Note: The summary says it all really but I will add this first part is short as I want to see what people think; if I get a positive response I should be able to update fairly regularly as I have a rough idea of where I'm going with it. Not that I'm hinting or anything but reviews make me smile ;-)
Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked but if I did I would be a very happy bunny (or Bunny, as the case may be)
Absence of fear
"Will she be OK?"
As Glinda Chuffrey, nee Upland, stood in the doorway to one of her many guest bedrooms, she prayed to Lurline that her question would be met with a positive response.
"Physically, she'll be just fine"
"Physically? Physically, she'll be just fine?" She studied the doctor's sombre face, noticing that his eyes never quite met with her own, "What's that supposed to mean?"
The man placed his hand on her arm, and peered at her over the top of his thickly framed glasses, "Lady Glinda, I don't know exactly what has happened to your..."
"Friend" Glinda supplied, eager for him to continue, "She's an old friend"
"To your friend, but whatever it is seems to have had quite an effect on her. She didn't so much as utter a word whilst I was examining her, even when I asked her a question she didn't acknowledge it. Or me, for that matter" he gave a sigh, "Look, I know you didn't want to mention it in front of the others, but it might help if I knew a little more about the girl?"
"We went to college together" Glinda replied, "That's really all there is to it"
And she was glad, at that moment that the doctor wasn't one for making eye contact, because she was certain, if he had been, the look in hers would've betrayed her lie.
"And you just bumped into each other today?"
"Not quite. I...found her, when I was out...shopping"
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The poorer areas of The Emerald City were neither pleasant nor safe, and Glinda, in all her finery, stuck out like a sore thumb. But, for once, it didn't matter to her; for once, appearances were not at the top of her priority list.
It had been years since she had set foot in that particular part of the city; years since she had gotten a proper chance to explore the place she'd always longed to call 'home'. But the memories had never so much as faded. She could still recall her first trip there as though it were yesterday; her thoughts as the train pulled into the station and she caught her first real glimpses of the City of Emeralds. The mesmerizing sights and the strange, new smells that had faced her as she walked through the streets in search of somewhere to stay, her hand entwined with Elphie's (for safety, she had told herself, although she knew it was so much more than that) And Elphie herself, her fellow adventurer, her roommate, her best friend; and the most prominent memory of all.
It was because of Elphie that she had chosen to explore the City that day, rediscovering a part of her past she'd been forced to deny for so long. And Glinda felt it was more than simple luck that had led her down the old alley at the side of the church yard.
Her husband, Sir Chuffrey had reluctantly agreed for Glinda to go 'shopping' in the city (alone she'd requested, or rather insisted, no minders, no fuss, and no getting one of your friends to follow me, just to 'check I'm ok')in return for her presence at an acquaintances, high society dinner party.
Normally, Glinda loved such occasions as they allowed her to wear her finest and most sophisticated outfits, and often came hand in hand with endless compliments from hoards of well-wishers. But this particular crowd were not one that Glinda liked, or even approved of, and she'd decided to use what would undoubtedly be a horrendible evening to her benefit.
And so she found herself, in the dankest and most miserable part of The Emerald City, with a huge smile etched on her face; until, that was she saw a cloaked body, huddled in the dirty alleyway, and knew something was terribly amiss.
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"Did she speak to you?" the doctor asked, his brow furrowed in thought. "Or, at least acknowledge your presence?"
"She..." Glinda swallowed hard, as the memory caused tears to threaten her, "No" she admitted in little more than a whisper, "Not really. But she came with me, she knows who I am"
"So it seems" he nodded slowly, then lowered his voice, "Were you close friends, lady Glinda?"
Every muscle in Glinda's small body seemed to tense at the question, "We...well..." she was unsure as to what the doctor was really asking, let alone why but sensing it was in Elphie's best interest for her to co-operate, she decided to be honest, "Yes. Yes, we were"
He nodded again, a signature move that was quickly beginning to unnerve Glinda, "Right. Well, in that case I think there's something you should know. Now I'm not supposed to disclose this kind of information, but given that she isn't speaking, and you are the closest person to her that I know of, I don't feel I have another choice."
"What is it?"
After what seemed like an eternity, he replied "It seems your friend is pregnant"
Glinda felt her eyes widen and she let out an involuntary squeak. A thousand images fluttered through her mind, the most prominent being that of Fiyero, whom she had spoken to just days before. As their conversation came flooding back to her, it brought with it Glinda's initial suspicions that he had seen Elphaba (and so much more, she thought, with a bitterness she wasn't fond of possessing) and she felt her heart sink a little.
In an attempt to be discreet, the doctor ignored her surprised reaction and continued speaking, "As you can imagine, this is a tricky situation, Lady Glinda. I trust you will do all you can to help your...friend?"
"Of course" She shot him an accusing glare, as though somehow expecting him to know the depth of her devotion for Elphie, "Of course I will"
"Very well, then. I'll come back next week to check on her" he offered an out of place smile that Glinda couldn't bring herself to return, "If you need anything in the mean time, you know where I am"
Glinda managed a small "Thank You" before she saw him out, and she was left alone to ponder the enormity of a situation she had merely stumbled across, just hours before.
