I've gotten a few questions of people wanting to know how many chapters there are, how much longer are you gonna make us wait for the romance, etc. Truth is, I don't know how many chapters there are to this story. When I set out to write this, I wanted to tell a different kind of story. I've written and published the standard fan fics before, with the structured, paced chapters, the intense, condensed buildup... I wanted this story to be different than those. I wanted it to read like a novel, have a slower burn. I can understand if that may make some of you want to jump ship, but I just have one question for you: What would Fiyero do? Pretty sure he would stick it out. Be like Fiyero.

Besides, our handsome swain always gets the girl, right?

Speaking of novels, this scene in particular takes a lot of direct inspiration from Gregory Maguire's. I couldn't resist. Enjoy!

Boq had bothered with his clothes more than usual, shifting in his handsomest jacket and worrying about his repeatedly polished shoes. It took all of the influence Fiyero had to keep Boq from fixing his hair like the new look in the cafes, finally resorting to the sad truth that it made Boq look like a shocked Hedgehog.

Elphaba had arranged it so they would meet in the gardens by Crage Hall. Fiyero, mightiest stalker of the Thousand Year Grasslands, had climbed atop the nearby stable and through the poking branches of the closest pear tree, not too far from the bench on which Elphaba and Galinda waited. The leaves rustled against him as he sought a stable perch, and for a moment he thought a green face looking up at him. If she saw anything, she didn't acknowledge it, instead focusing on the approaching Munchkin.

"Well, my stars and garters, a visitor. What a surprise."

"Elphaba," Boq acknowledged informally to his childhood acquaintance with a little bow. "Good evening Miss Galinda. It was good of you to agree to meet with me."

"I'm pleased you are so taken with me, Boq," Galinda said, and Fiyero smirked at Elphaba's obvious coaching on his name. "I'm flattered." He couldn't see her from his roost, but Fiyero knew Galinda well enough to tell that she wasn't flattered at all, but humiliated.

"Oh, it thrillifies me to hear you say that—"

"But you have to understand that there can be no exclusivity between us," Galinda said, wasting no time. "Aside from the matter of feelings, there are too many social impediments."

"But…"

"We are from different cultures. You are Munchkinlander and I am Gillikinese, of the Upper Uplands! I'm expected to marry someone of good breeding."

"Like Fiyero Tiggular?" Boq asked, a little bitterly. Fiyero turned his head to see Galinda better but he could only see the curls of her head.

"Yes! Precisely. He and I are a perfect match. This is just how things are. I only agreed to come so I could tell you this in person. It only seemed fair."

"Please let me speak, if just for a minute. I won't deny that what you're saying; I too have a social pattern to conform to. But I didn't come here to propose marriage! Just to get together occasion. Still, I cannot lie: you overwhelm me with your beauty. You are the moon in a penumbral eclipse, the fiery pfenix in flight, the mystical sea—"

"This all sounds rehearsed to me," Elphaba said, and while Fiyero had encouraged Boq to ready himself beforehand, he had to agree. This was not going smoothly.

"I'm not much for poetry, but you're very kind." Galinda seemed perkier at the praise but her resolution had not wavered. "I'm sorry, but not in a million years."

"It's the age of daring," Boq said, and to Fiyero's incredulity he started reciting a paraphrase of the prince's advice to him on his first day: "It is the only time we have. We must live in the present. We are young and alive."

"I don't know if alive quite covers it."

There was a harsh rapping sound at that; Fiyero could only assume Galinda hit Elphaba over her head with her satin fan, which she opened again with an elegant flip of her wrist. "Oh quiet Elphie, I can hardly hear myself think with your running commentary. I value your virtues Bi—Boq. You're clever and you're sort of, I mean to look at…"

"Handsome? Dashing?"

"Fun," Galinda decided, disregarding Elphaba's suggestions. "You're fun to look at."

"I'd give a lot to achieve fun," Elphaba told Boq supportively, about which Fiyero had to bite his lip.

"You'll find I am also persistent," Boq said, ignoring Elphaba. "I won't give up on our friendship, Miss Galinda. It means too much to me."

"Oh Boq, I don't mean to hurt you; it's not my nature." Elphaba probably only kept her mouth shut because of the manicured hand that seemed to be clutched tightly at the skin of her green elbow. "When I see you around, I will do the courtesy of at least of acknowledging you. Please be accepting of that."

"It's a start," Boq said, and having exhausted his many arguments, he bowed to the two girls and took his leave.

"Oh Elphie, you were horrible for arranging that. If that was because of Nessa…"

"Hardly," Elphaba said as they stood to depart. "He helps me with my research for Dr. Dillamond from time to time. I owed him enough to indulge his fantasy. It was only fair. And fun, too."

"You terrible mean thing."

"Go on, my sweet. I'll catch up." Elphaba loitered by the bench until Galinda was gone. She looked up directly at Fiyero, almost startling him from the tree branch on which he watched. "So much for not meddling."

"There was none of the sort. Just nosiness, which is an entirely different thing."

"I see," Elphaba said, her eyes glinting behind her glasses.

He swung down gracefully, dropping to his feet just shy of the lettuces. "How long did you know I was up there?"

"The whole time."

"I'm surprised you didn't rat me out."

"I didn't realize you would want me to. I could still inform Galinda about it if you'd like."

"I don't see why you should trouble yourself."

Elphaba gave that crooked smirk of hers. "Shouldn't you be off trying to tend to poor Boq? Bring an oil can; he could barely move by the time Galinda was done with him."

"Oh, the cure for him would be to bring him out to the pubs, get him slaughtered and send him home with an ugly barmaid, but I'm not best suited for that. The other boys will take care of him."

Her eyebrow arched up at that, her sly smile still in place. "You're not?"

They were being too flippant for him to figure out any way of admitting to how humdrum he had become, so instead he said, "Nope. As soon as I pull out my wallet to pay, the barmaids all want to come home with me."

She laughed lightly, adjusting her bag on her shoulder. "Well, I do hope he will be all right."

"You're not mad at him? I assumed, because of your sister…"

"I know she's demanding. You might be wrong about how miserable she would have ended up with Boq, but wrong takes a long time to be proven. I only want her to be happy."

With that, she waved goodbye with a look he could not read.