First Words

Another Gelphie fic by me. This would take place right after the melting. It's not necessarily part of my Gelphie mini-series, but it kinda fits in right after Rewritten. You don't need to read that to understand this.

Italics is flashback. Bold Italics is the dream sequence.

Disclaimer- I do not own Elphaba, Glinda, Nessa, or Chistery. They all belong to L. F. Baum, Gregory Maguire, and whomever else they belong to.

"M-m-m-m-"

Those are the first syllables out of Chistery's mouth, and it's enough for Glinda to look up through tear filled eyes. She sits there, in a puddle of unknown liquid, not caring that it might stain, not caring that it will seep through the expensive fabric and intricate patterns of her gown. She's too preoccupied by the freezing numbness in her heart to care about the wetness on her legs.

"Mi-mi- miss-"

The words Chistery trys so desperately to pronounce are butchered, because he is so unaccustomed to the constant movement of speech; he is not used to the rolling of his tongue, not used to actually moving his jaw for anything but chewing and biting. Yet still, he tries his best, just wanting to help even as Glinda recoils from him, surprised at his sudden appearance, unaware that there was another creature that still lingered in Kiamo Ko.

"Miss Glinda."

Chistery finally says. Glinda is surprised at this; He stumbles over the word 'Miss', just a formal title that even the smallest of children have no trouble saying. Yet he can speak her name perfectly; it rolls off his tongue so smoothly, so easily that one would have expected him from being fully literate from just hearing how he manages to say her name.

Chistery's face is solemn, but inwardly he smiles at finally being able to speak the name of this foreign yet vaguely familiar woman. Glinda wonders.

She wonders how this Monkey knows her name, when they have met but twice.

Chistery knows how he knows it though. And Chistery remembers...

-

"Come on, Chistery." Elphaba coaxed, her voice soft and kind. "You can say it, I know you can. Say 'hello'."

Chistery shook his head, pouting like a small child. He was tired they had been working on speaking for hours. Elphaba sighed, pulled off the black hat she always wore, and ran her fingers through her hair.

"Chistery, please?" She asked him. The look in her eyes made all of Chistery's resolve fall away. Chistery's brows drew together, and he clenched his hands into fists; it was as if just trying to force those simple syllables out were causing physical strain. They didn't, really; but doing those actions helped the winged Monkey concentrate.

"H-he-heh-" Chistery stuttered. After a minute of repeated 'h' sounds, he gave up, relaxing his body. Elphaba sighed once more, and smiled at him, hiding her disappointment.

"It's alright Chistery. I know you tried." She said, patting his hair covered shoulder. "Let's try again."

Chistery stiffened up at the suggestion, the pout from before coming back. He sat up straight, the wings on his back fluttering and bristling, showing his displeasure. Elphaba tsked at his reluctance. She shook her head. "Chistery, just because you don't get it the first couple of times does not mean you should immediately give up."

"Honestly, Gli-"

Elphaba shut her mouth, the word dying on her lips. Chistery was curious; he lost his pout again, and tilted his head, staring at her quizzically, mentally asking Elphaba to complete her sentence. Of course, Elphaba didn't hear him. She was oblivious to his request, just as Chistery was oblivious to the distant look in her eyes.

After a moment, Elphaba cleared her throat. "That's enough for today." She told Chistery in her normal, curt tone, as if her last sentence had never been said. "It's getting late. Let's turn in for the night." She massaged at her temples. " I'm tired from this, anyways."

That wasn't particularly true. Elphaba was tired; but her loss of energy wasn't caused by her efforts of helping Chistery.

They were caused by emotions and memories. Things that Elphaba had had for years, and never had the courage to tell anyone.

Or rather, never had the courage to tell the one person who it would have mattered the most to.

Elphaba lay down in her bed, tossing and turning. She never got a good night's sleep anyways; she hadn't had one since she was back in Shiz. Then again, everything (her sleep, the Wizard, her life) was good back then.

Even so, her insomnia was even worse than usual. Her mind was plagued ('No' Elphaba thought, 'graced would be the better word to use') with thoughts of one person. Whose name she had nearly let slip earlier.

She never mentioned that name out loud anymore. If she did, a pain would come to her chest, and a feeling of remorse, sorrow, and sadness came to her. She just couldn't bear to hear it. Yet that didn't stop her from thinking the name.

Elphaba closed her eyes. Behind her eyelids, she could see a familiar memory playing out. She smiled at it, and her breathing evened out.

Even as she crossed the border between reality and the dream world, her memories still kept on.

-

"Don't give up." Elphaba said to her. "Just focus on it. Imagine what it can do, see the changes."

The blonde nodded, and focused on the apple once more. She narrowed her eyes, staring intensely at the fruit. Her tongue poked out of the side of her mouth unconsciously, and she unknowingly nears the apple. Elphaba had no doubt that at the moment, the girl was concentrating on it as hard as she could.

Still, even after a good five minutes of staring at it, nothing happened. The girl huffed, and sat back up.

"Elphie, it's not working!" She wailed, and Elphaba would have laughed if she didn't know that to do so would shatter what little confidence the girl had in her magical abilities left.

"Be patient." Elphaba explained to her, her voice kind. "Don't give up immediately."

"It's hopeless." The girl sighed, letting herself fall back onto her pink bedspread with a soft 'whump'. "Sweet Oz, I'll never get it."

"Don't be like that." Elphaba chided, crossing the room and sitting next to her roommate. "You will, I promise you will."

Had anyone seen the two at the moment, they would have been surprised. Elphaba was biting and sarcastic; she didn't encourage others. That still stayed true, except for one exception, for one person.

Elphaba's roommate was the only person Elphaba would allow herself to act like that around. She was the only person , other than Nessa, who Elphaba would willingly help. And even still, Elphaba helped Nessa because they were family. She helped her roommate, because they were friends.

'Hopefully' Elphaba thought wistfully, 'We'll be more than that someday.'

"You're sweet, Elphie." Elphaba's roommate said, a genuine smile on her face as she placed her hand on top of Elphaba's. "But I really don't know."

"You will!" Elphaba insisted yet again. "Let me help you."

With that, they both turned to the apple.

"Stare at it, but not so intensely." Elphaba murmured to her roommate, turning the blonde head toward the apple. "Now close your eyes."

The girl did as she was instructed to. Her eyes closed, and she looked into the darkness.

"Now," Elphaba muttered, her breath hot against the blonde's ear. "Imagine. See it in your mind; see the apple changing colour. See it slowly rising into the air. Don't think about anything else; just focus on that image, and listen to my voice."

The woman did so. She could see it; the apple, slowly turning from red to violet to blue. Once the colour was different, it would rise, inch by inch, centimetre by centimetre into the air, until it hovered at least a foot above the table it rested on. And all the while, Elphie's voice guided her on.

"Keep imagining it." The eldest Thropp sister murmured into her ear. "Keep on seeing the change happen; replay it again and again in your head. Let nothing distract you."

Indeed, she didn't let anything distract her. Not even Elphie's voice. Especially not Elphie's voice. The green girl's voice did quite the opposite; it soothed her, let her concentrate, and lead the way.

Eventually, she heard Elphaba exhale. This sigh was different from the emphatic, understanding one it was before. This time, it was one of pleasure and wonder.

"Open your eyes." Elphaba said.

When the blonde did, she could barely keep back an excited squeal. There, floating above the table, was an apple, blue as the skies outside.

"See?" Elphaba chuckled. "I told you that you could do it."

The blonde smiled, and hugged Elphaba. "Thank you, thank you so much." She whispered, and Elphaba hugged her back, smiling. "I couldn't have done it without you." Glinda said.

And it is here where Elphaba's memory transitioned into fantasy.

"You help me so much." The blonde said, her arms still wrapped tight around Elphaba's waist.

"Of course." Elphaba reassured her. "We're friends."

"Best friends." Her roomie stressed, and they both laughed.

"We could be more..." The blonde added in, very quietly.

Elphaba's breath caught in her throat. "What?" She whispered incredulously.

'We could be more." She sayid, louder. Her tone was brave, but her eyes were scared, full of fear of rejection.

"What..." Elphaba trailed off, swallowing thickly. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I love you, Elphaba Thropp." The blonde said, her eyes dropping to the ground. "And I'm hoping that you love me too."

After no answer, Elphaba's roommate pulled away from their hug. "I...I have to go." The blonde whimpered, her eyes filling with tears. But before she could run away-

"Wait."

The blonde turned around, to see Elphaba with happy tears in her own eyes.

"You blonde idiot." Elphaba said. "Do you know how long I've wanted to hear you say that?"

Suddenly, Elphaba's arms were holding the blonde once again, and the blonde was cupping Elphaba's green face in both hands, standing on tiptoe and pulling Elphaba down at the same time. Their lips met, over and over again, and between kisses, Elphaba murmured her name.

"Glinda."

-

"Glinda." Elphaba murmured in her sleep. "Glinda, Glinda, Glinda."

Chistery sat next to the sleeping woman. He had woken up to the sound of this name being repeated over and over again.

"Glinda, I love you." The green woman mumbled. Chistery didn't know what those words meant, but they must have been important, for as Elphaba was saying them there was a blissful smile on her face.

'Glinda.' Chistery thinks. 'Glinda, Glinda, Glinda.'

Chistery would repeat the name in his mind, as often as he heard the Wicked Witch say it.

So Chistery mentally said the name every night, over and over until he had it perfect.

-

"Miss Glinda." Chistery repeats. From behind his back, he pulls out a glass bottle, full of a green liquid. Glinda's eyes widen as she sees it. She has seen a bottle like that once before, only with one other person...

Chistery patiently holds it out to her. He doesn't know what it will do, but he knows it will help. And that's all he wants to do; help the woman whose name he has heard whispered many nights by the woman who helped him.

Glinda takes the bottle from Chistery, and rubs her thumb over the smooth glass. Choking back a sob, she finally stands up from the puddle, the Grimmerie and Elphaba's hat in her arms. Chistery watches as she does this, and sees a look of determination, hope, and something he can't name appear on her face.

Glinda leans down, and gives the Monkey a hug. "Thank you." She says to him, no longer edging away.

"Miss Glinda." Chistery says for the third time. Glinda smiles at him, and beckons for him to follow her.

They leave Kiamo Ko, one riding the skies on wings, and the other floating through the air in a bubble. They are both filled with hope.

For Chistery, it is because he has done something that he knows Elphaba would have wanted him to do, and because he is following someone who he knows is the only other that understands the green woman as he does.

For Glinda, it is also because she knows she can do something that Elphaba would have wanted her to do. But her reason is not the entirely same as Chistery's.

Glinda is filled with hope, because she knows that while she may not have been able to save her newfound love, she can stop the reason why everything went downhill. She can stop another woman from being wrongly accused, she can stop from smashing that girl's dreams, and she can stop this lie from ever happening again.

And it's all thanks to a green woman who Glinda loves, and the Monkey that tried to talk.