The Thing That Got Lost

A Wicked Fanfiction.

Takes place during "Thank Goodness".

A/N: By the way…since I just KNOW people are going to comment on this if I don't say anything…YES, I know that Glinda and Fiyero were NOT on the platform when they argued and when Fiyero ran off. But, this is MY story, and for my story to work, I need Glinda away from the crowd and on the platform at the start. So, please, do NOT comment about that. Thank you. :D Also, there's a bit of bad language on Elphie's part near the beginning. Fair warning.

Also! I would like to give credit where credit is due: DemonicMuffin, my beta, has been Wonderful (Ha, see, PUN) during the last few days as I got this story running. Everything I've written, I've ran by her and she's been more than helpful. Thank you, DM! :D

Also, ALSO: If you like Les Miserables, may I suggest DemonicMuffin's fic 'Bread and Candy'? It's a Javert fic, and I personally think it's stunning. Do her a favor and read. Oh, and don't forget to review. :)


Chapter One: Blood and Tears

Glinda sighed and looked down at the emerald green floor of the platform she stood on; aware of the crowd that awaited her next words, but not caring for once…Fiyero was right. What had she been doing? She had forgotten all about her old friend…her dearest friend in all of Oz…she had been so out of line! Instead of trying to clear the name of the green girl dubbed the 'Wicked Witch', she had either said nothing on the topic of Elphaba, or simply went along with someone's claims. Even when Madame Morrible told everyone what Elphaba supposedly did when Glinda had been given the title of 'Glinda the Good', she had said nothing in Elphaba's defense!

Glinda remembered what she had told everyone after Fiyero left only moments ago…

"He's gone to fetch me a refreshment. He's so thoughtful that way…That's why I couldn't be happier! No, I couldn't be happier!"

Now that the crowd had realized Glinda was not going to continue, they all turned back to their own conversations…mostly gossiping about Elphaba and that stupid 'pure water can melt her' theory. Glinda doubted it was true…Elphaba had never shown any hesitance towards water…at least, not in front of the Good Witch….

Glinda turned around slowly and started down the staircase.

"Though it is, I admit, the tiniest bit, unlike I anticipated…But I couldn't be happier…!"

Glinda stopped descending the steps and scanned the crowd.

"Simply, couldn't be happier!"

She looked down and sighed, knowing she was downright lying to herself.

"Well…not simply."

She continued down the stairs, still singing softly to herself.

"'Cause getting your dreams…it's strange, but it seems a little…well, complicated…There's a kind of a sort of…cost. There's a couple of things get…lost."

Glinda reached the bottom of the staircase and sunk into the shadows, seeking solace in the darkness. Her breathing a little shaky, she gazed towards the Western Sky.

"There are bridges you crossed you didn't know you crossed until you crossed!"

"You could say that again." An almost demonic voice growled, the owner's arm snaking around Glinda's waist. A gloved hand muffled the blonde's scream, and the Good Witch was dragged into an alley.

She was thrown face-first against the cold stone wall, a warm figure's weight keeping her there. Glinda noted that the person's form was slender, yet she could feel sparse muscle.

"Enjoying the spotlight?" The mysterious person hissed, the only thing evident in the voice being the fact that she was…well, a she. "Enjoying the love…the admiration? Things I always wanted, but never received? You don't deserve this! I do! I worked harder than anyone, and I ended up like THIS!" With every word, the woman's voice became easier and easier to recognize…Glinda started putting the pieces together, and when she figured it out, her heart stopped.

"…Elphie?"

"Never call me that again!" Elphaba snarled, pressing Glinda harder into the wall. The blonde winced.

"You actually think that we can just pick up where we left off! After EVERYTHING that's happened?" The green girl continued, her anger rising.

"Elphaba, I didn't-"

"NO! OF COURSE YOU DIDN'T!" Elphaba exploded. "YOU NEVER MEAN TO DO ANYTHING TO ANYONE! YOU'RE SO INNOCENT! SO BEAUTIFUL! SO PERFECT! BUT JUST LOOK AT ME NOW, GLINDA! LIKE I TOLD MADAME MORRIBLE, I AM BEAUTIFULLY FUCKING TRAGIC!" She spun Glinda around and moved the Good Witch's face close to her own.

She began to sing, but her words were clipped and full of spite.

"I'm limited! Just look at me! I'm LIMITED! And just look at you, you're living the life I wanted to…!"

She suddenly paused, her eyes the size of saucers.

"Glinda…!"

Elphaba hastily scrambled away from the blonde so that she stood in the middle of the alley.

"What?" Glinda asked, finding herself frozen in fear.

"You're…you're bleeding."

Glinda's eyes widened, and she lifted a shaky hand to her face. Indeed, Elphaba was right; she found her cheek sticky and wet…and when she pulled away to look at her fingertips, she saw that they were stained crimson.

Elphaba stared at Glinda's torn-up left cheek and felt her rage practically dissolve. "I…I hurt you."

Glinda's head snapped up. "Huh?"

"I…I made you bleed…" Elphaba faltered, her eyes downcast. "I only meant to scare you…show you what I had become, all because of what happened back then…"

The green girl felt a hand on her shoulder, and she hesitantly met Glinda's eyes.

"Miss Elphaba Thropp." Glinda said sternly. It shocked Elphaba, quite frankly; Glinda had never sounded this serious before. "It's not your fault. You're under so much stress…and I'm only adding onto it, aren't I? I haven't tried to help you at all…"

Elphaba knew Glinda wanted the truth, so she nodded. "At least, in my mind it was your fault. I made myself think that everything was your fault; me being hunted, no one believing a word I had to say…me feeling so alone…basically, everything that's happened since we met the Wizard. But…but I was wrong." She choked out the last sentence in a broken sob, tears threatening to pour. She inwardly chided herself for showing so much emotion, and reminded herself that the burns were going to hurt worse than the feeling she was having now….but she didn't care anymore. The tears spilled over, and she immediately felt her cheeks starting to sting. "You're not in the wrong here…It's people like Madame Morrible. Heartless people like her!" She paused, letting more tears fall.

"R-Right?" Elphaba stammered. "Or is it m-me?"

Glinda was on the verge of crying herself. "No, no, Elphie…it's not you…" She dared to use the green girl's pet name, since Elphaba didn't seem to be in the mood for killing her anymore. The Good Witch pulled Elphaba against her and enveloped her shaking form in her arms. Glinda allowed Elphaba to rest her head on her shoulder, and she found herself removing the Wicked Witch's pointed hat and stroking the back of her head. She looked down at the hat that now sat on the ground and remembered exactly how Elphaba got it…she felt even worse. She had tormented Elphaba before they had become friends, and that had not helped the emerald-skinned schoolgirl any. And now, Elphaba…the person she had never seen cry, and actually believed that she could not for the longest time…was breaking down in the Good Witch's arms.

Glinda wasn't sure what to say. What could she say? 'Sorry your life stinks'? 'At least you're not dead'? 'Hey, at least you have that cool hat'?

Finally, she found the perfect words…

"You'll always have me…"

Elphaba lifted her head up and looked at Glinda. "…What do you mean?"

Glinda smiled. "You said that no one believed a word you said…that you felt alone…well, Elphie, I'm here to tell you that I believe you. And that you're never alone…not with me here."

Elphaba opened her mouth to speak, but closed it after a few moments. The same thing happened three more times before the green girl managed to speak. "You…you would risk your reputation…just to be with…me?" She chuckled half-heartily. "A pitiful little artichoke like me?"

Glinda giggled. "And you're steamed. Can't forget that."

Both girls laughed, this time without mirth.

"Did you know that's the first time I've truly laughed in what feels like forever?" Elphaba admitted, smiling at her friend.

Glinda grinned. "I'm glad to be of service." She said as she finally released Elphaba.

"Well, what now?" Elphaba inquired.

Glinda thought for a moment, then she smirked devilishly.

"I'm not going to like this idea, am I?"

Glinda scooped up Elphaba's hat, forced it onto the Wicked Witch's head and took her hand. She then proceeded to pull Elphaba out of the alley and moved towards the platform, through the shadows.

"Glinda…no. You don't mean to-"

"Yes." Glinda said quietly. "I have to make up for everything…I have to set things right!"

"No! They'll turn on you, too!" Elphaba snapped, stopping her friend from going any further.

"I don't care. Either they accept you, or they lose their Good Witch."

Elphaba gaped at the blonde. "No! I won't let you do this!"

"Elphie! Trust me, please…!"

Elphaba was silent for what seemed like ages before she inclined her head in an affirmative gesture…only someone who was looking for it would have noticed it, though, for the movement was so terribly slight…Glinda knew her friend was nervous.

"Just stay next to me. Don't say anything until I tell you to, OK? I don't want them getting rowdy."

Elphaba nodded once more, and Glinda led Elphaba to the staircase. She could feel the green girl's hand trembling in hers, so she gave it reassuring squeeze before heading up the stairs.

A gasp….

A scream….

A big, chubby finger pointing right at Elphaba….

And that was all it took.

"Glinda!"

"Oh, sweet Oz!"

"It's…It's…"

"THE WICKED WIIIIIITCH!"

"My fellow Ozians, please calm down!" Glinda shouted into the microphone, her voice rising over the chaos.

Guards pointed their guns at Elphaba, but lowered them immediately as soon as Glinda shoved the Wicked Witch behind her protectively.

"You will cease your hostilities towards this woman right this instant, or you will have to go through me!" She barked at the Gale Force, and all dropped their weapons in fear. Normally, they could have easily stood up to the petite Witch. But that voice…Glinda's voice…it held a fire none of them had ever heard from the Good Witch in their entire time working in Munchkinland….She was, quite frankly, pissed.

"Now that we have this settled…I feel the need to explain a few things to you." Glinda began. "Since I became 'Glinda the Good', I've let you believe that this girl…" She put her arm around Elphaba and pulled her forward so that the crowd could see her. They all gasped again, and a few babies started crying. Elphaba played with her hat in her hands, the fabric twisting around her fingers. "…was Wicked. That's what the Wizard said, right?"

"Yes! He said she was terribly Wicked!" One woman called out.

"She's been freeing rebel animals and causing trouble everywhere!" A man's gruff voice came next.

"She can't be trusted, Glinda! What are you doing with the Wicked Witch?" Another woman.

Glinda sighed. "Firstly, her name is not 'the Wicked Witch'." She then removed the microphone from its stand and continued to speak.

"What is your real name?" Glinda asked Elphaba, putting the microphone near Elphaba's face.

"E…Elphaba. Elphaba Thropp."

Yet another round of gasps.

"No, she can't be!"

"That's impossible!"

"The Thropps are all dead, except for Nessarose!"

Those words hit Elphaba like a train. Her father…dead? With Nessarose being the only one left, besides herself? She couldn't help but feel like she could burst out laughing. Her father was finally dead…and out of her life….

"Listen, please!" Glinda silenced the vast amount of people before the two Witches. "It may be hard to believe, but it's true! Her name is Elphaba Thropp! She is the true Eminent Thropp! She is sister to Nessarose Thropp and daughter of the late Frexspar Thropp!"

The crowd seemed to soften ever so slightly, but another voice rang out.

"But that doesn't mean she isn't Wicked!"

"Yeah!" Another shouted. "She may be a Thropp, but she's still evil! Why else would the Wizard tell us so?"

Glinda opened her mouth to speak, but Elphaba snatched the microphone from her hands and took a step forward. "I know you all think I'm evil…I know you don't trust me…but will you please hear me out, just for this once?"

The crowd was silent for the longest time. Then…

"I….I trust you!"

Everyone turned to see a boy pushing an occupied wheelchair. In the wheelchair sat Nessarose Thropp, and the boy had a hand in the air. He had been the one to speak.

"…Boq?" Elphaba breathed.


A/N: So, there's chapter one!

I hope you guys liked it!

Now, just so you guys know…I do NOT plan on turning this into a slash fic. I'm hoping to go along with the whole friendship thing and make an alt ending to the story. If you want slash, though, just drop me a review and say so. If enough of you want slash, I shall make this slash. If only one or two of you want it, then I might just make some slash oneshots in the future.

By the way; This will NOT be an entirely fluffy fic. Just because Glinda is standing up for Elphaba and stuff does NOT mean that their lives will be happy and peaceful from now on. I have lots planned...:D

OK, soooo. Please review!