Two weeks after Galinda's dinner party to welcome Fiyero to the building, Galinda dragged Elphaba up to the rooftop garden.

"It's going to be too cold to do this soon, we have to make the most of it," she insisted.

Elphaba wasn't going to argue with her. It was a beautiful weekend, and Elphaba had been working extended hours for the last week. She was more than happy to spend a few hours soaking up some sunshine with a good book. Galinda had a pile of magazines and some new nail polish and Elphaba even conceded to have Galinda paint her nails- just not pink.

"Have you seen Fiyero lately?" Galinda asked, carefully painting Elphaba's fingernails.

"Uh, I saw him… Tuesday night, I think it was?" Elphaba said absently. "He was checking his mail when I got home from work. Why?"

"Just asking. Have you thought about giving him those cooking lessons?"

Elphaba shrugged. "I've thought about it, sure. I don't really have an answer though. I just… I'm still not sure why he asked me. He could have asked Mrs Caddel, she's a great cook."

Galinda looked up amusedly, putting the nail polish aside. "Elphie. He asked you. Maybe he feels comfortable with you. Maybe he wants to get to know you better. Maybe you're allowed to actually live your life and have more than one friend."

Elphaba stared at her for a beat. "Are you sure that you don't want to be a psychologist?"

Galinda giggled. "If there wasn't math involved, yes. Oz, that one statistics class I took at Shiz has scarred me for life," she shuddered. "So you just get all my wisdom and insights for free."

Elphaba smiled faintly. "Thank goodness- because I'm sure I couldn't afford you otherwise."

Galinda laughed again.

Elphaba watched Galinda apply a second coat to her nails, chewing on the inside of her cheek.

"You're the only friend I've ever had, and we didn't exactly get off to the best start," she reminded her. "I… I'm not used to anyone wanting to get to know me better from the outset and it's a little unnerving. I can't really explain it."

Galinda shook her head. "Elphie. He wants cooking lessons. He's not proposing. And if cooking lessons eventually leads to a proposal…"

"Galinda."

"What?" Galinda asked innocently. "That could be such a romantic moment! Imagine- you teach him how to make… I don't know, lasagne. And then one day, in like a year or two, he makes lasagne for dinner and buried in the layers is a diamond ring!"

"And then I choke on it and die because there's a freaking diamond ring in my lasagne," Elphaba said dryly. "Come on, Galinda. You're being-"

"Do not say I'm being ridiculous," Galinda cut her off. "Elphaba. I know when someone is interested in a person, and Fiyero is clearly interested in you."

"And so what? Asking for cooking lessons is just an excuse to make a move on me?"

"Two things can be true. He can be interested in you and need to learn how to cook," Galinda waved a hand. "This doesn't even have to be a romantic thing. Again- you're allowed to have more than one friend. Who knows, maybe it'll be a friendship bracelet buried in your lasagne instead."

Elphaba laughed, rolling her eyes. "Fine. Next time I see Fiyero, I'll tell him yes to the cooking lessons. Happy?"

"Hm. Somewhat. You don't need to wait until you see him next, you know where he lives."

Elphaba ignored that.

Galinda finished painting Elphaba's nails in silence and then leaned back to admire the finished look. "If this event planning thing doesn't work out, maybe I will become a psychologist. Is there a way to do that without the math part, do you think?"

"I thought your fallback career was to become a romance novelist," Elphaba replied.

"Maybe I could do both."

Elphaba chuckled. "If anyone could, I'm sure it's you."

Galinda adjusted her position and rummaged through her bag of nail polish. "Okay, but here me out. What if I could combine them? Like, what if I wrote a romance novel where a therapist falls in love with her pat-"

"Nope. Unethical, not romantic" Elphaba shook her head firmly. "Let's not do that."

"Fair," Galinda agreed. "Okay. What if she doesn't date the patients but she helps them find their soul mates?"

"A matchmaking psychologist?"

Galinda's face brightened. "Ooh, that sounds fun."

"Except for the idea that you need a romantic relationship for a full life or to heal."

Galinda sighed. "Elphaba, you're really being a buzzkill, you know that? Once your nails dry, go find Fiyero and tell him yes to cooking lessons," she ordered, pulling out a bottle of pink nail polish for herself.

Elphaba rolled her eyes, but once her nails were dry, she did get up and head down to the second floor to knock on Fiyero's door. There was no answer, which didn't especially surprise Elphaba- she was sure Fiyero had much more interesting things to do with his Saturday afternoon than hang around his apartment.

"He wasn't home," Elphaba told Galinda when she returned to the roof. "I'll find him later."

"Okay," Galinda said, painting her toes. "Good."

Elphaba went back to her book while Galinda finished her nails and then flicked through one of her magazines. Elphaba found it rather hard to focus on the story, still pondering Galinda's words. 'Maybe you're allowed to live your life.' Elphaba wasn't really sure what that looked like.

They sat in companionable silence for a while, until the access door opened and Malle King and Tottie Luck came into sight, giggling with one another.

"Oh, Galinda! Elphaba!" Tottie exclaimed brightly. "Have you heard the news?"

Elphaba suppressed the urge to groan- she was so sick of news. Galinda, however, sat up eagerly.

"What news? What's happened?"

"Kavalee's pregnant!" Malle burst out excitedly. "We just saw her and Ritch at Ozma Arcade looking at baby clothes!"

"That doesn't necessarily mean she's pregnant," Galinda pointed out. "They're newlyweds. They could just be looking. I love looking at baby clothes and I'm nowhere near about to have a child."

"I don't know," Tottie said. "Have you seen Kavalee lately? She's glowing."

Galinda considered that thoughtfully, tilting her head. "It would be lovely to have a baby in the building, wouldn't it?" she said dreamily.

Elphaba suspected that Galinda wouldn't be quiet so excited about the idea if the Billowes were expecting once the baby actually came; considering that the Billowes' apartment was right above hers and the building was not soundproof and babies were not exactly renowned for being quiet. But she wasn't going to remind her of that.

"It would be something," Elphaba agreed. "But maybe if Kavalee is expecting, that's something we should eventually hear from her and Ritch themselves?" she asked pointedly.

Tottie looked rather sheepish, but Malle just seemed put out by that comment. Either way, they didn't linger much longer.

Galinda sighed contentedly once Malle and Tottie had retreated to the other side of the rooftop. "You know, I love living here. It's always something new, isn't it?"

"I'll remind you of that the next time you complain about a neighbour," Elphaba teased her.

"As long as no one moves, it'll be fine," Galinda said carelessly, making Elphaba laugh.

When she at last decided to head back inside, Elphaba once again stopped at Fiyero's door. He still wasn't home, so she simply wrote a quick note when she returned home and slipped it into his mailbox.

Then she sat down and wrote a letter to her sister.

Dear Nessa,

I haven't heard from you in a little while, and I've been thinking of you lately. We've had a lot of news in the building lately- a new resident and potentially a forthcoming baby (if the rumours are to be believed. Time will tell). Work has also been very busy with a lot of projects in the work, which means longer hours for me. I'm not always sure if I am helping that much when I'm just filing, organising meetings and getting coffee; but I'm assured that I am being useful, and I suppose that's something.

I still have no idea what my ultimate goal is, where I want to be, but I know that it's more than this. I also know that it's not returning to Munchkinland. I'm sorry, and I miss you tremendously, but I hope you know that I'm not coming back. At least, not permanently. I hope in time, I'll return to visit. I also desperately hope that one day, you'll come to the Emerald City to visit me. You'd love it here, Nessa. It's thrillifying. Also, I'd love for you to meet Galinda, after all I've written to you about her.

Galinda is a lot wiser than she often gets credit for, and she believes that I've been holding myself back from really making a life for myself here in the city because I feel guilty about the way I left. And I'm beginning to think she has a point. And the last few weeks in particular, I do find myself pondering the question about what I want from my life.

I hope that you, in time, come to understand that and support me. I'd love to be able to share this journey with you; as I hope you'd share with me whatever unfolds in your life.

Give my best to Father.

Your loving sister,

Elphaba.

Elphaba read over her words again, before she sighed and placed the letter into an envelope and addressed it, placing it in her bag to take to the post office on her lunch break on Monday.

She knew Nessa wasn't going to be happy when she got the letter, but Elphaba didn't care. Or at least, she told herself she didn't care, and hopefully within time that would be true. Fall was a time of change and there was a new season unfolding before them now- new life in the building, potentially new friends. And the restlessness that lurked beneath Elphaba's skin seemed to press upon her that this was the time for changes in her own life.

It had been two years. Perhaps it was time to start living her life.

AN. So I don't have an firm plans yet, but I might keep adding to this as a series. We'll see! Otherwise thanks for reading.