

Elphaba closed her eyes, and expelled a breath. When she opened them, she found Fiyero's and smiled softly. "I think I can now."

A/N: Wow hey, look who's back with an update, and with 3k words to boot! This is my longest chapter ever, and it's going to be like this from now onwards as I consider most of my "exposition" to be finished :)

Much thanks to the two reviewers who've left comments so far, especially the warm words of Straitjacketed! To be honest, I wasn't expecting Wicked fanfiction to still have readers as it's been a while since an Oz movie came out or a big change in the cast of the Musical. Nonetheless, reviews and views keep me going, so PLEASE REVIEW and FOLLOW! :)

A bonus cookie to anyone who can spot the literary reference I left in there ... Penance ... Now what is that a synonym for? ;) Fiyero has also been surprising our favourite green girl recently, eh? And she's starting to step into a river of denial ... Poor thing. Oh well, see you guys soon!