Disclaimer: Don't own anything except the book :(
A/N: This was written as a prequel to When Time Is Right, but it doesn't have to be read as one :) It's pretty bookverse, with a tiny exception.
Reviews are always very appreciated :D
Does Pink Still Go With Green?
Glinda was taking in her surroundings with a typical 'I'm bored' expression on her pretty face. One of the two horses that were pulling her carriage had lost a horseshoe and now her journey was terminated until further notice. The inside of her carriage had become boring after some time, so Glinda had dared to set her two light pink shoed feet onto the dirty ground of the street.
It definitely wasn't one of the better parts of the Emerald City – the blonde had gathered as much, although she couldn't tell exactly how bad an area this was. She had absolutely no idea how they had ended up here, but the coachman was a very loyal employee. He'd been working for Glinda for years and she trusted him when it came to determining the paths of her journeys.
With a sigh the young woman leaned her back against the cool wooden exterior of her carriage and started tracing lines into the sandy dirt of the street, using the tip of her shoe. After most of the ground within her foot's reach was covered with circles and other bizarre doodles, Glinda looked at her shoe, scrunching her nose at the mismatching of the colors pink and brown, before she decided that brown was one of her least favorite colors.
With an exaggerated sigh, she took a peak around the corner of her carriage, where the busy streetlife continued passing by. For a moment her glance lingered, fascinated by the variety of people she usually never saw.
Sometimes she wanted to break free from her rich husband and from public expectations. Sometimes she hated that fake smile she wore in the company of most of the people she knew. Sometimes she felt as if she was locked in a golden birdcage with all eyes on her and she hated it... But then, the next morning, standing in front of her overflowing walk-in closet, she was reminded of the reason why she didn't fight for her freedom again. She just loved her pretentious lifestyle with the most beautiful dresses, the most expensive shoes and the rarest jewelry of all Oz too much to give it up.
So she continued bearing all the things she actually hated, even if they sometimes made her feel as if her heart was filled with lead – heavy and cold.
Deep inside, there was still the Glinda of her later Shiz days – a loving and caring person – but Glinda felt that part giving way to her public persona more and more. She wasn't happy about that, but, thinking about it, she figured there was nobody who would value her old self anyway. Most of the people she knew had only met her after she had gotten married, after she had already started using that fake smile nobody knew was fake. And how could they? She never showed anybody her real smile anymore...
Only when a passer-by made a comment about her staring at people, Glinda snapped out of her thoughts and turned, so her back was leaning against the carriage again. For a moment she closed her eyes and the picture of a certain green girl appeared in her mind. Elphaba surely wouldn't be proud of her at all, Glinda thought with a hint of shame, but then she recalled the last time she had seen her friend and her shame turned to sadness.
Elphaba's unexpected departure should have stopped Glinda from caring about the green girl's opinion, but somehow it hadn't. Glinda had found herself thinking about Elphaba more and more within the past few weeks, even after she had been almost able to get her out of her head completely. Who was she kidding, though... How could she ever get Elphaba completely out of her mind?
She shook her head as if to remove the vision in her mind and sighed before she opened her eyes. Looking around once more, she noticed that there was a piece of paper stuck to the window of her carriage.
With one slightly arched eyebrow, Glinda reached for it to take a closer look. Turning it around, her eyes widened.
Does pink still go with green? was written in a familiar hand. The letters were bigger than what she had known years ago and they weren't written as tightly together, but they still looked as if they had been written by Elphaba. The words, the writing – both were so like Elphaba...
Not able to look away from the one line on the piece of paper, Glinda's thoughts started twirling. How big was the chance that Elphaba was in the Emerald City, just like herself? And how was it possible that one had seen the other in this mass of people and busy carriages?
The questions started to get out of control and Glinda let the hand that still held the one that hadn't been posed by her drop to her side in defeat. This was probably just some prank, or maybe a misunderstanding... or an advertisement she just didn't get.
Blinking back the tears she hadn't realized had found their way into her eyes, she tried to fix her glance on some random object to concentrate on something other than Elphaba.
That exact moment, she caught a reflection in a piece of metal that had been mindlessly discarded against the wall of a building.
It wasn't just any reflection, Glinda realized: Familiar dark green lips curving into a secretive half smile while the upper part of the face was obscured by shadows.
At first Glinda was sure that it had been a trick of her mind. It seemed so much more plausible that she had been fixed on the picture of her friend too long and had then projected it onto the piece of metal, making it appear as if it was a real reflection.
She probably just wanted to see her friend so badly that her brain had made it appear to be Elphaba. Because what were the chances she'd actually seen her?
Even though Glinda did her best rationalizing how small the chances were that it actually had been Elphaba, some part of her didn't want to believe it. The piece of paper that she still held in her hand and now the reflection?
When she finally turned around to find the source of the reflection, it had passed. Of course it had. It had taken her way too long to look. Especially if she had really seen Elphaba's reflection, it was only logical that the green woman had only appeared as a passing shadow. Elphaba had always been good at hiding, since her skin color had been the center of attention as soon as it had been spotted; especially back at Shiz.
Disappointed, Glinda lifted her hand again and read the words again.
They were meant for her; they had to be! She had told Elphaba that pink went good with green when she'd given her the pink flower. It didn't make sense that someone else would randomly write that question down. Especially not in a handwriting that looked like Elphaba's.
A loud crash made Glinda jump and before she knew it, the paper had been caught by the wind and dropped out of her hand. She gasped, startled by the noise and the fact that the message – to whomever it had been meant for – was gone.
Almost frantically she looked around for it and found it carried by the wind she hadn't even noticed before. Spurred by a sudden need to have the note, she gathered her skirt with its various petticoats and started to run after the piece of paper.
The note was pushed further up into the air where it twirled as if it was dancing and Glinda stopped for a moment to catch her breath. She wasn't used to running and she certainly would have done better without her heeled shoes, but that wasn't going to stop her. She wanted to have the note, even if it hadn't been written by Elphaba.
After a few moments, the paper seemed to decide which way it wanted to go and Glinda fallowed. Her eyes were fixed on the note and she neither bothered looking where she went, nor where the other people were going. She didn't hear the rude comments and complaints that left the mouths of ill-tempered passers-by. For now, only the piece of paper mattered.
After a while it looked as if the note was losing height, almost to the point where Glinda was able to reach up and catch it; almost. Her fingers didn't even graze it before another breeze carried it up again until it was merely a light dot in the sky. Slowly, the blonde was losing hope, wondering if maybe she was chasing a ghost, or whether it was just a hopeless fight against the wind – that she wasn't meant to catch the note after all.
Then, as if the paper had heard her thoughts, it lowered again, and although it was still dancing too high for Glinda to touch it, she decided not to give up just yet. At least the chase was slowing down a little and she actually had time to catch her breath for a second.
Her feet had gone numb, she thought, looking down on her shoes that no longer were the fashionable light pink color, but covered in a layer of street dust. She sighed, keeping her gaze fixed on them for just a second longer, feeling almost sorry for the pumps, before her glance snapped back upwards again, just in time to see the note hover a few meters down the street, as if it was waiting for her.
Before she could ponder on that fact any longer, the paper was twirled up again and continued its journey.
Shortly after that incident, the wind seemed to turn, because the paper was carried around a corner. Again, Glinda's suspicion was arisen, but as she followed the note into the small alley that turned out to be a dead end, her attention was completely fixed on it again, as it was slowly floating down to the floor.
She rushed to it in a hurry, dropping to the ground and reaching for the note, afraid that the wind – or whatever it was that had made the paper go so far – was only playing tricks with her again, but the note remained where it was without moving.
Glinda bit her lip in anticipation and a feeling of victory as she finally felt the paper between her fingers. She threw one glance at the writing that had remained the same, even though she had almost expected it to have disappeared, before she pressed it to her quickly beating heart.
With eyes closed, concentrated on the sound of her heartbeat that didn't seem to return to a normal pace at all, Glinda didn't realize that she wasn't the only one in the alley; didn't realize the pair of dark eyes that was watching her with affection.
When the blonde's heartbeat had finally calmed down a little, she reopened her sky blue eyes and startled, as a shadow seemed to detach itself from the rest of the dark alley. The shadow slowly turned into a person that was steadily but carefully walking towards her and Glinda found herself unable to get to her feet and run away. The only thing she could do was stare at the nearing figure.
Her heart was thundering in her chest again and briefly wondered if it could stand that much excitement in one day, before light finally fell onto the person's face and Glinda suddenly had the urge to swallow hard to keep her heart from jumping up to her throat.
„Elphie..." Glinda whispered, wide eyes fixed to the green face that carried a nervous half-smile on its lips.
„Glinda," Elphaba replied as she finally crouched before the baffled blonde. „Come on and get up, you'll catch a cold," she told Glinda, ignoring all the questions that were clearly written in her big blue eyes and instead extending one green, slim fingered hand to help the smaller woman up.
Glinda was still so thunderstruck that she wasn't able to do anything except reach for the offered hand and let herself be pulled into Elphaba's arms. She instantly pressed her body against Elphaba's, closing her arms around her back and hugging her tightly.
Elphaba just smiled, returning the embrace and burying her nose in Glinda's golden locks.
„It's really you, then? Not just some trick my mind played me?" The petite blonde finally asked, raising her head so she got a somewhat better look at Elphaba.
„It is me, my sweet," Elphaba answered in a quiet voice, stepping out of the embrace to let careful green fingers flutter over the porcelain skin of the blonde's face, eyes locked with Glinda's. Moments passed by in which they seemed to communicate without saying anything.
So many feelings were suddenly appearing in both dark and blue eyes and somehow the other understand – no words needed.
Glinda was the first to break their ban, closing the distance between her and Elphaba's face to capture green lips with a kiss, but Elphaba stepped back and let her hand drop to her side. When Glinda was greeted by empty air, her eyes rose questioningly to Elphaba's.
„Not here," the green woman whispered, reaching for the one hand of the blonde that wasn't holding the note that had brought Glinda here in the first place. „Come on, I know where to go."
Squeezing the hand, Glinda looked motionlessly at Elphaba for a moment, before her head moved in the hint of a nod. Elphaba gave her a reassuring smile and then pulled her to another small alley that had been obscured by the darkness of the dead end they were standing in.
Not having a clue where she was going, Glinda just let Elphaba lead the way, since the green woman obviously knew her way round the darker parts of the Emerald City. There wasn't much to see, so she kept her gaze fixed on the green fingers that were intertwined with her own, causing a mesmerizing effect.
She finally had the time to process what had happened in the last few – had it been minutes? Or even hours? She had completely lost any sense of time and if she thought about it, time was the least thing that mattered at the moment.
Elphaba. She was really here. She was holding her hand; tightly. They had talked. It was real. Or was it? No, there was no doubt that this was real. If it was a dream, she would have woken up the first time she had realized that it had been Elphaba in the alley. Her hug had felt more than real and so did her grip on Glinda's hand, the blonde thought, lifting her eyes to Elphaba's face again. She smiled at the familiar determined look on the green face, but she also wished that their journey would end soon. Her feet were starting to really hurt after she had been running around that much. That hadn't been what her shoes had been made for.
They had been meant to be pretty and fit her wardrobe, but that was all, Glinda thought, throwing a glance at the pumps that looked rather battered by now. Shoes were just shoes, she decided after taking a quick look. Shoes could be replaced. Elphaba couldn't.
At that moment, Elphaba decided to look over her shoulder and smile a warm smile at Glinda. „It won't be long now, my sweet," she told Glinda, her voice so caring and full of love, that it made the blonde's heart jump higher. She returned the smile, caressing Elphaba's features with her eyes for a moment.
She had missed those features – this face – so much since they had parted and yet it was still as familiar as the back of her own hand.
Just like Elphaba had said, it didn't take long anymore for them to reach their destination. Glinda had been lead to an old house, seemingly propped up by a newer house on either side and a wave of anxiety washed over her body. Even though she would trust Elphaba with her life, there still had to be more suitable places than this.
Only reluctantly, she fallowed her determined companion through the entrance and kept close to the door during the short time Elphaba quietly talked to the wrinkled old man at what seemed to be some sort of front desk.
When Elphaba returned to Glinda, she held a long key in her hand. „I know this isn't what you're used to, but it's safe and clean," Elphaba told Glinda, leaning down to only direct the words to whom they were meant.
Glinda still must have had a doubtful look on her face, because Elphaba took her hand once again and squeezed it reassuringly. „Trust me, my sweet. I wouldn't bring you this place if there was a better option," she added with a low voice, pulling Glinda towards the dangerously deep stairs.
As they carefully took one step after another, Glinda's grip on Elphaba's hand tightened and she kept close. This place still was creepy, no matter what Elphaba told her, she thought, letting her eyes wander over the dark wooden staircase. All of their steps were accompanied by creaking noises and the stair seemed to go on forever. When it did end after all, it was rather unexpected for the blonde.
Following Elphaba, Glinda walked down the narrow corridor until her companion stopped in front of a door in the same dark wood as the staircase had been and pushed the key into the lock. With a quick twist of her wrist, Elphaba had opened the door and held it open for Glinda to enter the room.
The wary look Glinda wore on her face as she stepped over the threshold turned into surprise as soon as she registered the small room that was indeed clean and actually in its own way rather pretty.
Its furniture was limited to a bed, a table and a single chair, but the bed was neatly made and there was a vase with three corn flowers that would have matched the color of the curtains, had they still possessed the deep blue hue they had lost to the sun over the course of many years.
Elphaba closed the door behind herself and leaned against the cool wood, watching the petite woman with a smile on her face.
„I'm sorry. I shouldn't have doubted you, Elphie," Glinda said after she had taken a thorough look at the room. „Did... Did you do that?" she finally asked, watching Elphaba closely.
The later only shrugged, grinning cheekily. „I'm a girl who knows her magic," was her only comment to the question, but it was enough to assure Glinda's assumptions about the room as well as the note.
„You shouldn't have..." she told her long lost friend, staring at the floor in shame. „I shouldn't have made you feel like you had to."
„I wouldn't do anything I don't want... You should know that, my sweet," Elphaba answered with a smile lingering on her lips.
For a moment, her eyes lingered on the green woman. Then she crossed the room (which didn't take more than a few steps, even for Glinda) with a determined look and finally pressed her lips to Elphaba's.
This time, Elphaba didn't have the room to back off from Glinda and she didn't want to, either. Smiling into the kiss, she wrapped her arms around the small blonde once more and deepened the kiss, losing herself in the feeling of Glinda's mouth on her own for a while
In the end, it was Glinda who pulled away to rest her head on Elphaba's chest. „We should talk, shouldn't we?" she asked quietly, not wanting to talk at all.
„We should," came Elphaba's almost whispered reply, but instead of raising her voice again, she just lifted Glinda's head, smiled at her and leaned in for another kiss.
Lips locked, their coats dropped to the floor and they found their way to the bed where they continued sharing kisses that deepened every time they had to gasp for air and their lips met anew. Hands began wandering over the other's body as things were heating up, both women feeling the need to feel more of the other after they hadn't seen each other in such a long time.
Breathing heavily, Elphaba put one long green finger on Glinda's lips in a moment they weren't attached to her own. „Someone will be worried about you. You just disappeared from the carriage and this isn't the safest area," Elphaba said, her voice even more husky than usual.
Just as Glinda was about to object, Elphaba raised her finger to the blonde's lips once again. „We'll meet again, my sweet. I promise. But now it would be better if I brought you back to the carriage... If you don't get back in time, things could be made a lot more complicated than they have to be," she explained, letting her hand wander to Glinda's cheek in a loving caress.
Glinda's eyes fluttered shut as she leaned into Elphaba's touch, a sigh escaping from her lips. „I guess you're right," she admitted quietly, raising her eyes to meet Elphaba's. „How are we going to meet again?"
„I have my ways, my pretty... You saw that today," Elphaba answered with a smile playing on her lips as she tucked a blonde lock behind her love's ear. „I couldn't let you leave knowing that we wouldn't meet again. Not this time. I made that mistake once, but it won't happen again," she whispered, placing a soft kiss of promise on Glinda's lips before leaving the smaller woman's embrace and sitting up and straightening her black dress.
Reluctantly, the blonde joined her green companion on the edge of the bed, placing her head onto the other woman's shoulder. „I guess I should trust you," she mumbled, wrapping her arms around Elphaba and pulling her closer.
Twisting her body so that she was able to return the embrace, Elphaba placed a soft kiss on the top of Glinda's head. „You should, my sweet. I keep my promises."
They sat there, arms wrapped around the other for a while until Elphaba bent down to capture Glinda's lips in a kiss that held not only their goodbye, but also the emphasis of Elphaba's promise.
Glinda held on to Elphaba, deepening the kiss for as long as she could. She did understand Elphaba's point, but that didn't mean that she had to like it as well.
When they finally broke apart, Elphaba wouldn't look at the petite blonde by her side. Instead, she got up and picked up both the discarded coats from the floor, handing Glinda hers without meeting her pleading blue eyes before she slipped on her own cloak.
„Come on," she told Glinda rather harshly, holding the door open for the blonde. „You go ahead, you'll know where to go," she added, eyes fixed on the floor.
Confronted with Elphaba's sharp tone, tears welled up in Glinda's eyes, but she bit her lower lip and tried her best to keep them from falling. Instead, she only nodded and left the room with her head held high.
Just like Elphaba had told her, she knew exactly where to go. Had she looked back, she would have seen a black shadow, fallowing her steps as if it were her own. Elphaba was walking right behind her – quiet as a cat. She hated herself for being so rough with Glinda, but that had been the only way she'd found herself able to part with the blonde. Now the only thing she could do was to watch over Glinda, making sure that she reached the main street safely.
While the blonde was still fighting her tears, Elphaba had to restrain herself not to reach out and embrace Glinda, but they both stayed strong and they reached the street in less time than Glinda had anticipated.
Before Glinda could cross to the other side, she had to wait for a gap in the busy traffic and Elphaba took the chance to quicken her step and rush past the blonde, brushing Glinda's hand in process.
Startled, Glinda looked up to see Elphaba looking over her shoulder and smiling at her. The moment lasted less than a second, but for Glinda it was enough and an unconscious smile spread on her lips as she returned to her carriage, reassured that Elphaba would keep her promise.
The End