Long Time Coming
By Vinkunwildflowerqueen
DISCLAIMER: The characters of Wicked that you recognise here are the property of Stephen Schwartz and the producers and creators of the show. I'm just borrowing them for my leisure.
AN. This has taken much longer than I anticipated and I apologise profusely. I hope you enjoy, Long Time Coming, my 90th published fanfiction on this site in total. It was inspired by the film What a Girl Wants but somehow it grew much bigger than I had imagined.
Chapter 1: The Escape
September 1934
Elphaba had a dream.
Despite knowing exactly what was planned for her life- caring for her sister and running the Governor's household; the infamous green girl of Munchkinland couldn't help but aspire to higher things. She wasn't foolish enough to dream of what most girls her age were dreaming of- love, marriage, a family and home of their own. No one wanted to marry a girl with green skin.
No, Elphaba dreamed of knowledge. More specifically, she dreamed of Shiz University. Ever since she was twelve years old she had wanted to go, and waited anxiously for the day. When she had been eighteen and in her last year of school, her father had said she was too young to leave home and Elphaba had patiently waited until she was a year older.
At nineteen, Frex had told her she was needed at home and she might be allowed to go the following year.
But when August of her twentieth year had come around and the same application Elphaba had ordered for the past two years had arrived in the mail, Frex had dropped all pretence of allowing her to go to Shiz.
"You don't need to go to university," he said coldly.
"You're going to let Nessa go," Elphaba challenged.
"Nessarose is going to be Governor one day. She needs a degree. You have no such need."
Elphaba rarely fought her father on anything, but on this matter she fought tooth and nail for weeks. But Frex was unrelenting. Elphaba could not go to Shiz.
Elphaba never challenged her father's treatment of her, believing as she did that it was justified; she never belied the dismal future laid out before her since Nessarose's birth.
But this was different. Elphaba wanted Shiz more than she'd wanted anything in her life. She was prepared to fight to the death. And if Frex wouldn't relent, she'd just take matters into her own hands. Elphaba had a plan.
It was September. Shiz applications had to be in by the new year, and Elphaba knew she'd have to pay her own way. That meant she had three months to save enough money to convince the admissions office she could afford tuition; and another nine months after that to save every penny possible. But to do all of this, she had to leave Munchkinland.
That was the part of her plan that Elphaba hated- not leaving Munchkinland, but leaving her sister. Nessarose had just turned seventeen four days ago, and Elphaba was sure her sister wouldn't understand what she was about to do. Not only that, there was the small matter of Elphaba being responsible for Nessa's care.
It was eleven o'clock at night. Nessa was in bed, and Frex was in his study. Elphaba knew he wouldn't check on her before he eventually turned in for the night. She had until seven o'clock the next morning to get as far away from Munchkinland as possible before she was missed- maybe eight o'clock if she was lucky. But she had to leave now.
She was dressed to cover as much of her emerald skin as possible- tights under her longest black skirt with boots, long sleeved black top with a high neck, and gloves, scarf, hat and coat. The only thing she couldn't hide was her face, but there wasn't much she could do about that without raising suspicion.
She had a single suitcase packed with the absolute essentials and she had enough money to get her out of Munchkinland and hopefully somewhere to stay when she reached her destination- the Emerald City. Where better for a green girl to blend in, right?
Elphaba silently crept downstairs with her suitcase, almost holding her breath. Her father's study door was shut and the light was shining out from under it, reassuring her that he was still inside.
Elphaba decided that going out the front door was too risky- it wasn't that far from the study and he might hear the door open or shut. Instead, she slipped through the house in the dark until she reached the kitchen and then was out the kitchen door before she lost her nerve.
As she shut the door behind her, it stuck slightly, as it had for as long as she could remember. Gritting her teeth, Elphaba pulled it firmly and flinched as the resounding thud seemed to echo into the night.
Her heart hammered in her chest as she waited, frozen to the spot and strained her ears for any sound of movement from within the house. When none came, she picked up her suitcase and crept around to the side of the house. She had to pass by Frex's study window to get to the front of the house, and that was where Elphaba hesitated, thinking fast.
Frex's desk was always arranged with his back to the window. If he was at his desk, she was safe. If he was sitting in his armchair, however, she'd have to hope he was engrossed in what he was doing so that he wouldn't get a glimpse of her. If he did see her, what were her options? To run, and hope she could outrun him? Or to surrender? Elphaba wondered if he'd believe she was sleepwalking? Probably not.
Taking a breath and summoning all her courage, Elphaba edged closer to the window and peered inside. Her heart sank in relief at the sight that awaited her- she was looking at the back of her father's head as he bent over something he was writing at his desk. Elphaba didn't spare him another glance as she sped past the study window, into the front garden and down the drive.
The streets of Munchkinland were dark and quiet. The very air seemed still and despite the lack of human life, Elphaba drenched herself in shadows as she walked hastily to her destination. The last caravan left Munchkin City at half past eleven, and Elphaba had a ticket.
Her stomach churched apprehensively as she paced the area where the caravan would arrive. She knew she needed to do this- she couldn't live the life her father had planned for her any longer. If she stayed stuck in Munchkinland, inside that house, she'd suffocate. But that didn't mean she have moments of doubt that she was doing the right thing. She hadn't even left a note. She'd tried to write something for Nessa, but the words kept getting stuck and so eventually she'd given up and said nothing.
What Elphaba really was searching for, was a sign that she was doing the right thing. And that wasn't something she turned to very often- if ever. Elphaba didn't believe in fate.
She thought it was impressive that she believed in luck. Which she did. She just also believed luck was never on her side.
Tonight however, seemed to be the exception to that rule.
The caravan arrived on time and the driver only glanced at Elphaba's ticket, not her face. Even better, the carriage only had another three people on it, all of whom were sleeping. Elphaba took an empty seat in a corner as the caravan trundled off.
She, unlike the other passengers, didn't sleep. She was too on edge, and although she knew there was no chance her father would have realised she was missing yet; she kept envisioning that she heard the cries of Munchkins chasing after her on her father's orders.
When at long last, the skyline of the Emerald City came into view, Elphaba finally began to relax. She could get lost here. She could lose herself, and with any luck, Frex would never find her.
She wondered if he'd even know where to look, once he realised she was missing. She wondered if he'd bother looking. She would have wondered if he'd even notice she was gone, but she knew that was impossible. Because once Nessa woke up, and Elphaba didn't come to help her out of bed, he'd know.
The caravan came to a stop in the middle of the Emerald City. Elphaba was the last person to step out and she stood there for a moment on the pavement, blinking in the sunlight and clutching her suitcase and shoulder bag tightly.
"You waiting for someone, Miss?"
Elphaba jumped and whirled around to confront the voice at her shoulder.
There was a man standing on the pavement behind her, staring at her politely.
"Um, no. No, I'm fine, thank you," she said.
The man nodded, and moved past her, continuing down the street.
"Excuse me?" Elphaba called after him before he'd gone more than a few paces, and he turned.
"Do you know where I can get a guidebook to the city?" she asked. She'd found one in the Munchkinland library before she'd left, but it had been ten years old and even then, Elphaba couldn't bring herself to steal a library book.
The man pointed past her. "There's an information centre the next block over for tourists. They'll have them there."
Elphaba thanked him, and headed in the direction he'd pointed. She still felt on edge and uneasy, which was to be expected. But it took her until she'd come out of the information stand with the guide book to realise at least one of the reasons she felt so uneasy.
No one was staring. No one was pointing. People's eyes barely flickered to her as they passed, and no one seemed to register that there was anything odd about her skin being as green as the buildings on the street.
An bubble of relief filled her chest, and Elphaba was overcome with a strange impulse to either laugh or cry. Or both.
But she would let herself do neither. Not just yet. Elphaba took a breath, tightened her grip on her suitcase and pointed herself down the street. She walked until she found a park, enjoying being able to stretch her legs after the long carriage ride. And then she found a bench, sat down, and opened her guidebook.
Her first priority was finding somewhere to stay and a job. Elphaba wasn't picky about what she'd do, and whilst she may not have had much experience, caring for Nessa and running her father's house had given her some skills.
She spent a few minutes on the bench, making a list of hotels and motels in the city that were within her price range. The list wasn't terribly long.
The first two on her list were full, and the third looked as though you were in danger of disease just from entering the foyer. The fourth one was The Omega Inn. It didn't look like much, but it was clean at least.
"Yeah, we got a room. How long you staying?" the bored-looking woman at the reception desk said when Elphaba inquired about a room.
"A week. For now," Elphaba replied.
The woman nodded and pushed a heavy book towards her.
"Fill this out," she said shortly.
Elphaba picked up the pen that lay atop the book and hesitated, looking at the title of the first column in the book.
Name.
It was a simple word, but it brought forth a flood of questions Elphaba hadn't thought of before. Was it safe to use her real name? Would her father be looking for her? 'Elphaba' wasn't a very common name, nor was it unique enough to single her out by mention alone. Especially considering her skin, which was more of an identifying feature. But 'Thropp' would be recognisable to most people.
Fae Skarr, she finally wrote down, just to be on the safe side. 'Fae' was a play on "Fabala" her sister's pet name for her, and "Skarr" was her mother's maiden name. Elphaba knew she'd have to use her own name when she applied for Shiz, but in the interim when she was saving the needed funds, it seemed safer to have another identity to hide behind.
Fifteen minutes later, Elphaba unlocked the door to room 642, dropped her suitcase and fell back against the door as it closed, closing her eyes wearily after walking up six flights of stairs- The Omega Inn had no elevator.
Opening her eyes, Elphaba looked cautiously around the room that was for all intents and purposes- her new home.
It was only a little bigger than her bedroom back in Munchkinland. It had a double bed, a nightstand, closet and small icebox squeezed into the room, and a tiny bathroom that contained a sink, toilet and shower. It was clean, but there wasn't much light and her view, as it turned out, was the brick wall of the building next door.
"Huh," Elphaba said aloud.
She collapsed onto the bed heavily, and jumped in shock. The bed was lower than she'd expected and there were lumps and springs from the mattress pressing into her back as she lay there.
Elphaba grimaced slightly in discomfort, and turned her head to look at the alarm clock on the nightstand. It was three o'clock in the afternoon. By now, there could be no doubt they would know that she was missing.
Elphaba's main thought was that she hoped someone was taking care of Nessa. As much as she was admittedly running from all her responsibilities back home, she couldn't stop worrying about her sister. It had been ingrained in her for as long as she could remember that she had to take care of Nessa and look out for her. There was no switch to turn that off.
Worry for her sister bubbled up from Elphaba's stomach, bubbling up to fill her throat; until she was tempted to either throw up and catch the next caravan back to Munchkinland. Elphaba swallowed hard, and sat up, closing her eyes and taking some shaky breaths until she felt steadier.
She had to stop thinking about this, and get out of this room. She couldn't keep thinking about Nessa and Munchkinland. It would do no good.
Resolutely, Elphaba stood up and firmly tossed the clock into a drawer, where she couldn't see it. It might not help, but it couldn't hurt. At least she wouldn't be mentally running through Nessa's schedule at home, and wondering what they were doing at this time.
She grabbed her bag and room key, deciding to go out and find some food and perhaps a newspaper to look for a job.
As soon as she exited the hotel and emerged onto the street, Elphaba felt as though a weight had been lifted off her shoulders and she could breathe again. The sounds and smells of the city enveloped her like a blanket, and all her nerves and doubts vanished.
Elphaba pulled her map of the city out of her bag, hesitated, and then put it away again. She didn't want to be a tourist here, she didn't want to use a map to find her way. She wanted to find her own way and wander the streets until she was as lost in the city as she felt in her own skin. Maybe if she could find her way in the city, she'd feel more like she could find her own way and know her own self.
AN. I really am sorry for the delay! Life got in the way unfortunately (meaning work. And seeing fun stuff like Delta Goodrem as Grizabella in CATS [I enjoyed Delta, but have to admit CATS has not made the list of shows I want to see again] and Taylor Swift).
But I have to take a moment to say thank you to everyone who has nominated me for a Wicked Award this year!
I honestly wasn't expecting it this year, when I feel like all I've published is one-shots, so I'm grateful for all the support. I hope you enjoy this fic.