Sorry this one took so long. Thanks for all the lovely reviews. You guys are awesome.

Crap. This is bad. This is very, very bad.

She considers the option of continuing to run, but she stops and remains frozen, unable to move. She takes a deep breath. Does Elphaba know that she followed her into the music store?

"How much did you overhear?" Elphaba asks, and Galinda winces.

She decides she's going to play dumb for as long as she can, turning to face Elphaba as she walks towards her. "I... don't know what you mean." She keeps somewhat of a safe distance from Elphaba, just in case she feels the need to hit her again.

Elphaba rolls her eyes, and Galinda knows her game is up. "The whole thing, then. Well, it wasn't entirely true. The guy's lonely, and he lives through his customers' stories. But that's not the point. I'm sort of glad you're here, because I want to apologise. You wanted me to stop, and asked me to, but I didn't. I know what it's like when people don't quit, and I've never thought I'd do that myself. I get why you're angry, and I'm sorry. I hope you can eventually forgive me."

Galinda sighs and looks up at Elphaba. "I'm sorry, too." She wants to continue, but she's having trouble finding the words she's looking for. "I... I'm sorry. I've been... nothing but a little whiny bitch to you, and I've been so mean to you when you don't really deserve it. I'm sorry." When she finishes, she looks down at the ground, too embarrassed to meet Elphaba's gaze.

"Are you sure I don't deserve it? I mean, I sort of started, not letting you just sit at my table."

Galinda chuckles softly. "You didn't deserve as big a deal as I made out of it."

"Hey, Galinda. I knew who you were. I knew I was going to get a big deal out of it, no matter what. Everyone knows you're a bit, well, not just a bit, of a drama queen." Elphaba smiles, and Galinda still can't get over how.. pretty she actually looks when she smiles.

"I still shouldn't have made such a big deal about it, and I really am sorry." She chuckles again and finally looks up at Elphaba. She hesitates for a bit, but then slowly holds her arms out. "I'm... I'm gonna hug you; is that okay?"

Elphaba chuckles. "Yeah, sure. Thanks for the warning."

Galinda nods and steps forward, gently enveloping Elphaba into a hug. She can feel that Elphaba is a little tense, so she comfortingly rubs Elphaba's back softly. "It's okay..." she murmurs softly. She can't help but feel like they're sharing some kind of a moment. She smiles softly, resting her chin gently on Elphaba's shoulder. She's vaguely aware that the hug is probably lasting longer than it should, but she sort of doesn't want it to stop just yet. There's something about the awkward way that Elphaba is hugging her back and the slightly entrancing scent of Elphaba's hair that makes Galinda want to stay there just a little longer. Finally, though, she pulls back and smiles apologetically at Elphaba.

"If you're still up to it... I really do need help in some of my classes, and I'd actually be really glad if you'd help me..." She smiles, a bit embarrassed.

Elphaba chuckles, and Galinda decides she likes the sound of that laugh a lot better than when she cackles.

"I'd be happy to help you, m- Galinda."

Galinda winces when she thinks she's about to call her another pet name, but smiles when Elphaba instead calls her by her name.

"Thank you... Elphaba." She smiles brightly. "Shall we head back to my house, then? See just how far I have to go to get my grades up?" She laughs then, the sound almost like the soft tinkling of a bell.

"Sure. Also, now that we're on friendly terms, would you tell me whether or not you have a library in your house?"

Galinda laughs again. "Yes. Yes, we definitely have a library. But I'm afraid it's a definite no, as far as the secret pool goes... Sorry." She waits for Elphaba before she starts walking back towards her house.

"I sort of expected that, but a library's cool. Ever since I watched Beauty and the Beast when I was little, I've loved the idea of having a library."

Galinda smiles. "Then I have a feeling you'll love our library... Is that where you want to have our meetings?"

Elphaba smiles. 'Are you sure? I might be a bit too distracted by all the books to actually teach you something."

Galinda smiles. "Well, then, I guess we'll have to cross that bridge if or when we get to it." She pulls her key out as they arrive back at the front door of her house. She opens it and holds the door open for Elphaba this time.

"No plans to slam a door into my face this time? Why, I'm almost disappointed."

"There are plenty of doors between here and the library, if you'd really like a door in your face." She rolls her eyes, but smiles as they walk down a long hallway.

"No, thanks. You already gave me a nosebleed on for the offer, though. You know what they say: you aren't truly welcomed into a house until you are offered to get a door in your face."

Galinda laughs once again. "I'm sorry about that, by the way. I didn't mean to actually hurt you... Well... I mean... I didn't think I'd hit you that hard, I guess..." She looks down again. What is with this feeling of guilt that she keeps on getting? And why is she only feeling guilty when it comes to something she's done to Elphaba?

"Don't worry about it! It's the only good hit you got. I'm pretty sure I won that battle."

"To spare any further fighting, I'll just agree with that statement. As long as you can confirm that you didn't give me rabies when you bit me," she teases lightly.

"Well, I'm not too sure about that. Have you had a doctor check it out?" Elphaba shoots back. "They don't call me Cujo for nothing."

She playfully shoves Elphaba's shoulder."That's not funny, Elphie." She gasps, delighted with the new nickname she's just thought up. "Is it alright if I call you Elphie?"

"Well, it's a little perky, and I'm not allowed to give you nicknames."

"It isn't really a nickname. It's just a shorter, faster way to say your name. And you can call me..." She tries to think of a way to shorten her name, but she just can't think of one.

"Gallins?"

Galinda makes a face, her little button nose wrinkling a bit, before she shakes her head.

"Aw, and that was a good one. Gally, then?"

Galinda only wrinkles her nose more and shakes her head again.

"You're making it very hard for me. What about... oh, never mind."

"Then you can call me... Galinda." She giggles as if it's the funniest thing ever.

"Very original, but I don't like it. It sounds stupid."

"Hey!" Galinda pouts and crosses her arms, stopping in the middle of the hallway.

"Aw, don't worry. I didn't mean it, my swee-" Galinda is poised and ready to call her out on the nickname, but Elphaba catches herself. "Galinda. Best nickname ever. I never could've thought of that."

"Thank you." She humphs before she begins to walk again, finally reaching a door and putting her hand on the doorknob. "Wait... Are you sure you can handle this?"

"No, but that doesn't matter."

Galinda can tell that Elphaba is eager to see the library, so she opens the door and nudges Elphaba in. The library isn't nearly as grand as the library in Beauty and the Beast, but it's certainly large. There are bookshelves from floor to ceiling, rows and rows of them. Galinda stands back, letting Elphaba take it all in.

"Oh, my sweet, this place is amazing. I don't know how you can go out to some silly parties when you've got this in your house."

Galinda is so caught up in watching Elphaba, that she doesn't even hear the nickname slip out. She smiles, watching her absorb everything in. She watches as Elphaba smiles, as she picks up a book and sniffs it. How peculiar. She's never seen anyone do that before. Finally, she speaks up. "You're welcome to borrow anything you'd like." She chuckles when Elphaba jumps.

"Really? I'll look for something nice later." She smiles the widest smile Galinda's ever seen anyone smile before, and she feels something weird in the pit of her stomach. Something like a little fluttering. She shakes her head a bit before speaking again.

"Think of it as a sort of payment. For tutoring me."

"Thanks, my sweet." Galinda smiles when she says that. She prefers not to think about it, but the nickname is actually sort of starting to grow on her. "We really ought to begin now, though."

"All right. There's a table over by the window. Or one by the door. Or, just, wherever you see one that you absolutely feel like you need to work at."

"Let's just sit by the window."

"Okie dokie, artichokie." She walks past Elphaba and over to table by the far window, pulling out a chair for Elphaba, and then a chair for herself before plopping down in it. "All right. Where do we start?"

"Well, I think that's largely up to you. What's the subject you've got the greatest difficulty with?"

"Um... Well..." She thinks over her schedule. "Probably my mathematics class, if I had to pick one."

"Great. Let's start with that one, then."

Galinda nods and listens as Elphaba starts to explain things to her. Every so often, Elphaba asks her questions, and she answers truthfully. She understands just fine, honestly. Perhaps sometimes she just likes to... daydream during class. Yes, that's it. After a while, Elphaba leaves her with some exercises to do as she walks around the library, and Galinda finishes them rather quickly, but doesn't say anything, letting Elphaba walk around the library for as long as she pleases.

She watches Elphaba out of the corner of her eye, notices how she picks up a book with the utmost care. She lets her gaze fall back to her paper, though, when she notices Elphaba walking back towards her.

"Are you done?"

Galinda looks up at her and nods, handing her the paper. "Yes. All finished."

"Good. I'll check it now."

Galinda watches as Elphaba's eyes scan over her paper, leaving notes here and there as she checks her work. When she's finished, she hands the paper back to her and smiles. "Good job."

Galinda smiles, also. "Thank you. What did I do wrong? Anything really bad?" She looks down at her paper.

"Well, I don't know what a really bad mistake would be. You keep making the same ones, however, which is sort of good, because that means I know what to focus on. I guess I'll make some more exercises that I can give to you tomorrow, if you'd like."

Galinda smiles and nods. "I think that would probably be best, yes."

"Okay. I'm thinking we should take a break from maths for now. Would you like to continue with another subject, or take a break altogether?"

"Um... I'm fine with either one, honestly. We can take a break and you can look around more, if you'd like." She smiles a bit. "And if you're hungry, I can go ask the maid to make us some snacks."

"I'm not hungry, thanks. I never really eat much." This gives Galinda yet another reason to pout. "How about we just talk for a while? It would be nice to get to know the person behind these horrid mistakes." Elphaba laughs.

"No wonder you're skin and bones! I tell you what, if you let me feed you, we can talk about me all you want."

"You need a reason to talk about yourself?" Elphaba feigns shock.

"Oh, no. I'm just being a proper hostess." She stands and kicks a heel up, posing.

"Well, if you insist."

"Just stay here, familiarise yourself with the library, and I'll be back in a jiff and a half." She flashes another dazzling smile before turning to leave the room, heading back down the hallway she came through and turning towards the kitchen.

Eventually, she reaches the kitchen and is mildly surprised when she sees no one there. No matter, no matter. She can get her own snacks. She doesn't know what kind of things Elphaba likes to eat, so she grabs some crackers, and some cheese, and some apple slices, as well, just in case Elphaba maybe doesn't like anything else on the plate. When she's satisfied that she's got enough food for the both of them, she heads back to the library, nudging the door open with her hip before walking back over to the table.

She notices that Elphaba has picked up the book she had earlier, but her gaze is far too distant for her to actually be reading it. Quietly, so as not to disturb her, she sets the plate down on the table and sits back down in her chair, watching Elphaba silently. Eventually, though, she decides to try to break Elphaba away from her thoughts.

"Elphie?"

Elphaba looks up at her, her eyes a bit wide. She must have really been lost in her thoughts. "How long have you been there?"

Galinda considers lying and saying an hour, but she can't bring herself to do it. "About five minutes. That's all."

"Oh, okay."

Galinda watches her as she shakes her head and then reaches for an apple. "Oh, you do know how to eat!" she teases.

Elphaba smiles. "I'm just never really that hungry, really. I know this may sound weird, but I prefer to spend my time doing other stuff. "

"But... you have to eat to get yourself going. Otherwise your body will slowly start to shut down and you'll get sick, and possibly slip into a coma, and then die." She's being dramatic, but she knows it's the truth.

"Don't be silly, my sweet. I don't starve myself."

Once again, Galinda says nothing about the nickname. She hardly even notices that she used it again. "I didn't say you were, I was just stating facts about what happens if you don't get enough food to live healthily."

"Well, my lifestyle is healthy enough. Didn't you want to talk about yourself?"

Galinda shrugs. "I suppose... What do you want to know?"

"What about your love life? There's this Fiyero guy, right?"

Galinda almost chokes on her cracker. Has Elphaba seriously just asked her that question? It's a bit forward of her to ask that, and rather personal. "Um... Well..." She sighs, figuring she may as well just answer the question. "Well... I don't know, I mean... We look good together, but... That's about it, if I'm speaking honestly. We don't share any interests, he's always aloof. It's kind of annoying..." She shrugs and looks down at her hands clasped together on the table. "Why... Why did you want to know?"

"Isn't that what you people talk about? Who's dating whom, and stuff like that?"

Galinda gives a resigned sigh. She thinks about telling Elphaba how much she truly hates putting on a fake smile every day and talking about the same things every day, and how it gets boring. She decides she's going to continue keeping her true thoughts to herself. "Yeah... It is." She says nothing else about the matter, suddenly becoming very interested in the pattern on the table.

"So, anything else I should know about you? Have you killed anyone? Am I going to be sworn to secrecy? I hope you're not planning on killing me before season 3 of Sherlock."

Galinda smiles a bit, but her mind is still wandering a bit. "No... No, I haven't killed anyone..."

"Are you alright, my sweet? You seem upset."

Galinda looks up at her, as if she's just noticing that Elphaba's in the room. She tilts her head a bit, and then shakes her head a bit, trying to clear it, before putting on a not-so-real smile. "I'm fine..." she murmurs, hoping Elphaba can't tell she's not exactly telling the truth.

Elphaba sighs. "You're lying. I don't know why, but I don't like it. If you don't want to talk about it, tell me, but I would like to know."

Galinda smiles again, hoping it looks more sincere this time. "It's nothing. Nothing at all."

Elphaba reaches over to take Galinda's hand, and Galinda looks down at their contrasting skin tones. "Galinda, I know you're hiding something. It's all right if you don't want to talk about it, but then tell me. Don't lie to my face."

Galinda sniffles, and it's the first time she realises that she's holding back tears. "I... I don't... I don't want to talk about it." she struggles to stutter as a single tear trails down her cheek. The truth is, she feels like she can't talk about it. She feels like no one will understand, or that they'll find her just acting like a spoilt brat. She blinks in surprise when she feels Elphaba hug her.

"I'm sorry for pushing you."

Galinda only shakes her head, afraid that if she speaks, she'll only cry more.

"Shh... It's all right, my love," Elphaba whispers and a quiet sob escapes from Galinda. "It's all right."

Galinda doesn't move as her silent sobs leave her shaking. She can't believe she's let herself fall apart. And in front of Elphaba, no less. She wants nothing more than to be able to curl up and hide away from everyone for a nice, long time.

"Would you like me to leave?" Elphaba says, eventually, and Galinda is stuck with a decision. She's embarrassed that she started crying in front of someone she hardly truly knows, but at the same time, there's something about her warm embrace that's comforting her. She slowly shakes her head, still not trusting her voice. "Okay, my love. I'll stay. If there's anything you need, just tell me."

Galinda nods, and moves to make herself more comfortable, resting her head on Elphaba's shoulder as she curls against her, sniffling again. Elphaba continues to shush her softly, stroking her hair in a calming manner. "It's going to be all right, my love. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere." Galinda nods, another quiet sob escaping. Elphaba begins to hum to her, and it's so soothing and beautiful, and within minutes, Galinda feels herself being lulled off to sleep, and she can't fight it.

She makes a little sound of disapproval when Elphaba moves, but settles right back into her sleep quickly. She snuggles her head more into the crook of Elphaba's neck as she continues to sleep quietly. When Elphaba lays her on her bed, she whimpers again, unhappy that her warm pillow has suddenly disappeared, and she reaches out blindly to try to find it again. When she feels something warm next to her, she curls ups against it again, snuggling her head back into the crook of Elphaba's shoulder as she continues to sleep. She can vaguely smell something, something nice, but she can't put a name to it, even in her sleep..

Eventually, after a long time, she slowly starts to wake up. She can vaguely feel that someone is lying next to her, holding her close, and she can't think of who it might be. She thinks she must still be dreaming, though, so she keeps her eyes closed, stretching a little. She hears a sleepy little sigh from beside her and stops moving. She freezes. What in the world is going on?

She is completely awake now, and her eyes open wide. She gives them some time to adjust before slowly turning to look at whoever is on the bed next to her. Is that... No, it can't be. No, wait. It is. That's Elphaba lying next to her. She's sleeping quietly, and the sight gives Galinda a bit of a pause. She looks so innocent, moreso than she's ever seen the girl look, and the sight is rather endearing. But why is she here?

She mentally goes through the last things she can remember. They had been in the library studying. No... After that they had been talking. And Galinda had gotten upset. She vaguely remembers Elphaba comforting her, and a soft, nameless melody that Elphaba was humming to her. She must have fallen asleep, she decides. So Elphaba carried her up to her bed. That thought gave her a weird, warm, fuzzy little feeling in her stomach, but she tried to shake it off. Elphaba was now lying on her bed. Asleep.

Oh, dear. What on earth is she supposed to do now? Is she supposed to wake her up? Well, yes, that's the obvious decision. But how to go about doing that? She can just... give her a nudge on the shoulder. If all else fails, she can push her off the bad. That's only to be used as a last resort, though.

She decides to be nice and reaches over to gently shake her shoulder.

"Elphaba..." she whispers.

She is greeted with a groan as Elphaba turns over.

Galinda sighs. "Elphaba... I really don't want to have to resort to pushing you off the bed to wake you..." she whispers, shaking her shoulder again.

"Whozere?" Elphaba murmurs, and Galinda can't help but think how endearing Elphaba is when half-asleep.

"It's me, Elphie." She shakes her shoulder gently again.

"Mum?" Elphaba finally whispers, and Galinda makes a face. Why does she think it's her mother talking and not Galinda? Huh. Oh, well.

"No... It's me, Elphie. Galinda." She shakes her shoulder a little bit more firmly this time.

That certainly wakes her up fast. She jumps up, but in her panic, trips over her own legs and crashes to the floor.

"Oh my gosh, Elphie! Are you okay?" Galinda peeks over the edge of the bed to where Elphaba is on the floor.

Elphaba groans, but replies. "Yes, I'm alright. A bit shaken, not stirred. Wait, that doesn't make sense. Yes, I'm fine."

Galinda giggles. "You're funny when you're half-asleep, Elphie."

Elphaba stretches from her place on the floor as she speaks. "Well, I'm glad I can amuse someone. Please express your amusement in a generous tip." She stands up, then, but her legs are wobbly.

"Alright. Here's your tip: Sit down before you fall again." She pats the bed and scoots over, so Elphaba has room to sit. Much to her mild delight, Elphaba sits down next to her.

"Thanks. What time is it?"

"Um..." She looks over at her clock. "Like... seven-fifteen."

"I'm supposed to give Nessa her sheet music! Ugh, why am I so stupid?" She sighs.

"What do you mean? You're not stupid at all, Elphie." Galinda's mind still isn't completely cleared from being asleep.

"I really have to go," Elphaba says. running out of the room before Galinda can stop her.

"Wait!" she runs after her. "Elphie, wait!" She runs down the stairs to the front door, hoping to catch Elphaba before she leaves. She sees Elphaba coming from the library and blocks the door. "Not so fast! You think I'm going to let you go without saying thank you?"

"Well, we'll see each other again tomorrow. I don't see what's the problem, and I've really got to get back."

"Oh, Elphie, just stop it for... five seconds!" She steps towards her and hugs Elphaba before she can do anything else. "Thank you... For everything."

"You're welcome," Elphaba replies.

Galinda smiles, and pulls away before the hug gets too awkwardly long. "All right, fine, you can go now." Galinda rolls her eyes, but she's only teasing.

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow, my- Galinda." Elphaba leaves and Galinda watches her, trying not to think too much into how Elphaba is making her feel.