Elphaba and Galinda are not mine.
Elphaba fell back to her pillows, breathing heavily, a light sweat covering her body.
Galinda curled up beside her, watching her intently. She reached over to Elphie's face, tracing her features. Her eyes. Her nose. Her mouth. And she ran a finger lightly over the soft, green, radiant skin of her cheek. "Elphie," she whispered, "you're so beautiful."
Elphie gave a small smile, one that came nowhere near her eyes.
She didn't believe her. Galinda's heart raced. "Elphaba…" she began more firmly, cupping her face with her hand to make the green woman look at her. Galinda lost her voice. She had nothing to say that she knew would make Elphie believe her, and it broke her heart. She closed her eyes in an attempt to stop her tears.
"Don't cry, my sweet." Elphie said softly with a small sigh as she brushed a stray tear from Galinda's cheek. She felt guilty for making her cry, but the last thing she wanted was to be lied to.
Galinda turned away from her touch in a huff, confusing Elphaba. "What is it?" she asked, her brow creased.
Galinda shook her head. "You think I pity you, but I don't," she rushed, her breathing quickened out of frustration and anger. A moment of silence followed. Elphaba simply watched her, wondering where her anger came from. Galinda turned her head to look at Elphie with wet, fierce eyes. "I will never forgive them."
"Them? Them who?"
Galinda's features slowly softened a little, but she was still upset. "Did no one ever love you?" she asked. "Your father? Your sister? Did they only teach that you were not worthy of love?"
Elphaba looked away in thought. "I think my mother loved me," she said quietly.
"How old were you when she died?" Galinda asked, knowing that she and Nessa were close in age.
"Two."
"Do you remember her?"
"Very little. I don't remember her voice, but I remember her face. I remember her looking at me, and smiling. Her smile…it was…different. It was warm and soft, and when I remember it, I feel that when she smiled at me, it was as if I was the reason she was smiling. Usually if Nessa smiled at me it was because something else had made her happy, and she was telling me of it. But I feel like my mother smiled because somehow, for some reason, I made her happy." Elphaba looked back into Galinda's eyes.
Galinda smiled then. "Thank you," she whispered.
"For what?"
"For telling me that. I think you are right. I think your mother loved you."
Elphie smiled gently and snuggled closer to Galinda, kissing her lightly on the lips. "No one has ever smiled at me that way since. Except for you."
"Elphie, I love you, too. That's why."
They both smiled as they closed their eyes and began to drift into sleep.
"And I really do think you're beautiful."