Chapter 11: Family

Fiyero enjoyed married life, probably more than Elphaba did. He got to see different sides of her, like the maternal side of her that had shown through when he'd been ill. And he got to spend every moment with her outside of classes. Although he wasn't so sure she was exactly pleased with that.

He sat beside her and pressed his lips against her neck.

"I'm studying, Fiyero." She waved him away.

"Then keep studying." He wrapped her in his arms, pulling her close.

She pushed him then. "I will. But you need to leave me be."

"We can sit like this," he insisted.

"No, we can't." She scooted away from him. "You are distracting me. Just because we live together does not mean that you need to be with me all of the time. I am trying to read, Fiyero."

He got up. "If you don't want to spend any time with me, that's fine."

"Don't try the guilt with me." She didn't even look up from her book.

He skulked out of the room.

One thing neither of them enjoyed about married life was the holidays, during which they had to stay with one of their families.

"Did you have to do that?" Elphaba sat in her nightdress on the bed.

"I didn't realize the door wasn't shut. And it's not like you were stopping me!"

"You're the one who came in last. You're the one who forgot to close the damned door, Fiyero. I can't imagine how that could've been more humiliating."

"It could have been your father instead of Nanny," he muttered.

She smacked him. "Don't say such a thing. I'm sure she'll tell him all about it, anyway. We are never going to live that down."

"We're married. They have to know we…"

"THEY DIDN'T NEED TO SEE IT HAPPENING!" She shouted at him.

"Or hear it," he added under his breath.

She glared at him.

"I'm sorry," he said. "Can we go to sleep now?"

She sighed. "We certainly aren't doing anything else!" Elphaba turned away from him and closed her eyes.

He pulled her close to him by the waist. "Good night, my love."

"You are a pain in my neck, Fiyero. Good night!" But she didn't pull away.

Breakfast the next morning was eaten in strained silence. Well, mostly.

"Can you hand me the milk, Fiyero?"

"Of course, my love." He passed it to her and it slipped out of his hands, spilling all over her. "Oh, sweet Oz, Fae. I'm sorry."

"I'm sure that's not the first thing you spilled on her today." Nanny commented dryly.

"Nanny!" Elphaba cried, burying her face in her hands.

"Quiet down. You are much too loud. 'Oh, Fiyero… oh, please, Fiyero!'" Nanny cackled.

Fiyero put a hand on Elphaba's knee that was quickly shoved away. "This is hardly the time."

"Neither was last night!"

"It's my fault," he said quickly. "I forgot to shut the door completely. Or lock it."

Shell, of course, was oblivious. "What happened last night?"

"Nothing, Son." Frex waved him away. "Go get your sister a towel. Is that hurting your skin, Elphaba?"

"It's only just started to soak through my dress. But it does burn a little. I will probably develop a rash."

"I'm sure Fiyero will enjoy helping you take care of it." Nanny quipped.

"Stop it!" Elphaba jumped up from the table and ran from the room. Shell came back, confused.

FIyero glared at Nanny. "Was that absolutely necessary?"

"Maybe you should have thought of that before you did what you did under her father's roof. Sweet Oz, can't you two keep your hands off each other for a week?"

He bit his lips. No, no they really hadn't. They were newlyweds, after all. And he thought he'd never get enough of her, even years from now. But he was hardly going to tell Nanny that. "I apologize. But leave her alone."

Elphaba was in the room changing when he entered. "I need to take a walk."

"I'll come with you." He followed her out of the room and then out of the house. "Fae, I am sorry."

"I know you are," she said, walking briskly in front of him until they were out of view of the house.

When he felt they were a safe distance away, he grabbed her by the waist and kissed her. "Nanny shouldn't have said that."

"I knew she would. It's not all your fault. What were we thinking? This is my family's house."

"There have been very few nights since we've been married that we haven't…"

"I know, but this should've been an exception."

"The nights before that weren't a problem." He shrugged.

"Never again. Not in that house."

He nodded. But at the same time, he was looking at her wondering how in Oz he was supposed to keep his hands to himself for the next 48 hours. "I suppose that's fine."

She sighed and sat down beside a tree. "Oh, Yero, I feel awful. Nessa didn't say a word during that entire discussion, but she still heard all of it. I couldn't even look at her."

"Like I said last night, she knows we're married, Fae." He sat beside her.

"I get that. But it's a little different when it actually comes up in conversation."

The dress she had changed into wasn't one she usually wore. It looked like she'd pulled it out of her old closet. It was much too small for her, although as far he was concerned it hugged all the right places. He blinked quickly. "That's true." Why was he having these thoughts now? The only more inappropriate time would be in class. He touched her cheek with one finger and traced her jaw.

Her face softened. "I just want to go back to Shiz and be alone with you again. I hate these stupid holidays. I don't understand why we have to come back here."

"We're alone now," he said absently.

She turned to him. "What are you saying?"

"Nothing." He flushed and looked down, where his eyes caught the curve of her dress, the bare skin of her legs. "I just… well, we didn't really finish last night and…" Fiyero couldn't help himself. He kissed her hard on the mouth.

Her hands clutched at him for just a moment before she tore away. "Outside? Now? You have got to be kidding me."

"No one is watching us. I can promise to make it short and sweet."

"It's never quick." She rolled her eyes.

"And you never complain about that," he reached for her again.

She stepped away. "No! I do not feel like making a complete mess of myself. And not here. What is your problem?"

"I just… I can't imagine keeping my hands off of you for that long. I"m sorry."

"If that's all that matters to you, Fiyero, then you damn well should be!" Elphaba stomped back towards the house.

Suddenly he felt stupid. A little late for that, though, he supposed. He trudged back to the house slowly. When he got there, he found the bedroom locked. He went back to the kitchen and asked Frex, "Do you have a key to that room?"

"Why don't you just knock?" Shell asked sweetly.

"I'm not too certain she wants to let me in." He looked at Frex guiltily. "And I can't particularly blame her."

The man sighed and got up. "Let me look." He left the room.

"How'd you manage to get on her bad side so suddenly? I can't imagine she'll be angry for long… I know exactly how you can fix that." Nanny cackled.

"Let it go!" He snapped. Frex came back in holding a key and Fiyero followed him to the bedroom. Frex unlocked the door and left Fiyero there. He opened it slowly. "Fae?"

"So do you want the floor tonight or should I?" She didn't look at him.

"Don't do this," he begged.

"You are behaving ridiculously. I do not feel like sharing a bed with you tonight."

"Please listen to me, Fae…"

"Why?" She began grabbing blankets from the bed.

"I'm sorry. Please. We've been married only a few months. It's new. I got over-excited." He did not reach for her. Fiyero knew better than that.

"I understand that. But lately, Fiyero, that seems like all you want to do. Can't we just talk?"

"Are you saying you don't want to?"

She looked at him and gave him a sad smile. "Not exactly. But it doesn't… consume me like it does you. At least not when we're not… well…"

"I'm sorry."

"We need to communicate better."

"I promise to try if you do."

She stopped putting the blankets on the floor. "I will. I just… you were like a madman back there, Fiyero."

"I am so sorry. I just… the thought of not touching you…"

"If you honestly think I'm fond of the idea, then you don't read me well. But I will not have another embarrassment like that. And this place, it's just filled with negativity for me. It isn't for you. But you need to respect that."

"I will." He picked the blankets up off the floor and put them back on the bed. "It's still morning. Add you didn't finish eating."

"I'm not going back out there if I don't have to," she said.

"I can't blame you. Nanny would not stop with the comments. Has she always been that crass?"

"Oh, you should've heard the things she used to say about my mother! I knew much more than I ever needed to, even at a young age. Especially when Turtle Heart was here and Nessa was born! Young children understand more than you think they do."

He nodded. "I cannot wait to get back to school."

She snorted. "Just imagine, another month and it'll be summer. And then we get to spend time with your family."