I'm sorry for the delay.

And you're welcome for this. ;)

"…and I feel that if only the Wizard knew about the Animals' oppression that maybe things will change."

"I see your point, I really do," Fiyero told Elphaba as they met under his favorite pearlfruit tree to share their lunches once again. He waved a stick of celery about as he spoke, using it as a bit of a distraction as he carefully constructed his thought. "I just want to know why you think the Wizard isn't already aware of it. He is all-powerful after all, omniscient and all of that."

"No man who calls himself 'wonderful' could allow such travesty should he know about it."

"He's also called 'terrible', if you remember."

"Terrible is just another word for fearsome, and that's something determined by the object rather than the subject. That's beside the point. The hardship on the Animals is more than can be borne. It's forced repatriation, it's chattelization! If only he could see the sorrow. This is not merely youthful outrage or untrammeled emotion, it's a response to unquestionable corruption in the system—"

"I'm not disagreeing with you on the issue, only on this—this piety of yours."

"Piety?"

"Yes, piety," he challenged, poking his crunchy baton into her side playfully. She swatted it away, vexed. "How is your reverence to the Wizard any different than Nessarose's for the Unnamed God?"

She seemed appropriately affronted. "For one the Wizard actually exists."

"Does he?"

"This is the leader of our country, not some invisible idol."

"I think he's both, vaguely described so as to be concretely interpreted as any individual pleased."

"I think you're ridiculous," she said, yanking the celery stalk from his lazy hand. "You seem to detest two of the people I've come to admire—Madame Morrible and now the Wizard of Oz himself. Do you share other strong opinions about anyone else, or do you reserve them for authority figures?"

"Ho," he laughed. "So you're devaluing my attitude with a boring diagnosis? 'Issues with authority'?"

"Is it such a stretch?"

"Perhaps not, but you can't deny that there isn't something fishy about Horrible Morrible. And in case you missed the pun, I was implying that I think she looks like a giant carp."

Elphaba's wry smirk was delightful. "Yes, I caught that."

"Hello dearests," they heard, having been too engrained in their debate to notice Galinda's approach. They both smiled up to the light pink figure whose fingers wiggled adorably in greeting at them. "I noticed you from across the lawn and thought I'd come over. Might I join you?"

"Only if you have food to contribute," Fiyero said with a stern tone, picking up another stalk of celery to make his point and waving it goofily at her. "It is our only rule."

"Is that so?" she asked Elphaba. The green girl just shrugged drolly. "I didn't bring anything."

"Then I'm sorry, you're not allowed."

"What if I gave you a knuckle-sandwich?" Galinda said sweetly.

Fiyero raised an amused eyebrow at Elphaba, who merely said in Galinda's defense, "Sandwiches are food."

"I guess it counts then," Fiyero said, patting the ground next to him. "Pull up some grass."

"Thanks plenty," she said, bouncing forward and dropping with impossible grace between them with her skirt draping attractively around her. How did she do that? "Now, fill me in on everything you two have to talk about."

"Fiyero was just saying that my admiration of the Wizard is little better than radical, religious zeal."

"Ooh Fiyero, aren't you a cheeky thing?" Galinda teased. "And you didn't hit him, Elphie?"

"I'm still considering it," she said, picking up the apple he brought her and biting into it. The sparkle in her eyes over the red fruit was a definite turn-on, and when she wiped a dribble of juice from her sharp chin with the back of her hand, he had to start counting leaves on the branches above him to keep calm.

"It's not like Fiyero meant it anyway, Elphie," Galinda pacified unnecessarily. "He's just—"

"No, I meant it."

"Oh," Galinda said with faux absentmindedness. "At least this is a nice place to dig your own grave."

"It's okay, Galinda. It doesn't bother me that much."

"I'm actually on Galinda's side with this one," Fiyero said, too intrigued at this point to notice as she took another juicy bite of her lunch. "You're taking my criticisms strangely well."

"Everyone is welcome to their opinions."

"Nuh uh. Something's up. You're in a strangely good mood; you're never this agreeable."

"Oh Elphie, you didn't tell him?"

"Tell me what?"

"I'm not supposed to talk about it at all, Galinda, so no."

"Talk about what?"

"But it's Fiyero," Galinda said with emphasis. "You can trust him! He'd be so thrillified for you!"

"Absolutely!" Fiyero agreed. "Uh, why am I thrilled? What are you two on about?"

Galinda continued to glare at Elphaba until she finally sighed, turning to look at him. "There was a generous donation to Dr. Dillamond's research. Dillamond could hardly contain himself as he told me. Tremolo, vibrato, sostenuto— all of these fail to describe how he sang in his excitement!"

"I'll take your word for it," Galinda said. "I don't know what those words mean any more than I'd like to imagine him singing."

"That's fantastic, Elphaba. From whom was the endowment?" Fiyero asked casually, stealing the apple from her hand to have a bite.

"I don't know!" she admitted, gesturing so excitedly it was as if she hadn't noticed him take the fruit from her at all. "Dr. Dillamond says the money was left in his office with nothing but a note, imploring haste and secrecy. Does it even matter?"

"Of course it does, Elphie! There are proper responses to these sorts of things! Etiquette and such. For instance, it is in good form to send a thank you note…"

"Forget the note," Elphaba said. "I would kiss them if I could." Fiyero started choking on the apple at this, gasping and gagging and sputtering. Elphaba calmly leaned forward to swat him a couple of times on the back, continuing, "The donation gives Dr. Dillamond the chance to present admissible evidence to the Hall of Approval to prevent the Mobility Banns from gaining further traction – Are you all right, Fiyero? You're as red as a Quadling – and maybe it would be enough for me to approach the Wizard to intervene on the behalf of the repressed Animals in Oz…which could prove Fiyero wrong about his virtuousness. It'd be a win-win-win situation."

"Oh Elphie, is it really necessary to flaunt your rare optimism while the poor man is suffocating to death?"

"He's fine," Elphaba said, though she sounded unconvinced. "Aren't you?"

"Swell," Fiyero wheezed. Once he could catch his breath, he asked, "Would you really kiss them?"

"Oh, I don't know, I just said it. Maybe."

"Don't say that Elphie! What if they are old and ugly?"

"Yeah, what if they're ugly?" Fiyero teased.

"Looks don't matter to me."

"And so if they were extremely handsome that wouldn't make a difference either?"

"That's a valid point," Galinda said to him. "What if they looked like Fiyero?"

"Yes, Elphaba, what if they looked like me?" Fiyero grinned as alluringly as he could manage, even though he could sense his face still flushed from his recent lack of oxygen. "Or better yet, what if it was me? Would you want to practice?"

"You two are hilarious."

"She'd probably fair better if they looked like the Wizard," Fiyero said to Galinda.

"Whatever he looks like."

"We'll just say that it is the Wizard, regardless. She'd be all over him."

"Why are you two so quick to assume it's a man?"

Galinda's eyes went wide. "You'd kiss a girl?"

"Why not?"

Galinda fanned herself. "Why, I can't say. I just hadn't imagined that."

"Ooh, what if it was Galinda?" Fiyero goaded, snickering. "Would you kiss her?"

"Sure, I think I could manage that," Elphaba said, catching on. "What do you think, Galinda? Do you want to try?"

"Well, I, uh…" she sputtered.

"Ha, look who's turning red now," Fiyero said, while Elphaba seemed to be trembling with the effort of containing her laughter.

"Why, you…you…!" Galinda started, standing up with her tiny fists bunched at her sides. She was so flustered. He had never seen her like this, he realized with a wide grin; it was entertaining. She stomped her foot at them. "You're both lucky I have to go meet up with Phannee right now so I can't give you a piece of my mind!"

"Tell her we say hi," Elphaba called to her as she stormed away, stomping her tiny feet in the grass as she went.

Spellbound, the young prince savored this moment. He had never seen Elphaba so lighthearted. Hell, he so rarely got to see her easily smile – at best he usually got her crooked grin – but he was afraid to blink lest he miss this one, which was broad and relaxed and perfect. His heart swelled with love. How was it that the entire world wasn't as pathetically lovesick for her as he was? Not that he minded. Out of all the secrets he owned, the one about how dizzily amazing the green girl was wasn't one he minded keeping to himself.

When Galinda was out of earshot, Elphaba turned to Fiyero, mirth still in her eyes. "That was a bit mean, wasn't it?"

He chuckled. "Perhaps a bit. Fun, though."

"I'll just put it under retribution for that flowery hat she made me try on the other day," she said. "Does that make me wicked?"

"Wicked?" he repeated feebly, immediately sobering. "No. Not at all."

"That's good," she mused, oblivious.