AN: I'm really sorry this took so long, guys, but here is (finally) the last chapter of Lurlinemas Can Be Romantic, Too!

Elizabeth's prompt for me was: "Write a one-shot inspired by the Winter Wonderland line "Later on, we'll conspire; as we dream by the fire"."

Dreams and fires

"Would you like a hug, Sir Pounce-A-Lot?" Galinda cooed. "You would, wouldn't you? Come here!"

"Galinda," Elphaba said tiredly, "we are not naming him Sir Pounce-A-Lot."

"Are you sure? Because I think it sounds really cute." Galinda frowned when the kitten squirmed itself free from her arms and fell to the floor with a soft thud. It immediately shot over to Elphaba's side of the room, hiding beneath the green girl's bed.

Elphaba stifled a laugh. "I think he doesn't like to be smothered, either." She bent forward to peer under the bed. "Don't worry, hon, I get where you're coming from. Galinda can be a little overwhelming sometimes."

"Um, hello?" Galinda waved a hand. "I'm right here, you know!"

"I know," Elphaba replied drily, earning herself a glare and a huff from her roommate.

"How about Kitty? Or Tiger?" Galinda thought out loud. "Or Midnight, or Princess... if it's a girl, of course. Is it a girl?"

"I don't know," Elphaba said. "Maybe we should go with a gender-neutral name, just in case."

"Hmm... maybe." Galinda tilted her head a little to the side. "What does Fiyero think?"

"That I should name him myself, since he – or she – is mine now." Elphaba had managed to coax the kitten out from underneath the bed. She picked it up now and placed it on top of the covers, where it curled up in a ball.

"Miss Mittens," Galinda offered. "Or Mr Mittens, of course. Or you name him after the cat in that fairy-tale – Puss in Boots!"

Elphaba cackled. "I'm not going to name my cat Puss in Boots, Galinda!"

Galinda giggled as she sat down at her desk. "I guess it's a little weird." She spun in circles on her desk chair. "Are you spending Lurlinemas Eve with Fiyero?"

"Yes." Elphaba stroked the kitten. "He's coming to pick me up soon."

"Are you two going to kiss all night?" Galinda puckered her lips and half-closed her eyes, making kissing noises. "Spend a romantic evening together?"

"I suppose so."

Galinda pouted. "You haven't made plans?"

"If we had, I wouldn't tell you," said Elphaba, which made her friend huff again and turn away from her.

She turned back quickly enough, however. "Elphie?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you and Fiyero..." She trailed off suggestively.

Elphaba frowned. "What?"

"Well, you know, did you two... do it?"

"Do what, Galinda?"

The blonde sighed. "Oh, come on, Elphie. You know what I mean! It!" she stressed.

"Galinda, I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"I'M ASKING WHETHER OR NOT YOU HAVE HAD SEX!"

"Whoa," Fiyero said from the doorway, looking a bit taken aback. "Bad timing?"

Galinda flushed. Elphaba flushed even brighter.

"I'll come back later," Fiyero said, turning around.

"No, it's fine!" Galinda cried. "We, um... we were just... having girl talk, I guess."

"We were having girl talk?" Elphaba echoed incredulously. "You were asking me the most inappropriate question ever asked in human history!"

"What do you mean, inappropriate?" Galinda defended herself. "I'm your friend, Elphie! Friends are supposed to tell one another these things!"

Elphaba snorted. Galinda scowled and crossed her arms. "So, did you?"

Instead of replying, Elphaba picked up the kitten and, cradling it in her arms, stalked over to the door. She grabbed Fiyero's arm and pulled him with her as she strode out of the room without answering Galinda.

"Fae?" Fiyero asked, but she shook her head.

"Fae," he tried again, "I get that this was a little awkward... I'm sorry, I should have knocked first –"

"No," she cut him off. "It wasn't your fault – it was hers. You don't ask a question like that!"

"It's not that strange, you know," he tried to soothe her. "I mean, my friends ask it sometimes, too. You two are best friends and for as far as I know, girls discuss these things with one another."

Elphaba sighed, her shoulders slumping. "Was I being rude?"

"A little," Fiyero said truthfully and she grumbled under her breath.

"I guess I should go back to apologise, then." She shivered, suddenly realising she forgot to bring her coat. "And to get my coat."

Fiyero chuckled. "Here. I'll hold Little Yero."

"We're not naming the cat Little Yero!" Elphaba exclaimed, throwing her hands up into the air. "Especially not since that makes me think about something entirely different!"

Fiyero grinned widely when he realised what she meant. "And you don't like to think about that?"

"I'm not even answering that."

He chuckled. "Fair enough."

She glared at him before pushing the kitten into his arms and going back up to her room, where Galinda was still sitting.

"I'm sorry," she blurted out the moment she came in. "I overreacted a little. And no, we haven't done anything yet."

Galinda giggled. "It's fine, Elphie, really. I know how dramatic you can get about these things." She waved at her roommate. "Have fun with Fiyero."

"You have fun tonight, too." Elphaba waved back, took her coat, and left the room again.

Fiyero was still waiting downstairs, talking softly to the kitten. Its ears twisted when it heard Elphaba approach and it turned its blue eyes on her, melting her instantly.

"Maybe we should call you Galinda," Elphaba said to the small animal as she took it back from Fiyero and scratched it between the ears. "She can give me that same look whenever she wants something from me."

Fiyero laughed. "What if it turns out to be male?"

Elphaba grinned. "Then I'm going to have a lot of fun."

He put his arm around her shoulders and they walked to his dorm room together. After taking off their coats and shoes, Elphaba sat cross-legged on the floor to play with the kitten while Fiyero tried to get a fire going in the fireplace. The small thing meowed and tried to swat at Elphaba's finger, making her laugh.

Fiyero smiled from where he was poking at the fire. "I'm glad you like my anniversary present for you," he teased.

She smiled, too. "Well, you are setting the standard very high for yourself, you know," she said, raising one eyebrow at him. "What are you getting me next year?"

"A puppy?" he suggested and she poked out her tongue.

"I'm serious, though," she said. "Valentine's Day is coming up in a few months as well. How in Oz are you going to top a trip to the Emerald City, where you not only indulged in my love for libraries and museums, but also rented off an entire restaurant for dinner and then took me to the theatre, where we had the best seats ever?"

He opened his mouth, but then he faltered. "I… um…"

"Oh, relax, Yero." She rose to her feet and moved over to where he was sitting, wrapping her arms around him from behind. "I don't even want you to try and top last year. You know I'd be completely fine with not celebrating Valentine's Day at all, because no matter how amazing it was last year, I still hate it."

He grinned. "Of course you do." He took her in his arms and kissed her gently. "But I want to spoil you."

"I think you've already spoilt me enough for a lifetime." She looked up at him. "Just promise me one thing."

"What?" he asked.

She placed both hands flat against his chest. "No fighting this Valentine's Day."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "If I remember correctly, you were the one who started it."

That, of course, earned him a glare. He chuckled. "I know, I know. Am I wrong, though?"

She sighed. "Not really," she admitted. "But if you and Galinda hadn't been so suspiciously close, I would never have thought that you two were together again."

"I hope you realise now that I would never do that to you," he said, suddenly solemn. "I know you were uncertain back then about our relationship and that you didn't fully trust the fact that I love you, but I hope you do now."

Her heart melted at that and she leant up to kiss him again, winding her arms around his neck. "I won't say that I'm completely confident now," she said softly, "because you know me better than that. But… I guess I do believe you love me, now." She blushed. "And I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions that time. It was immature and stupid of me and I only did it because I still couldn't believe you had actually chosen me. I was just waiting for the other shoe to drop – I guess I was maybe subconsciously even searching for any sign that might point in the direction of you not really loving me, and that would have gone wrong eventually." She looked into his eyes. "Thank you," she said. "For not giving up on me, and for trying so hard to get me back."

He had no idea what to say to that – also, he was afraid he might cry if he did say something – so instead he just kissed her hard, lowering her onto the couch. She deepened the kiss and they kissed for a long while before being interrupted by a loud, indignant mew.

They looked up, faces flushed and hair tangled. The kitten was sitting on the floor beside them, clearly trying to get onto the couch as well, but failing.

"Oh, you poor thing!" Elphaba exclaimed as she sat up and picked the kitten up, hugging it close. "I'm sorry, sweetie, did we forget about you?"

"There you have it," Fiyero said dramatically. "Now she's going to give all her attention to another man."

"Or woman," Elphaba grinned. "We're still not sure." She stroked the cat, which nestled itself in the green girl's lap.

"Fae?" Fiyero asked after a brief time of silence during which they both stared at the flames in the fireplace, lost in thought. "Do you ever think about the future?"

"Sometimes. Why?"

"How do you see it?"

She was quiet for a while, thinking about that.

"I don't really know," she said eventually. "I mean… I never really thought about it much, since I always assumed I'd have to return to Munchkinland to keep caring for Nessa. I sometimes dreamt of working for the Wizard, making a difference in Oz… but those were exactly that – dreams." She looked at him. "Why? How do you see it?" she asked curiously.

He, too, was quiet for a moment, but not because he had to think about his answer; he was just contemplating whether or not he should tell her. It might overwhelm her a little, but it was how he felt.

"I thought about it a lot," he said honestly. "I just…" He looked at her, watching him with those big, brown eyes of hers, stroking the kitten in her lap; and again, that feeling washed over him. He didn't want anyone else. He could picture it as clearly as if it had already happened.

"I see you," he said. "I see us graduating Shiz together, along with Nessa, Ryyrrika, Boq, and Galinda." That was the safe part of his answer. "I see myself executing the perfect proposal for you."

She blinked, clearly taken aback; but now that he'd started, he didn't seem able to stop. "I see us getting married," he continued. "The bridesmaids will wear dresses, and the groomsmen ties, in the exact colour of your skin. You won't be wearing white, but something similar – silver, maybe, or ivory. You'll come walking down that aisle towards me and I'll be the happiest man alive. We'll live in the Vinkus together and… and we'll have children. I don't know how many, exactly, but they'll have your hair and my eyes, or maybe just the other way around, and they'll be adorable, beautiful little bookworms that dance through life…" He smiled at the mental image. "We'll have cats – or a dog, maybe. I think the kids would like a dog. We'll grow old, the children will grow up, and then we'll be grandparents. And then at some point far, very far into the future, you and I will both die of old age in the middle of the night – the same night, obviously, because I wouldn't want to live a single day longer than you do." He shook his head, bringing himself back to the present and realising that he had said that all aloud. He could feel a red colour creeping up into his cheeks. "That's how I see it," he finished sheepishly. Oz, he hoped he hadn't scared her off now.

She was staring at him, her hand still on the black kitten's small body and her eyes wide.

He grimaced. "Look, I know this is all a little… um… much, maybe…"

"You think?" she asked, her voice higher than usual. "You thought about the colour of the groomsmen's ties on our wedding!"

"Only because I love your skin colour!" he protested, although he did realise that planning the colour of his groomsmen's ties was maybe a little ridiculous when there was not even any prospect of an actual wedding. He suddenly felt a little like a male Galinda.

"Do you…" She averted her gaze for a moment, looking at the fire before looking back at him. "Do you mean that? All of that?"

He nodded immediately. "Yes. All of that," he said, not a trace of doubt in his voice – or his mind.

He looked at the fire, not wanting to look at her. He wasn't sure how she'd react. Maybe she'd freak out completely and break up with him. Maybe she'd give him a sympathetic look and tell him that she never planned on staying with him for that long, that this was all just for fun. He doubted that, but in that moment, all kinds of thoughts flashed through his head.

Needless to say, he was extremely surprised when she suddenly tackled him, flinging her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly.

"I love you," she choked out, her voice thick with tears. "I never thought anyone could love me, but you... you're amazing. You're Yero, my hero and I still can't believe that you really think that way about me, about our relationship... about us..." She sniffled. "I never thought I'd have this. Ever. But I love that I do – that we do. I know I don't say this enough, but... I really, really love you, Yero. More than anything in the world. I don't talk a lot about how I feel and I know you find that hard sometimes, which was one of the reasons why I wrote you all those notes for our anniversary... but maybe I need to say these things more, because you say them to me all the time."

"Hey," he interjected, cupping her face with both hands and wiping some stray tears off her cheeks. "Fae... you know I don't want you to feel obligated to say or do anything. I love you just the way you are. You don't have to change for me. You don't have to say those things if you don't want to."

"But I do want to." She took a deep breath and looked into his eyes. "I love you," she said again. "I love how brainless you can be sometimes, because I think it's adorable. I love the way you run your fingers through your hair when you're nervous. I love the way you look at me and everything you've done for me, and are still doing every day. I don't think you realise how much you really mean to me," she said softly, lowering her gaze. "How much you've changed me, and the way I think about myself and about the world. You're the best thing that has ever happened to me."

By then, it had gotten really, really hard for him to hold back his tears.

"You've really got to stop doing this," he croaked, wiping at his eyes, and she smiled softly.

"Sorry."

He grinned and drew her closer. She nestled herself in his arms and the kitten, not wanting to be left out, padded over to them and clambered on top of Fiyero's shoulder, where it curled up like it was the most comfortable place in the world.

"I thought you'd freak out," Fiyero confessed. "If I told you all that. It just... slipped out."

"I'm glad it did," Elphaba said quietly. "I mean... yes, it's a little overwhelming. I certainly didn't expect to hear it, and quite frankly, I thought I was going to freak out for a moment, too."

He chuckled softly.

"But then I realised I didn't really feel the panic I expected to feel," she continued. "I just felt... happy. It feels right, somehow." She looked up at him. "I can't say I really care about the colour of the bridesmaids' dresses or the groomsmen's ties," she said with a small grin, making him chuckle again, "or what I will be wearing... and to be completely honest, I'm not entirely convinced on the subject of children, either."

"We'll work on that," Fiyero assured her, nuzzling her hair.

She smiled. "My point is that everything else you described just sounds... perfect." She half-turned so that she could look at him properly. "And I think I want all that, too."

A brilliant smile lit up his face. "You do?"

She nodded shyly and he wrapped her in his arms, kissing her deeply.

"Oz, Fae, I love you," he murmured, kissing her neck. He held her tightly, feeling how relaxed and completely at ease she was in his arms, and his heart soared. No matter what she thought about herself, he knew that he was most definitely the luckiest man alive because he had her.