Author's Note: So this fic is dedicated to LittleXMissXPerfect who gave me the idea! Thank you! (I hope that you like this, but I suffered with some writer's block!)

'Excuse me, little miss, come back here,' Elphaba smiled as she caught Nessa around the waist to keep her from waddling off when the two of them – along with Fiyero – were at the beach one afternoon, her little girl whining in protest when she sat her in her lap. 'I have to take your shoes and socks off, angel, because otherwise you'll get sand in them.'

She managed to turn Nessa's pout into a smile when she placed a small kiss on the tip of her nose, the love she had for her deepening when she leaned against her and lifted one of her feet. It took seconds for her to take off her shoes and socks and set them down on the blanket, the smile that her baby gave her warming her heart as she stood her up.

'Don't go too far, all right?' She looked into her eyes whilst taking her hands in her own.

Nessa nodded in response.

'And I don't want you to go anywhere near the ocean without me or daddy.' She told her.

Again, Nessa nodded before looking at her father when he chuckled.

'You're going to be just fine, sweet-pea, aren't you?' He reached out to stroke her curls.

Once he had drawn his hand back, Elphaba leaned forward to brush a gentle kiss against their little girl's forehead before releasing her waist. 'Go on then,' She told her, a laugh escaping her when Nessa turned around and waddled across the sand as fast as her tiny legs would carry her. 'You wouldn't think she was simply crawling last week…' She sighed.

'She's growing up too fast,' Fiyero shuffled closer to her on the blanket in order to wind an arm around her middle. 'It's a good thing we've got this little one on the way, isn't it?'

Elphaba smirked at him when he rested his free hand on the large swell of her stomach. 'I told you on the evening that Nessa was born that I'd kill you if you did it to me again.'

'Yet here I am,' He teased. 'Alive, breathing and insanely in love with you…'

He tilted his head and pressed his lips to the side of her neck whilst she kept an eye on Nessa, a gasp escaping her when his lips brushed the sensitive area just behind her ear. 'I hope this one is another girl,' She laughed whilst caressing her stomach with the palm of her hand. 'If there were two of you haring around the place, I swear I would go mad.'

'Charming,' He feigned offence. 'I'm not that bad!'

'Even Nessa is more mature than you and she's just turned one!' She nudged him.

He nudged her back. 'You'd be bored with a normal husband. You adore my childishness.'

'I tolerate your childishness,' She said. 'Because I love you and I never want to lose you.'

'You could never lose me,' He traced the curve of her waist with his hand. 'I swear that.'

She rested her head on his shoulder then and went back to watching Nessa explore the beach, her heart fit to burst with love for her as she saw the radiant smile on her face. She and Fiyero had never brought her to the beach before – she had been far too little to be able to do anything – but now that was older and toddling there was so much more for her to see and do. The two of them were determined to do as much as possible with her before her little brother or sister was born too, to spend some time alone with her.

One of the things that worried her the most about having two children was the thought of Nessa feeling like she and Fiyero didn't love her as much as her sibling. She had such a strong bond with her little girl and Nessa was so used to having her attention focused on her, but she knew that she wouldn't have as much free time once she had given birth.

She wouldn't be able to just drop everything and sit and play dolls with her for hours on end; she wouldn't be able to just sit and snuggle with her all morning because she'd have to care for the baby too. She didn't know how her little girl was going to react when her brother or sister finally arrived, but there was one thing that she knew for a certainty.

She wouldn't do to Nessa what her own parents did to her.

She wouldn't cuddle the baby and pretend that she couldn't hear Nessa asking to cuddle with her as well. She wouldn't – when the baby was older – go to it after it had woken up from a nightmare and sooth it, only to tell Nessa that she was being stupid and to turn over and go to sleep. She would shower both of her children with her love and affection.

As though he was able to sense that she was brooding, Fiyero took her chin on his index finger and tilted her head back on his shoulder so that he could meet her gaze. 'You had better not be worrying about what I think you're worrying about,' He said before a sigh escaped him when she sucked on her bottom lip. 'Oh, Fae, we've gone through all of this.'

'I know,' She replied. 'It's just that I…'

'You what?' He tightened his hold of her.

She sighed. 'I know what it feels like to be ignored; to be pushed aside.'

'We're not your parents,' He stroked her face. 'I know how the two of them treated you when you and Nessarose were children and I hate them for that, but our children aren't going to be brought up like you were. Our children are going to grow up knowing that you and I adore them both and that we don't have a favourite.' He revelled in her soft smile.

'How do you always know exactly what to say to cheer me up?' She raised a brow at him.

He chuckled and pressed a kiss to the bridge of her nose. 'It's a gift.'

The two of them shared a smile before she tilted her head back further and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips, a surge of warmth coursing through her veins when he rested his forehead against hers once they had parted. 'Mama, mama!' The sound of her little girl's voice made her turn her head in her direction before she watched her waddle up to her.

Once Nessa had reached her and her father she watched her open her hand and a smile curled her lips when she saw the pointed shell that she was holding. 'Hat,' The one-year-old said as she looked at the shell for a moment and then at her mother, Elphaba sitting in silence for a second as she tried to figure out what she meant. 'Hat.' Nessa repeated.

'I think she means the shell looks like your hat.' Fiyero said when Elphaba looked at him.

'Oh,' Elphaba beamed before reaching back for her hat. 'You're right, my sweet, it does!'

Nessa giggled at her mother's exclamation before putting the shell on her head. 'Mama!'

Elphaba shook her head in amusement as she laced both arms around her beautiful little girl and pulled her into her lap, being mindful of her swollen stomach, Nessa's squeals of delight warming her heart when she started to pepper light kisses over her face. 'I love you so much, sweetheart.' She sighed once she had stopped leaving kisses upon her skin.

Seconds later, out of the blue, Nessa wrapped her arms around her neck and buried her face in her throat, the raven curls that she had passed onto her tickling her chin as she clung to her. She tightened her hold of her daughter then, holding her near with one of her arms, before kissing her on the head and sliding her fingers through her dark curls.

Ever since her little girl had entered the world she had been trying and failing to find a word to describe just how deep the love that she had for her was. In a sense, she loved Nessa more than she loved Fiyero. She knew that – even though there was a slim chance of it ever happening – if she had to choose between them both she would choose Nessa.

Her little girl meant the whole world to her and she knew that that would never change.

'How about we go for a walk along the shore?' Fiyero's voice brought her back to reality.

'That sounds nice,' She smiled. 'It's time for her nap too, so maybe it'll help get her off.'

She allowed him to press his lips against hers in a chaste kiss as she snugged their little girl to her chest, the two of them parting with a quiet smack before she put her hat on and got to her feet. Once Fiyero had rolled up the blanket they had been sat on, she let him slip an arm around her as she held Nessa close and the two of them started to walk.

The sensation of her husband brushing his fingers through her hair in an absent-minded fashion made Elphaba sigh as the two of them watched the sun set over the ocean some time later, his shoulder pillowing her head as she was curled up in his lap with his jacket over her. Even though she was tired and wanted to sleep, she didn't feel like leaving yet.

It had been one of the most perfect days of her life and she wasn't ready for it to end.

She lowered her gaze to Nessa who was still sleeping in front of her on the blanket, her cloak serving as a quilt for her whilst she dreamt with one hand tucked under her cheek and one on the blanket. It hadn't taken too long for her to drift off once their walk had started, meaning that she and Fiyero had been able to focus on one another for a while.

It had been so nice to spend an hour or so just holding his hand and walking next to him.

She snuggled further into his warmth a few seconds later and smiled when he pulled his jacket further over her to ensure that she kept warm, the two of them looking into the other's eyes when she lifted her hand and traced the line of his jaw with her fingertips. 'I love you,' She whispered. 'I forget to remind you of that sometimes, and I'm so sorry.'

'Fae, everything that you do reminds me that you love me,' He gave her a loving squeeze. 'You make meals for me, you run baths for me, you mend clothes for me and you smile at me whenever you see me. Don't get me wrong, I love it when you come and hug me out of the blue and say that you love me, but you haven't got to say the words for me to know.'

'Nevertheless,' She fixed his collar with a smile. 'I'm going to start telling you far more.'

Fiyero looked at her in silence for a little while after that, watching her raven hair blow in the breeze, before bringing his hand to her face and running the backs of his fingers along the outline of it. 'Sweet Oz, you're perfect…' He breathed before her cheeks took on a deeper shade of green and he chuckled at her bashfulness. 'You look so exhausted.'

'Having two children to take care of can do that to a woman.' She smirked.

'What do you mea…' He stopped when he realised what she meant. 'You're a little minx.'

She shrugged and curled her fingers into his shirt. 'You love me though, don't you?'

'I'd love you even if you hit me over the head with a brick,' He replied. 'But please don't.'

The two of them laughed together at that before she wound both arms around his neck and brushed her fingers against the hairs that she discovered at the nape of it. 'Fiyero, can I ask you something?' She cocked her head to one side whilst he brought her closer.

'Of course,' He nodded. 'You can ask me anything; you know that.'

She leaned forward to press her lips to his own. 'Will you be upset if this baby's green?'

'You asked me the same question when you were pregnant with Nessa and I still feel the same as I did back then,' He admitted. 'I don't care what colour skin our child comes out with. Green skin or not, I am going to love it with all my heart because it's something we created together. Besides, if our child has emerald skin it'll be just as beautiful as you.'

Elphaba sighed. 'I just don't want our child to be stared at and ridiculed all its life.'

'Darling, there's no point in worrying about something that hasn't happened,' He soothed after taking her face in his hands and looking into her eyes. 'Our child might have green skin when it's born, but we can speak some more about that when and if it happens. Until it does, I want you to put it to the back of your mind and relax for the next few weeks.'

He brushed his thumbs against her cheeks and grazed his nose against hers with a sigh. 'Please, Fae, promise me that you won't spend the next three weeks fretting about this.'

She let a small smile spread across her lips as she settled in his arms. 'Okay, I promise.'

'That's what I like to hear,' He stroked her back. 'Now, why don't we get you two home?'

'Can't we have ten more minutes?' The hope was clear in her eyes. 'I'm comfortable now.'

'Ten more minutes,' He chuckled whilst giving her a squeeze. 'Ten more minutes…'

He then pulled her closer and covered her with his jacket once again, his hand venturing beneath it to rest on her rounded stomach whilst she snuggled further into his embrace and the two of them went back to went back to watching the sun set over the ocean.

The perfect way to end an equally perfect day.

Author's Note: Thank you all so much for taking the time to read this rather long one-shot and I hope that you liked it! Please review if you have the time as they mean so much to me! :)