…Hey!

Yeah again, I've had little time for fanfic recently and I do deeply apologise to both my readers and my reviewers and PMers all of whom have been severely neglected recently. But today is my 3rd anniversary of uploading my first fic so I thought I'd write something for you guy.

Just make sure you know, I love you and appreciate you all deeply even if I'm not around so much at the moment and thank you to anyone who's read, reviewed, favourited or alerted any of my fics during the past three years. It's been a pleasure to be part of this fandom.

1.

She'd been preparing it for weeks. Every lunchtime at school she'd sat quietly in the corner – asking her teacher about any words she couldn't spell, writing it out in her best handwriting, drawing the pictures as best she could, making sure to colour it perfectly in the lines. Finally, finally it was ready.

On the morning she got up early and picked the carefully wrapped package up from under her bed racing to her sister's room.

She flung the door open and gently shook Nessa awake, "Happy Birthday, Nessa!" she beamed, "you're four today! I've made you a present!"

At once the little girl was awake. Eagerly tearing at the wrapping she gazed at the book as it fell into her lap.

"Look I made it for you," Elphaba said excitedly, "I'll read it to you and then one day I'll teach you to read and you can read it too! It's called the Adventures of Princess Nessarose…"

The next half hour had the two sisters pouring over the book. Nessa giggling at Elphaba's story, Elphaba thrilled at her sister's delight. When they had finished Nessa pulled the book tightly to her, hugging it and kissing it. She looked up at her big sister in awe.

"Love you Fabala."

Elphaba hugged the little girl as she reached towards her, just as she had with the book…

"GET OUT!" boomed Frex as he swung open the door, arms full of large presents for his favourite daughter, "she doesn't want you ruining her day."

With one last mournful look at her sister the little green girl scarpered out the room leaving her book quietly on the bed.

2.

She was always grateful she was a fast runner. Then again she had to be given the attitudes of those small minded Munchkin children. But at this point it was no use. As the children had got older they had got cleverer, now at the age of ten the children had worked out hunting her as a pack was the most effective way to achieve their goal. However, they were apparently still not old enough to realise the utter immaturity of kiss chase.

The crowd had surrounded her, pushing her into the corner as they pushed forward an unfortunate boy forward.

"Kiss her, kiss her," someone shrieked from the crowd.

"But, but, but… I might catch green," he protested.

"Chicken! Chicken!" someone else jeered.

The boy reluctantly stumbled towards her. Elphaba however was having nothing of this, allowing the boy to cautiously lean closer for a second she then slapped him across the face before squirming away in the ensuing chaos. The crowd groaned as they watched her run away and decided instead to descend on an easier target.

3.

"You've never been kissed? I mean never?"

Elphaba rolled her eyes and wished she'd just kept her mouth shut when Galinda had started going on about how good a kisser Fiyero was – now she'd never get to class on time.

"Elphie? Really? Tell me!"

"And you're surprised because?"

"Because this is a tragedy Elphaba! Everyone should have been kissed."

Elphaba shrugged, "I've survived."

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!" said Galinda, apparently unaware that the furious shaking of her head was mucking up the curls she had been attending to for the last half hour, "you just don't understand how wonderful it is, because it's never happened to you." She sat down beside Elphaba on the bed, "here I'll show you."

Elphaba looked at her warily, "Honestly, Galinda, I don't need…"

"No we're best friends, it's fine."

Elphaba sighed deeply but did not pull away.

"See he goes, Elphaba that was a wonderful night, and then he puts his hand on your face like this, and tucks your hair behind your ear – as so – and then he leans in close and…"

The door swung open. Both girls sprung apart looking instantly towards the newcomer.

Fiyero grinned leaning casually against the doorframe, "No, no, don't mind me, go ahead, it's like I'm not even here…"

Elphaba grabbed the nearest item – which happened to be one of Galinda's many bottles of nail polish – and threw it at him. He ducked, avoiding it with a practiced ease as it smashed against the wall.

Galinda's ensuing shrieks and Elphaba rushing to get something to mop up the mess amidst Fiyero's laughter was enough to distract them all from any lingering disappointment.

4.

She was a muddle of emotions. Fury at what had happened to Doctor Dillamond and the Lion Cub, desperation – she had to do something to save him and annoyance at herself – for letting her powers get out of control – for ending up in a mess again.

And the only way her confused mind could react was by taking it out on the boy beside her, "Careful! Don't shake him!"

But even as she was shouting at him she realised, he was there, with her, helping her – she wasn't sure she could remember the last time someone did something to help her without any external motives.

"You could have just walked away back there."

He flinched, and just for a second something slipped, before his face went back to normal, "So?"

But it was too late, she was sure, there was something more to this boy than met the eye, "So, no matter how shallow and self-absorbed you pretend to be..."

He laughed, "Excuse me, there's no pretence here. I happen to be genuinely self-absorbed and deeply shallow." But it was fake, a lie, she could see it like never before, years of hatred, of hiding behind a mask so she couldn't get hurt had made her able to recognise one of her own.

"No you're not. Or you wouldn't be so unhappy."

He looked away, scared, almost angrily, "Fine, if you don't want my help..." and turned to go.

But she didn't want him too, not now, for reasons she barely knew she grabbed his arm. He spun round to face her and their eyes met. And between the confusion and terror and anger there was something there, something neither of them had felt for so long, something neither knew what to do with.

The mewing of the Cub broke them out of their trance.

She rushed towards it, "Poor little thing, its heart is trembling... I didn't mean for..."

But now he was looking at her, like she had looked at him earlier, "What did you mean to do? Why was I the only one you didn't do it to?"

And she didn't know. She was as new at this as him and just as scared. Desperately she searched for another topic, "Oh look, you're bleeding... it must have scratched you."

She reached out towards him, hand barely grazing his cheek, and there it was again, that feeling, that spark…

He mumbled something, words that didn't make sense. But that didn't matter anymore, nothing did, nothing but his lips gently inching towards hers and the sound of her heart rate speeding up.

A noise in the distance shocked them both and sent them reeling apart.

"I better get to safety... I mean the cub... get the cub to safety." He muttered as she busied herself with straightening her dress.

And he ran off, leaving the thoughts of what might have been in the air.

5.

"Oooooh! I know what to play next!" came Galinda's voice, ringing above the rest of the group, "spin the bottle!"

"Great," said Fiyero, taking an empty bottle off the table and starting to form a circle.

"Is that the one where you exchange saliva with another person when the bottle lands on you?" asked Elphaba dubiously.

"Yes, and you have to play it Elphaba, because it's your party and you're not allowed to sit out."

Giving in, this was no worse than the pouring over all her spellbooks in preparation for the Wizard – too nervous to take in a word – that she'd been doing earlier today, Elphaba too joined the circle.

Bouncing up and down Galinda spun the bottle round, "Oh and look Elphie! It's you!"

"Sweet Lurline why are you doing this to me?" Elphaba muttered as she watched the bottle wearily as it was spun a second time.

It landed on Avaric.

"No," they said simultaneously, then looked at each other, shocked that they'd actually agreed on something.

"I support Animal rights, but I will not touch this creature who calling a pig is an insult to Pigs and pigs."

"I wouldn't touch her if I was paid. I have no desire to turn green Galinda."

"But you have to," Galinda insisted, "that's the whole point of the game."

"Not in a million years," Elphaba replied just as stubbornly, folding her arms over her chest.

"I'll kiss her sister," Avaric offered, nodding at Nessa who was clinging to Boq eyes wide.

Elphaba turned to him, eyes blazing, "If you lay a finger on my sister, I will get a blunt knife and a magnifying glass and use them to castrate you," she paused, considering, "and also I'll blind you."

Avaric pulled a face "Whoa crazy, it's not like I'd want to risk catching green or insanity from her either."

"You dare…"

"But…" Galinda started.

Fiyero put his arm on her, "Hush sweetie, I think this is a battle you should just let them win."

1.

The adrenalin from their escape still racing through their veins Elphaba and Fiyero got up unsteadily from the forest floor where they had just landed.

Fiyero looked around cautiously, all he could see and hear were the sights and sounds of the natural world, "We're safe."

"For now," Elphaba replied darkly, "you know the Gale Force won't rest for long. Fiyero, why did you come with me? You know we can't survive like this forever. Nothing good can come out of this. I can't stand the thought of you in danger."

But he looked at her, excited and nervous, yes, but happy and more open than he had been in years, "But you were there Elphaba, you were there and beautiful and perfect and wonderful and I couldn't let you escape again, I had been looking for you for so long," and he found he couldn't find the words to say anything more, so he pinned her against a tree, kissed her long and hard and deep and hoped she understood.

At first her eyes widened in shock, she'd never been kissed before and certainly never expected to be kissed like this. But this was Fiyero and she'd loved him and wanted him and hoped and wished for this for so long. So she simply smiled against his eager lips and pulled him closer.