A little background on this story: I just recently finished "Dorothy Must Die" by Danielle Paige, and something hit me hard in the head and said that I should find some clever way to tie it into the existing world of Wicked. So I'm doing just that, with some liberties taken, of course. These stories don't exactly fit together as much more than a shared place. This story takes place sometime after Out of Oz, the last book in the Wicked universe, and a little time after Dorothy Must Die. Amy dies and the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked is still looking to take Dorothy down. As it stands, this story doesn't have a beta, so all mistakes are my own, and I ENCOURAGE you to let me know in the comments or in a PM. If my writing goes unchecked, how do I get better as a writer?

Chapter 1: The Wicked

She remembered little of her life before what the Ozians took to calling travel storms. Sometimes, over the decades since the first Outsider, Dorothy, was dropped in, others would come, and Sam was just the latest in a short line of them. There were no childhood memories she could pull up in her mind, no scraped knees and learning to ride a bike, nothing like that. It was her own joke that she'd never actually been a child, that she'd just popped into life fully grown. Although, Sam supposed, there weren't any horrible memories that she wished never existed, and she didn't know anything about abusive parents. She didn't know if she even had a family. All she knew of her whole life was that she popped into the middle of a busy road in California and knew that she just needed to walk south to an apartment that was apparently hers, decorated in some bohemian style that she wasn't entirely sure was something she liked. But there it was.

And here she was, wandering around some wreckage caused by the freak tornado that struck San Francisco. The news said it was unlikely to stick around once it hit the mountains, but it travelled all the way to the coast, to Sam's little top-floor apartment, taking her in the unit. Sam's belongings were strewn everywhere, and she wasn't entirely sure if she should try to gather anything—most of it was broken or torn apart by the winds—or find help. A vague awareness that she was incredibly dizzy hit her as she took a step away from the wreck, a voice calling out "Don't!" not registering before she hit the ground.

Sam woke up again to the same greyscale surroundings, but this time, a little squat woman was standing over her with a bloodied cloth. There was pressure around her head, and as she tried to sit up, the woman pushed her down with a forceful hand.

"You shouldn't do that, dear. That was some nasty fall you took from the sky. Left you with a nice big gash on your head, but if you'll stay still…"

Sam blinked and stopped paying attention, noting that another figure had emerged, a figure with green skin. Her eyes widened as the young (woman?) knelt next to her.

"I can help a bit, Miss Wren."

The woman with the bloodied rag nodded and stood away from Sam.

The green girl took Miss Wren's place by Sam and took her hand gingerly. "I'm Rain, Miss. I hope my color doesn't bother you, but I'm going to help heal that cut on your head." Rain looked at her disapprovingly as she caught Sam's eyes widen even more. A green hand reached up to the cut, and Sam hissed at the sting when Rain's hand made contact. "It might hurt a bit"

And hurt it did. A white light flashed just above Sam's line of vision, and her eyes started to water as the burning sensation dulled. It stopped when Rain removed her hand, and the girl looked to Miss Wren with an outstretched hand to ask for the rag, which Miss Wren was only too happy to give.

"That cut might scar a bit, but you're not going to need any bandages for it," Rain stated plainly and got up. Sam watched her walk off toward a tree stump to sit, and Miss Wren quickly replaced Rain by Sam's side.

Sam looked to the sky and took a deep, shaky breath before turning her gaze to her companion. "Where am I?"

Miss Wren gave such a worried gaze that Sam was afraid she might be sent to a hospital to have her head examined. "Oz, of course!"

The young woman took note of the sad tone in Miss Wren's voice as she said it, like it was not such a pleasure to be in this place. Sam bolted upright, ignoring a twinge in her head at the motion. "Oz? You're kidding. There's no such thing! It's a fairytale, a book, a movie, but not real." Sam blew air up into her bangs as Miss Wren's eyebrows crinkled.

"It's a fuckin' nightmare, girl. This is no fairytale. Oz is definitely real," Rain said harshly, standing from her tree stump and walking over to Sam. She reached down to grab Sam's arm and yanked her to a standing position. They were just about the same height, Sam maybe half an inch taller, but Rain seemed to have grown in her sudden anger. "It's you people that keep making things difficult. We could be killed for even talking to you."

Miss Wren looked uncomfortable. "Miss Rain, we could get killed because of you. Talking to an outsider wouldn't make much difference to our cases. We're as good as dead if we're caught, and we should move on soon if we don't want that to happen."

Rain shot a glare at Miss Wren but conceded with a nod. She threw Sam's arm away from her and stomped off in a direction away from the wreckage. Miss Wren moved to follow, and Sam suddenly realised that something was moving under a pile of clothing and papers. When it mewled, Sam's eyebrows shot up in surprise and she threw herself down to dig the creature out.

"Artemis!"

The pair of Ozians turned at the exclamation to see that Sam had pulled a black cat out of the rubble. Miss Wren looked upon the scene enthusiastically, and Rain rolled her eyes before turning back to her path, muttering something about another thing to deal with.

Sam caught up to the group holding the dirty thing in her arms. "This is my cat, Artemis. I thought for sure he was gone, but it looks like he's just fine. Isn't that right, kitty?" She buried her face in his dusty fur, and the cat let out a loving meow.

"Oh, isn't that just wonderful, Miss Rain?"

Rain rolled her eyes again. "Just great."

Sam noticed that the sun's position never moved from its spot directly above them, even after what seemed like hours as they travelled their way to a nameless destination. "What's with the weather here?" Sam finally asked, pointing her chin upward.

Miss Wren answered. "Dorothy can't be bothered to turn the hands of the Great Clock sometimes, so the sun stays up. It's caused a horrible drought, especially since we're about to hit the hotter summer months. Illswater has already dried up."

Sam took another long glance upwards and shrugged her shoulders. "Isn't Dorothy some kind of hero? She defeated the Wizard, right?"

Rain snorted and turned to Sam with a withering look. "Dorothy is a menace, a real bitch. Ever since she became an adviser to that Lion, the 'Throne Minister of Oz' she learned how to use magic, and has been using it ever since.

"She was supposed to go home, Dorothy, La Gale of Oz, but she decided to stay here with that wretched dog of hers. I watched her succumb to insanity. We found the Ozma Tippetarius together with that Mombey, and I became green again, and things were okay for a while. Then that fucking book found its way to her hands, and she had magic. Just like that. She threw The Cowardly Lion out of his position in the palace and announced herself princess. She brought in those fools too. The Tin Woodman, the Scarecrow, and The Cowardly Lion. They've all become something horrible and twisted. None of them are as I remember them, as anyone remembers."

Sam turned to Miss Wren. "So what happened that made Dorothy crazy?"

"Magic," Rain interjected. "Once she had a taste of magic, she couldn't tame it. She became obsessed, and by then she had subdued Ozma and taken the crown, made those goons her terrifying servants. She even pulled Glinda out of Southstairs to help her mine for magic. Glinda isn't even the same anymore. And she can be worse than Dorothy sometimes."

"Can't somebody do something?" Sam asked.

Rain scoffed and turned back to the road, which Sam was seeing as yellow and brick now. The Yellow Brick Road under her very feet was dusty and not looking as yellow as the stories made it to be, but then again, Oz wasn't anything like she'd heard of. "You're really not from here. There was a girl from Kansas, that place that Dorothy is from. She was pulled from there in a travel storm and trained by some witches to use magic and fight. She almost had the bitch too, but something happened and Dorothy got away. Glinda caught up and killed that girl Amy on the spot, and the rest of the resistance went into hiding again. Nobody has heard of anything since, and it's been seven years. The magic is almost gone now. Oz is dying."

Sam could feel the sadness is Rain's voice as she spoke. It seemed that Dorothy wasn't as revered as she once was. "Wait," Sam said, the story catching up to her. "If that girl was pulled from Kansas to defeat Dorothy, then could that mean that I was yanked from San Fran to do the same?"

Miss Wren looked confused. "How did you get here?"

Sam shrugged. "A tornado, a freak tornado showed up in San Francisco, of all places, and carried me off. I woke up here. I don't really know what happened in between."

"You came by travel storm? Dorothy can't know that you're from there. If you get caught, Miss, you're dead."

"Samantha," she said and moved the cat in her arms to extend a hand to Miss Wren, who beamed at the name Sam supplied. "But everyone calls me Sam."

"What a pretty name," Miss Wren crooned, and Rain made a gagging sound.

"Get ready, you two; we're almost there," Rain said, looking like she was going to be sick.

Sam looked forward in eager interest to see what looked like a hill with a shed atop it. "Do you live there?"

Rain and Miss Wren exchanged amused glances. "We're going underground," Rain said, and Miss Wren giggled. Something about staying in the shed was funny, and as they approached, two figures stepped out of the small door in the front. Sam realized that it would be much too small to house so many people.

The figures, Sam noted upon reaching the shed, were a couple of old biddies. One wore an ill-fitting, deep crimson dress that she was swimming in. She was scrawny and her grey hair had certainly seen better days. There was a wisdom and warmth in her bright blue eyes. The other woman was wearing a pair of black pants and a large purple shirt. Her blonde hair didn't show her age as much as the wrinkles on her face. Her grey eyes looked over Sam with disinterest. For Rain and Miss Wren, they looked like worried grandmothers welcoming their children inside. The one wearing the purple blouse held out a hand and grabbed Miss Wren when they were in reach.

"You two have been out all day, you idiots!"

Miss Wren followed the movement of the group into the shed, which became cramped very quickly with the five of them all standing huddled together on one side. "Mombi, we picked up an Outsider. She came by travel storm from a place called San Francisco. Her name is Sam, and I think her cat's name is Artemis."

The older women looked at Sam. The blue-eyed woman gave her a weary, tired look. "We've been through this before, girls. You stay away from those tornadoes. We've had more than once of us killed for fraternizing with Outsiders, and now you've just brought one back."

Rain surprised everyone by saying, "Mombi, this one's different. Really different. I watched her get tossed from that tornado up in the clouds. She should have been killed, but something saved her, and I don't think it was that cat."

Artemis licked a paw and stretched it up to touch Sam's jaw. Sam looked down at her pet's loving gaze but kept her ears open to the conversation at hand.

Mombi shifted and looked at Rain in anger. "I don't care how different she is. Unless she came wielding magic and a way to solve our problems, then she's a great danger to us all. We're barely surviving. The magic is depleting, and that bitch Dorothy is sending her hunters out every day to look for us. This girl is going to get us killed."

And with that, Mombi stomped off, attracting Sam's attention only for her to realise that they were no longer in the shed, but in an underground dirt tunnel. She looked up to find dirt overhead as well. The group followed the same path, taking many twists and turns. They finally ended up at an ending opening up to a huge cave with a spring in the center and wildlife thriving along the walls. As soon as Sam stepped into the cave, a flower bloomed beneath her feet.

The other old lady just stared at the spot under Sam's foot in wonder. "Do you have magic?"

Sam looked at her with a bewildered expression. "Who? Me?" The lady nodded. "I don't have any. I'm just normal. Just Sam."

"You're sure? Flowers don't grow from thin air, girl."

"Gert, stop harassing her. She's been through so much already. Rain had to heal her head. She might not know anything about herself right now," Miss Wren stepped in, tossing her shoulder-length brown hair back over her shoulder.

The old lady, Gert, chuckled. "This girl's got something alright, but I've got a feeling she's been through much worse than falling through the sky and bumping her head."

Rain quickly grew bored of the conversation and walked off in a different direction than Mombi had, and Miss Wren followed closely behind, leaving Gert and Sam alone. Artemis decided that he no longer wanted to be held, so he scrambled from Sam's arms and down to the floor.

"Handsome cat you have there. He seems to like you," Gert said.

Sam watched him walk over to the spring and paw around in the water. "He adores me. I'm not sure how long I've had him though. I'm not sure of anything, actually."

Gert's gaze also went to the cat, but quickly returned to its owner. "I think you'll remember soon enough."

"Are you always so cryptic?"

"When I need to be. You'll learn."

Sam watched the woman disappear through a doorway and shrugged. "C'mon, cat," she called, and Artemis perked up with a meow and followed along at her heels. They emerged in a room with a table and chairs, an elaborate chandelier hanging from the ceiling, and richly-colored fabrics hanging from the walls. Mombi was nowhere to be seen, but the other three were sitting down, and a boy had joined them. He stood up immediately upon arrival of the new guest with an outstretched hand.

"Nox," he supplied, and Sam shook it, noting his sweaty palm. When they let go, she wiped her hand on her jeans and nodded at him.

"I'm Sam."

The cat meowed loudly and stepped through her legs. "And that's Artemis, who probably feels left out of introductions."

The group smiled, and Miss Wren giggled at the cat's antics. He jumped into the nearest chair and wrapped his long tail around his feet. Sam smiled at him and reached over to pet the top of his head. "I've had this cat ever since I can remember. He's always liked me, though I suspect there's something more to him than meets the eye. He doesn't always act like a cat. There's something too proper about his behaviour, but he's been loyal and friendly to me the whole time I've known him."

Gert gave a knowing smile, and Sam's faltered a bit. Nox reached over to pet Artemis as well, but the cat ducked his head and turned his yellow eyes in an angry gaze to his assailant.

"Guess he doesn't like me much," Nox shrugged. He stepped back respectfully and around to the other side of the table. "We were just about to eat if you'd like to join us. Then Wren can get a room ready for you."

Miss Wren nodded and folded her hands above the table like Rain was doing.

The meal appeared on the table, making Sam jump at the sudden visual change, and the rest of the group set about taking food onto their plates. Sam took something green and mushy onto hers and fought to keep from gagging.

"It's healthy for you. We can't afford to eat like royalty here, but it'll fill you up, make you full," Gert said.

Sam blanched at the comment. "Did you just…?"

Gert looked surprised at herself. "I'm sorry, dear, I don't know what came over me. It just happens sometimes, you know. I don't always remember that not everyone knows about me."

Sam raised an eyebrow, but quickly returned to her food, poking at it with a spoon. Artemis laid down in the chair beside her and rolled around.

The dinner was over quickly, and Sam followed Miss Wren to a small cave that was clearly for guests. It didn't even need sprucing up.

"It's perfect," Sam said as she stepped further in, marvelling at the light made of tree branches, and the sunken bed in the center of the room. A vanity sat on one wall, and a wardrobe its opposite. Dark, emerald green fabrics hung from the ceiling leaving no dirt or rock above exposed. It almost looked like being in a forest, Sam thought briefly before diving into the center bed. She found the pillows to be extremely soft, and her body immediately relaxed.

Miss Wren clapped her hands happily. "I'm so glad you like it! Someone will be back in the morning to help you find your way to breakfast."

Sam didn't bother to listen, focusing intently on her soft new bed. She quickly fell asleep.