Disclaimer: Anything you recognise here is not mine. Neither is the song, in case you don't recognise that :P
Summary: Elphaba had made Glinda who she was and the Good Witch was never afraid to cry for what she had lost, and cry for what she had gained.
A/N: Okay, just a random idea I had. Bear with me.
No One But You
A hand above the water/ an angel reaching for the sky
Staring out over the water brought back memories for Glinda the Good. The water returned her to a time when all she had to do in life was wonder about her room mate's odd aversion to the liquid and try not to think badly of her for it. She always connected water with Elphaba. They linked automatically in her head and caused memories to emerge from the depths of her mind.
A flash of green – a bush or tree – drew her eyes into the water and she imagined that she could see her lost friend for the last time. Deep brown eyes stared back at her and she smiled, allowing tears to drip to her cheeks. Homage to the one person who had dared to speak out, and who was persecuted for it. She was an angel in Glinda's eyes. One who strove to do good.
Is it raining in heaven/ do you want us to cry?
All the people who had been helped by Elphaba never knew it. Animals were the only ones that understood how much she had fought for what was right, and they joined Glinda in her grief, year after year, on the bridge in Kiamo Ko. Would Elphaba want them to grieve for her? She doubted it. Elphaba was never one for displaying emotions other than anger. Elphaba had always kept other emotions under wraps. Showing them was weak. And Elphaba was strong. She had to be.
There was nothing else for her.
Everywhere the broken hearted/ on every lonely avenue
Together, the Animals and Glinda sat, closing their eyes to think. Glinda's heart had broken long ago, losing Fiyero and then Elphaba had seen to that. And the loneliness. She had never been lonely in her life, and now every day was empty, filled with nothingness. Once you knew Elphaba, you couldn't have the same relationship with any other person. Only those who had known Elphaba at Shiz could understand a little how she felt, and they had dispersed across Oz, leaving her, like everyone else.
Even her home was lonely. Every room she entered, though filled with frivolous objects and unwanted gifts, was empty. Like her heart.
Like her life.
No one could reach them/ no one but you
The Animals had a connection with Elphaba, one that no one other than Glinda had felt. Elphaba had reached out to them and understood their wants and needs. She had known what it was like to be persecuted. Their mutual understanding and respect of each other had brought Elphaba comfort. She could seek solace in the Animal's, knowing that they would not judge her for the colour of her skin, and would accept her as just one more rebel.
They were always grateful for the work that Elphaba did, but none could see the difference it made. Indeed, it seemed that the Wizard grew harsher the more she went against him. They loved her still, simply for trying. And this was something no other human had.
And life goes on/ without you
And although she missed Elphaba, life did have to continue. She'd avenged Elphaba's death by getting rid of the Wizard and imprisoning Madame Morrible, and that, somehow, had made life more bearable. The feeling that she had done something for Elphaba, even if it was a little too late, was good. Sometimes she felt she truly suited her name. Other times 'Glinda the Good' went against her name and followed the easy path, such as when Elphaba asked her to 'defy gravity' with her. That was the right path. The hard path. Glinda the Good had chosen the wrong path. The easy path.
Another tricky situation/ I get to drowning in the blues
As ruler of Oz, Glinda was met most days by a request or circumstances that the people involved wanted changing. Sometimes they were requests that she could do nothing about, or that were so absurd changing them would be pointless – it would only make it worse. These were the days that Glinda needed extra strength, and often would draw it from happy memories of Shiz, with Elphaba. With Fiyero. Even with Boq, in his stalker-like ways. Sometimes the activities of the day would take their toll on her and she would feel weak, crushed by strenuous and tactical thinking that she had little practice of.
And I find myself thinking/ well, what would you do?
In these moments, she would think of Elphaba, and only Elphaba, of her ideas and plans for the future, drowning out everything else. Thoughts of her closest friend kept her sane in that first year of ruling, when Oz was still scarred from the presence of the 'Witch'. Dealing with everyone's problems would push Glinda to the very limit. In the darkest of times, she would ask herself 'what would Elphaba do?' And that helped her solve the problem, as she would use Elphaba's logical thinking to get to the root of the crisis. Oz had much to thank Elphaba for, and they didn't know it.
Yes, it was such an operation/ forever paying every due
How had Elphaba managed to ensure that every person in Oz (other than herself, Glinda and Fiyero) feared her? Sometimes Glinda was inclined to think it was a dare, but she was always struck with the realization that it was simply Elphaba all over. Why have a few choice people despise her, when she could have a whole country? It was Elphaba all over, always going to the extreme.
Hell, you made a sensation/ you found a way through
She was the talk of Oz for several weeks. She was still spoken about in hushed tones, as though trying to prevent a curse. She had claimed that the Wizard was a fraud, he was cruel to Animals and that he had no magic. At least, the Wizard maintained that she did, which amounted to the same thing. The people of Oz had nothing better to do than gossip. And so came all of the rumours. 'I hear she has an extra eye that always remains awake' 'I hear she can shed her skin as easily as a snake' and Glinda's favourite and Elphaba's downfall 'I hear her soul is so unclean, pure water can melt her.' Yet Elphaba ignored the rumours until her last moments. She wasn't bothered by them when the two Witches met at Nessarose's untimely death. Only when Elphaba had said goodbye did Glinda realise that one of the rumours was true.
Yes, Elphaba found a way through. That way was death.
And we'll remember/ forever
That was true. Glinda would remember forever. The green girl, who had walked quietly into her life, had been ignored until a bizarre twist of fate and then became the best friend of Glinda the Good. Some things could never be forgotten. Elphaba was one of those 'things'. Her good side was unknown to the citizen's but whilst Glinda lived it was known to her. And Glinda could remember Elphaba happily, knowing the truth.
And so we grace another table/ and raise our glasses one more time
So with the Animals Elphaba had known and loved, Glinda mourned her very best friend, and they shared special times with one another. Knowing that others shared her grief comforted Glinda, and helped her move on. Each year that passed was just one year less until she could see Elphaba again. Soon they would be together once more, that misfit group from Shiz. They had been close. They had always been close, in their own way.
There's a face at the window/ and I ain't never, never saying goodbye
As long as she lived, Elphaba lived on within her. There was no need to lose Elphaba forever. She didn't need to say goodbye just yet. But, she thought,
One by one/ only the good die young
It was almost as though Fate was crossing each person from Shiz off her list, severing their ties with Glinda, and for some, with life. The ones who had lost their lives had died young: Nessa, Fiyero, and Elphaba. Boq had disappeared. She was the only one left from Shiz, destined to grow old and die of old age, rather than heroically, or even tragically. Her death would be mourned, yes, but for how long?
They're only flying too close to the sun
Elphaba had aimed too high and she had been brought down, but sometimes - Glinda knew this to be true - sometimes it was better to aim higher and lose a little confidence, than have no self confidence at all, and have every knock bring you lower and lower. Having experienced this herself, Glinda knew that Elphaba had taken the right path. The hard path.
Crying for nothing
'No one mourns the wicked' they said, and therefore Glinda was no one. It pleased her. She felt special; being the one person to truly know the 'Wicked Witch of the West' had to account for something. Watching Elphaba change had brought about a change in herself. She was different now. Her (not so) humble beginnings had set her back in life, making her think that unique people such as Elphaba were lower beings, alien to the upper classes. Sharing a room with the 'green girl' had meant that Glinda was no longer shallow. She was no longer self-centred. She lived for herself now, and allowed no one's opinion to change her. The way Elphaba had lived.
Elphaba had made Glinda who she was and the Good Witch was never afraid to cry for what she had lost, and cry for what she had gained.
Crying for no one
Her identity. It had come at much too high a cost. But a new and better person had come out of Elphaba's values and opinions, and Glinda was proud of herself. And so she should have been.
No one but you
Losing Elphaba was hard. But she had survived.
And no one but Glinda could have managed.
A/N: I was proud of this, I think it's the best song fic I've done. Okay, so it got really choppy at the end, but please R and R and tell me what you think. Constructive criticism is always welcome.