Elphaba groaned as she flopped over in bed, trying to get comfortable enough to sleep, mentally cursing Fiyero as she tried out the fiftieth position in bed, which was still uncomfortable with her bump. She glared over at her fiancee in the dark, wondering how he could sleep through practically anything. A distant chiming signalled three o'clock, and she hauled herself off the usually soft mattress, put on her slippers and grabbed a dressing gown from the back of the bedroom door, leaving the room as she put it on, pulling her long dark braid free as she walked. She shivered slightly despite the fact that the extra body inside her kept her permanently warm, and made her way slowly down to the kitchens.

Shell looked up from a mug of coffee that had long since gone cold, he glanced over his shoulder to see his sister walk into the room. "You couldn't sleep either?"

"No... this one's happy using my insides as a football and seems to be cooking me from the inside." she smiled wryly. "What?" she tilted her head when he snorted and shook his head.

"Nothing." he smiled.

"No, go on."

"It's just... that's what mama used to say about you."

She giggled softly and shrugged. "Well, it's true." She took a seat beside him at the table. "Why are you awake?"

"I just... I keep thinking." he sighed. "Maybe if I'd have got you out sooner-"

"Shell, don't." she looked up at her brother with pleading eyes. "Don't do this to yourself. You did everything you could. Oz, you were a kid yourself! What could you have done?!"

"I just... I let you and mama down-"

"But you didn't! Shell, you were fifteen years old, and our father made you homeless. He did that, not you. If he didn't need a babysitter for Nessa, you can bet your last paycheck I'd have been next!"

The older male fell silent, listening to her. He knew she was right, and hearing the confirmation did alleviate his worries a little. "I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"You know... I don't even know anymore." he smiled a little as his sister laughed. He then stood up. "Want a drink?"

"Jasmine tea please." she nodded.

He tilted his head briefly before turning his back to make their drinks. Moments later he walked back to the table with her tea and his coffee in hand, looking concerned. Elphaba's face had drained of colour and her fingers gripped the table. "Fabala?" There was another moment before the pained look in her eyes faded and she blinked back to reality. "Fabala? What happened?"

Elphaba sucked in a breath and shaking fingers let go of the table and clutched her cup. "I... uh... I don't know exactly..."

"Was it the baby?"

She nodded. "I felt a pain... like... like something was gonna happen... but then it was gone..." She took a sip of her tea. "There's two months left before it gets here, so... I don't understand..."

"Maybe your body is getting ready for it." he suggested, a vague memory of Nessarose's birth flickered in his mind. "I don't think it will be anything to worry about."

"It will... Because any sign of me going into labour I have to stay in hospital." she sighed. "The midwife was concerned because of what happened with mama, so she wants to make sure I can get help if anything like that happens with me." she half lied. "I may have also told the midwife I'm allergic to milk flowers."

He nodded. "Makes sense... The only difference between you and our mother is-"

"I'm faithful and she wasn't?"

He raised an eyebrow with a smirk. "-is that nobody can force you to do anything you didn't want to."

A shrug. "Close enough." she giggled.

"I almost don't wanna go back home." he sighed.

"Why?"

"I just got my kid sister back. And then I find out she's living an actual fairy tale." he ignored her scoff. "I don't know what happened during your time on the run, I can only guess it wasn't exactly sunshine and rainbows, whatever happened, you deserve happiness now." he reached over and held her hands in his, watching as a shadow fell across her face for a moment. Over the last couple of weeks, the two siblings spent their days reconnecting, remembering their childhoods. She had even told him more about her short year at Shiz and that fateful day in the Emerald City.

Elphaba managed a smile again and shrugged again. "I'll tell you... one day."

"I know." he told her. "Go on, take your tea and go back to bed."

"You never said why you were awake. Cause it can't just have been-"

"Doesn't matter. I'll figure it out."

"Maybe I can help."

"Stop stalling. Go."

Elphaba stuck out her tongue and smiled, standing up. "Fine," she spoke as Shell stood and the siblings hugged for a long moment before she left, taking her cup with her.

Shell groaned softly, finishing off his coffee before heading up to bed himself.

Later that morning, Fiyero looked up from his writing to see his almost brother-in-law approach him. "Everything alright?" he queried.

Shell nodded slightly. "She would probably kill me for telling you, but I think you should keep an eye on my sister over the next few days." Before the sentence was finished, Fiyero was already out of his seat.

"Why? Did something happen?"

"Not exactly..." he sighed. "Last night we were talking, she was feeling a little uncomfortable so I sat her down with some tea... while we were talking she sort of... zoned out, like she was trying not to show she was in pain, and I don't know if it might be pre-labour pains. It happened with our mother and my wife."

The prince nodded. "Sure, I'll send for her midwife. Fae didn't mention it to me when she woke up though. I figured the baby was keeping her awake, she looked like she hadn't slept, so I left her to rest up." As much as he loved Elphaba, he could curse her stubbornness and not wishing to worry him. "Even if the constant sleep is a concern."

Shell shrugged and nodded. "It's a family trait. The stubbornness I mean."

Fiyero chuckled at that. "Yeah. I can tell."

"I wonder if her tiredness is magic-related?" Shell mused aloud. "Sorry... was just a thought that struck."

Fiyero nodded with a thoughtful look. "I must admit, I hadn't even put it all together."

"And what about you? How are you coping with it?"

He shrugged in response, gesturing for Shell to sit. "I'm coping fine. I always do."

Shell barked a laugh at that. "You're both exactly the same." he commented, sitting opposite him. "Tell me to get lost if you want to. But you look like shit."

"Thanks." his tone was sarcastic, and his smile self-deprecating. "I feel it. Just... Too much shit that's gone on and it's catching up with me."

Shell remained silent, concerned for his new brother. Life on the run couldn't have been easy on either of them, and from what he'd heard in the whispers of the castle walls, Fiyero didn't have an easy ride when he left with Elphaba.

And for Fiyero, once the box was opened, he couldn't stop himself. He'd spoken, in broken and stilted sentences, what he'd suffered at the hands of the men he'd once called friends, the long broken road to recovery at the resistance base, his worry and stress for Elphaba. He didn't mention his dependency on the sleeping tonics, preferring to keep that cross to himself.

"Fuck," Shell whispered, sitting forward in the chair once he was finished. Fuck, indeed. "Have you... are you seeing someone about this? That's a lot to deal with on your own."

Fiyero shook his head, feeling his brain in his skull shift at the action, and a pounding in his head once he'd released it all. On one hand, he felt better for having had someone outside to speak to, to get it all out of his head. And on the other, he felt guilt that he'd just used Shell as his therapist. He didn't need to know all of that... why had he said it? But the man opposite him didn't look on in pity. Was that... respect?

"I think you should... It'll do you good."

He shook his head. "Who would believe any of that?"

"I do."

Shell stood eventually. "I'll have to leave soon, but at least look into it?"

Fiyero nodded non-committally, also standing. "Maybe," They both left the room, straight into a bustling maid. "Sorry!" the word echoed between the three of them, both men smiling as the younger woman bent her head in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry , sirs, I wasn't looking where I was going."

"Hey, don't worry." Shell spoke easily.

"What's the rush?" Fiyero asked.

"Miss Glinda's here with boxes, Your Highness." the maid looked up at him with wide green eyes.

"Glinda?" Fiyero coughed. "Boxes? What?"

She nodded. "She's taken Miss Elphaba for a walk in the gardens. And I've just put the boxes in your rooms."

"Of course she has." he chuckled to himself. "And has Elphaba seen what she's brought?"

"Oh, no, she's under strict instructions to wait until Lurlinemas. I didn't know where to put them..."

"It's alright, I'll find somewhere and then they can go under the tree next week."

Shell watched the interaction, watching how easily he was able to talk to this nervous young woman, how she slowly became calmer and less anxious as he spoke. He supposed that came from a lifetime of... this. Royalty. His sister really living out a fairytale very few people got to live and most would kill for. He was only sad he wasn't going to spend Lurlinemas with them, but his family needed him back home, and he missed them and the magic that came with childhood innocence that the Good Fairy Lurline would appear with gifts. "I'll go find them while you deal with it." he said and started walking away, leaving Fiyero to head to his rooms.

"Really Glinda?!" he laughed as he saw several boxes of all sizes in brightly coloured, sparkly festive paper piled against their wardrobes. He shook his head and crossed the room, shoving them under the bed for now. Elphaba wasn't likely to get under there, even if her centre of gravity was off. He got up off the floor after he arranged them and he made his way through the castle and headed outside to the courtyard and gardens.

"Glinda, give it a rest!"

The statement was followed by laughter, and he followed the sound to where Glinda was clearly trying to flirt with Shell, who, to his eyes, didn't really seem to mind it.

"All this time and you never told me about a brother!"

"With good reason," Elphaba smirked. "He's married!"

Glinda pouted. "Well, that's not fair. I told you a really good secret at college."

"You told me you were gonna marry Fiyero, only he didn't know it yet."

"It was still a really good one."

"Interrupting something, ladies?" he smirked, making his appearance known.

"Saving someone, more like." Elphaba laughed, leaning into his embrace as he sat beside her.

"Nah, he doesn't look like he needs saving. He looks like he might have Glinda wrapped round his fingers." he linked his fingers with hers.

"What? It's not like that!" Glinda pouted.

Shell remained silent, grinning.

"You can wipe that self-serving grin off your face." Elphaba raised an eyebrow at her brother. "Is it really gonna be history almost repeating itself?"

"Shut up." he stuck his tongue out at her.

She cackled and shifted in her seat.

"Listen, find a man who can resist Glinda's charm, and I'll call him out to be the liar he is." Fiyero smirked.

The girls laughed again.

"Poor you." Elphaba patted his arm sarcastically.

"If only there was someone who could have saved you." Glinda grinned.

The time passed easily within the group, teasing and laughing. It came to Shell's departure, and he left the castle with a heavy heart.

No. No I couldn't. he shook his head as he sat back in the carriage. Or maybe...