A/N: Since it's relevant, good luck to anyone preparing for finals these next few weeks. Enjoy the chapter! :)

A week before finals began, Glinda found herself once again hovering outside the café, trying to build up the courage to step inside. Once again, Fiyero was waiting for her inside and, once again, she was terrified.

"Miss Glinda?"

Glinda turned around at the sound of her name. Fiyero was there, his face impassive.

"M-master Fiyero." She had been avoiding most of her peers after the incident by the canal, but she couldn't get away from them during classes. There was nothing she could do to prevent him from stopping her in the hallway after mathematics.

But there was nothing malicious in his expression. He shifted his weight a little, looking over the top of her head. "I was wondering if…and I understand if you're hesitant…but would you meet me for lunch sometime?"

It wasn't in Glinda's nature to decline and so, however nervously, she agreed to have lunch with Fiyero. And now here she was.

She longed to be back in her dorm room, safe and quiet, studying in the bed across from Elphaba. But even the green girl, however suspicious she was of Fiyero's offer, had encouraged her to go.

"I'll be right here when you get back," she had said. "And if he tries anything, I'll hunt him down and rip off his tiny Winkie—"

"Elphie!" Glinda had blushed pink, but she couldn't help but giggle at Elphaba's smirk. Thinking of her roommate steadied her, and Glinda stepped forward determinedly.

Something told her, as she found Fiyero fidgeting in a back corner table, that the prince wasn't trying to hurt her. It also hadn't gone unnoticed that he was not involved in the incident by the canal—not that that automatically made him innocent, of course.

"Glinda!" he said, catching sight of her. She gave him a tiny smile in response. "How long do you have?" he asked as she sat down across from him.

"I don't have class for a few hours," she answered.

"That's good."

The next few minutes passed in a terrible awkwardness. They avoided each other's gaze, fiddling with their napkins, glasses, silverware. Glinda crossed and uncrossed her ankles, and she could feel Fiyero's leg bouncing up and down rapidly on the other side of the table. They talked in short spurts about classes, about finals, about the weather, but the spaces between their conversations weighed down on them, making it hard to breathe.

But eventually they both worked up enough courage to address what they were both speaking about. Glinda asked, "Why did you ask me here?" at the same time that Fiyero blurted out, "I wanted to apologize."

They stared. Glinda was sure that if Fiyero's skin could have darkened even more, it would have. She felt, with a cool, prickling sensation at the back of her neck, walls starting to form around her.

"For what?" she asked, forcing her voice to stay even.

"Everything," he said.

Galinda would have welcomed him back instantly, without question. But Glinda simply raised an eyebrow. She refused to just jump back into his arms. She refused to welcome him back and let him hurt her that easily again. She was done living for what others thought of her. Now she just wanted to take care of herself. As she waited silently for him to elaborate, she felt a bit like Elphaba. It was empowering.

The Vinkan cleared his throat. "I wanted to apologize for…Oz, Glinda, I was such a jerk. A coward, too. I was shallow, in more ways than one. I went with what everyone else was saying about you and about the green—I mean…Elphaba—because I was too afraid to speak up."

Glinda softened. "You're not the only one, Fiyero."

He looked up at her. "Maybe not. But I'm still sorry. I'm sorry for my behavior when we ate dinner together. I don't…I wasn't thinking straight. And I'm sorry for not speaking up or going after you that Saturday when we all went to town. Again, I was too afraid. I just…I'm sorry."

His words hung in the air for a moment as Glinda studied him. But after that moment, she smiled. "Apology accepted, Master Fiyero."

He smiled back, but it quickly faded. "I, uh, also wanted to say. About the other day, by the canal…"

"Don't." Her voice was firm, but not entirely unkind. "It happened, and there's nothing to do about it now. So just don't."

Fiyero nodded. "You said, the last time we ate together, that you would have us still be friends. I would too, if the offer still stands."

Glinda smiled at the look on his face: hopeful, sincere. Like the prince she'd always wanted, would still want, in another life. But maybe, just maybe, he didn't have to be a prince. Maybe he could be just Fiyero, and she could be just Glinda. Maybe, just maybe, she didn't have to lose everyone.

"Of course the offer still stands," she said, giggling at the relief that crossed his face. "I would be honored if we could be friends."

And for the rest of the meal, that's what they were.

A silence seemed to fall over campus as the week went on. Students buried themselves in various nooks and crannies of Shiz: empty classrooms, café tables, their dorm rooms. The library, which had been frequented solely by Elphaba for most of the semester, was now full from the time it opened until they kicked everyone out.

Of course, by now the green girl was an expert at hiding in some abandoned corner of the library until the workers had all left for the night. Every night that week she crept quietly into the room, hours after Glinda had fallen asleep, eyes sore from reading and her body trembling from a mix of cold and exhaustion.

The blonde would scold her in the mornings before offering her a warm bowl of oatmeal that she had brought up from breakfast. "This isn't healthy, Elphaba. Besides, one of these days you'll get caught."

"Hypocrite," Elphaba would respond, teasing. "How many times have you snuck into the sorcery building after hours?" She'd usually get a huff and a half-smile in return.

But as the weekend—and therefore the first exam on Monday—crept closer, Glinda grew more and more tired of the suffocating feeling that had invaded their lives.

"I've just had the most wonderful idea," she announced one afternoon, as they sat in the nearly empty history room before class. Boq and Fiyero looked at her, waiting, while Crope smacked Tibbett lightly to get his attention. Elphaba didn't even look up from the physics book she was studying. "I've decided that we're all going to hang out Saturday."

"Glinda, finals start Monday," Elphaba said firmly. "We can't waste a day of studying like that."

"Says the smartest girl at Shiz," said Boq, rolling his eyes.

Tibbett put his hand to his forehead. "Whatever shall we do? If Miss Elphaba is stressed about her tests, how in Oz will the rest of us feeble-minded creatures manage?"

"I don't know," Crope mused. "Perhaps we could drop out and go straight into the workforce—I hear the Philosophy Club pays its workers well."

"Anyway," Glinda went on before he could say anything more. "It's not wasteful. In fact, Miss Smartest Girl at Shiz, it's been proven that studying is more effective when you take breaks. If you overwork yourself, then you won't do as well on the exams."

Tibbett clapped his hands together. "Sounds good enough for me. We'll bring the food, you girls bring the drinks and the fire, and we'll have a merry time roaming about our lovely dead campus."

"I still think this is a bad idea," Elphaba said. She had yet to look up from her book. Scowling, Glinda reached over and snatched it from her hands. "Hey!"

"Miss Elphaba, as your highly qualified roommate, I hereby diagnose your pre-finals week habits—for example: barely eating—"

"—I'm eating just fine!"

"—never sleeping—"

"—I'm only getting a couple hours less than normal—"

"—and breaking campus rules—"

"—seriously, no different than usual—"

"—to be completely unhealthy—"

"—I'll be fine once finals week is over!"

"—and I prescribe one full day of rest and relaxation this weekend. Saturday, to be specific." The blonde girl crossed her arms over her chest and gave her a smug smile.

The guys burst into laughter. "Doctor's orders, Elphie," Boq said. "You can't go against that."

"I sure as hell can," Elphaba nearly growled.

Glinda pouted, hugging the stolen textbook to her chest. "Please, Elphie?"

The green girl grumbled, but one look at her roommate and she knew she had lost. "Fine." Glinda squealed in triumph, and Elphaba held out her hand impatiently. "Now can I have my book back?"

To Glinda's credit, she left Elphaba alone for the rest of the week, focusing instead on studying. And whenever she wasn't buried in notes or dusty old textbooks, she was holed up in an empty sorcery classroom.

In fact, the girls were both so busy all week that, by the time Elphaba crawled into bed on Friday night, she found herself looking forward to the next morning—a fact she would never admit to the blonde.

Glinda, on the other hand, didn't hide her excitement. She practically bounced out of bed on Saturday, pouting when she saw that her roommate was still asleep.

"Elphie, wake up!"

The green girl mumbled something and rolled over so that she was facing away from Glinda.

"Come on, Elphie! It's Saturday!"

"It's not Saturday until I get up," came the drowsy reply.

"Elphieeee."

Instead of responding, Elphaba pulled the blanket over her head. The blonde huffed, not at all appreciating being ignored, but then she thought of something.

"Elphaba?" she asked, all too sweetly.

"Mm?"

Glinda leapt onto her roommate's bed, landing on her hands and knees. "Wake up!"

Elphaba yelped and shot up, knocking the blonde off balance. The girls ended up in a tangled mess of arms and legs, Glinda giggling uncontrollably on top of Elphaba, who was fighting hard to keep the scowl on her face.

"Good morning," the blonde sing-songed.

"Was that really necessary?"

"Yep!" Grinning mischievously, Glinda climbed off of her roommate and skipped over to her wardrobe. "Come on! We're meeting the boys in an hour, and we can't be late!"

She pulled out her favorite baggy sweater and a pair of thick tights and disappeared into the bathroom. Elphaba watched her go, vaguely missing the feeling of the blonde's giggling weight on top of her. She blushed furiously and pressed a cool hand to the back of her neck. Once again, she thought about the upcoming winter break, and how strange it would be not seeing Glinda for an entire month.

Shaking her head, Elphaba got out of bed and moved over to her wardrobe. She pulled out a purple sweater and slim black pants and changed quickly. She was pulling a brush through her hair when Glinda came out of the bathroom.

The blonde paused when she caught sight of her roommate. She leaned against the doorframe and studied her for a moment. To her great surprise—and even greater delight—the green girl was wearing something other than black. In fact, the deep, vibrant purple complemented her skin gorgeously. Glinda watched, hypnotized, as the hairbrush pulled through silky dark locks.

"Elphie?"

"Yes?"

Glinda hesitated, although she wasn't sure why she was suddenly so nervous. "Can…may I do something with your hair today?"

The green girl paused, lowering her brush. She turned and raised an eyebrow at Glinda. "Seriously?"

Glinda walked up behind her and twisted a strand of hair between her fingers. "Well, it's so soft and gorgeous, but all you ever do is put it back in a simple braid."

"That's what I like."

"Can I just try something?"

Elphaba closed her eyes. She could feel the gentle tugging of her hair between Glinda's fingers, tickling her scalp—and in all honesty, it felt amazing. But the idea of asking someone else to touch her, even someone as gentle as Glinda, was terrifying. Just standing this close to her was making the green girl's heart pound.

But for some reason when she turned and looked at her roommate—just like when she had agreed to hang out with everyone today—Elphaba couldn't say no.

She seriously hoped this wasn't becoming a regular occurrence.

"Oh, alright."

"Yay!" Glinda snatched the hairbrush and led Elphaba over to the bed. The green girl closed her eyes as her roommate started brushing through her hair. Every touch, every stroke was gentle—tender, almost. It made her shiver.

Glinda made sure to be completely conscious of her roommate's reactions. Every unexpected touch made the green girl go rigid, and it took a while for her to relax again. The blonde thought of all the times they had argued, and how Elphaba would flinch when Glinda stepped too close. Her chest tightened painfully.

She didn't want to freak Elphie out, so she stuck to a braid. But instead of simply twisting the hair together at the base of her head, she started at the top, weaving the strands in as she went. When Glinda finally sat back and admired her work, she couldn't help but smile. The silky ebony wove in and out, tucked in and going over, the light catching certain pieces and making it shine. Beautiful, she thought, but she didn't dare say it out loud.

"Are you done yet?" Elphaba asked. She was going for irritable, but her voice came out as hardly more than a whisper.

Glinda rubbed her shoulders, smiling even wider when they relaxed beneath her fingers. "Are you that anxious to go?"

"Um…" Elphaba tried desperately to come up with something clever to say in return, but she was too distracted by Glinda's gentle touch. The blonde giggled a little and hopped off the bed.

"Come on, Elphie. We still need to get the drinks before we meet them." She paused, looking at her roommate. "I really like that sweater, by the way. It suits you."

Elphaba bent over to grab her boots, ducking her head so that Glinda couldn't see her cheeks darkening.

They met the others by the Suicide Canal, Glinda clutching a jar of her pink flames and Elphaba carrying a thermos full of hot chocolate. Fiyero and Boq were each holding a thick blanket. Crope was swinging a picnic basket back and forth, and Tibbett was entertaining them all by juggling apples.

"You're going to go far in life, Master Tibbett," Elphaba said as they approached.

"Jealous of my talent, Miss Elphaba?" he replied, barely looking over at her.

She snatched a fruit from midair, startling him into dropping the other two, and bit happily into it. "Not in the slightest. Shall we?"

They had the entire campus to themselves. Everyone else was holed up inside, avoiding the cold and burying themselves in their studies. The group decided to go to the far side of the lake, away from most of the buildings. They settled down in a grove of trees. The branches were bare, the sky was grey and dreary, and their breath rose in puffs whenever they spoke. But once they spread out the blankets and Glinda opened her jar to let the fire grow, the spot was perfectly cozy.

Boq moved to open the basket, but Glinda sat up straight. "Wait! I want to try something."

She leaned forward, brow furrowing. After a moment of concentration, the lid burst open, making them all jump. Slowly, one after another, wrapped sandwiches and apples and oranges floated out of the basket and landed gently on the blanket. The others erupted in applause, and the blonde sat back, grinning.

"Brilliant, Glinda," Elphie said. "Just try not to make the sandwiches explode, alright?"

Glinda shot her a look. The green girl smirked and reached for one of the vegetarian sandwiches, only to have it tugged out of reach by some invisible force. She scowled as the guys cracked up laughing.

"Very funny, blondie."

Glinda stuck her tongue out.

The day passed leisurely. They passed around sandwiches and fruits and took turns drinking hot chocolate, which Glinda had paid extra to have made with milk. There was storytelling and jokes. Crope and Tibbett did impressions and acted things out until everyone's sides ached with laughter. Boq joined in, adding extra details or comments. Elphaba would provide her own witty remarks, usually accompanying them with a smirk or an eye roll. Glinda sat next to her, a single pinky hooked around the green one, alternating between giggling at everyone and chiding the green girl.

She had been a little worried about Fiyero. He stiffened whenever Crope or Tibbett addressed him, and a scowl crossed his face every time Elphaba spoke. But after about half an hour, he seemed to relax. He started laughing along with the guys and even chimed in with his own stories once in a while.

About halfway through the day, Fiyero scooted over to sit next to Glinda. Not much later, his hand started drifting toward the blonde's. Elphaba pretended not to notice, although she was oddly relieved when Glinda didn't react, either. Once in a while—far too often in Elphaba's honest opinion—he would lean over and mutter side comments in Glinda's ear. The blonde would cover her mouth to stifle her giggle, and Elphaba would wonder why her stomach was twisting itself into weird little knots.

They stayed in their little corner of campus, tucked away from their lessons and classmates and responsibilities, until around sunset, when Crope nudged Tibbett and pointed up.

"Snow!" Tibbett exclaimed, grinning at the flurries that were starting to drift down. "Excellent!"

"I hope it sticks," Boq said. "Imagine a snowball fight after exams are done."

The guys all made various noises of agreement, but Glinda had stood up, looking nearly panicked. She hurriedly began packing the food away.

"What's the rush?" Fiyero asked, staring up at her.

"We've got to get back before it gets bad," the blonde responded, agitated. The boys all looked confused, but Elphaba got to her feet.

"It's fine, Glinda."

"It most certainly is not!"

"Relax. It's only a little snow."

"You'll burn!"

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "That's why I'm leaving. But no one else has to go home yet."

The blonde hesitated, looking between her roommate and the rest of her friends. Fiyero gave her a half-smile and patted the blanket where she had been sitting.

"I'm going back," Glinda announced. She scooped up her jar of flames and grabbed Elphie's hand, marching back toward campus. Without the fire, the temperature plummeted around them, and the guys all scrambled to pack up and follow after the girls.

The entire way back to Crage Hall—even after Fiyero and the others had caught up to them—Glinda kept hold of her roommate's hand. And although the green girl didn't quite know what the warm feeling in her chest was, she was quite sure it had nothing to do with the pink flames dancing in Glinda's jar.