A/n: I was watching "The Music Man" (Cheno version), and of course this is the result. A songfic, based on "Goodnight, My Someone," from this wonderful musical. This is Gelphie; and I like to think the world is bookverse, but the characters seem more musicalverse to me (it seems to be the only way I can write them). I hope I didn't completely screw it up. :/
.x.
It was dark, and the stars shone brilliantly against an indigo backdrop; twinkling majestically, as if they were putting on a show just for Galinda. And she could believe it-- she was the most loved girl in all of Gillikin, and she was only nine years old. Surely the stars would feel obligated to shine for her!
Galinda yawned, and as if on cue, her mother padded softly into the room, closing the door behind her.
"Galinda, my dear, it's time for bed," she said in that silky, comforting voice of hers, and Galinda smiled. Obligingly, she skipped over to her large, pink canopy bed. Galinda jumped onto it, landing somewhere inside of the fluffy down covers.
"Momsie, tell me a story, please?" She asked politely, as she had been taught to ask for things. Though she'd asked, Galinda knew she'd get whatever she wanted, no matter the circumstances.
"Sure, Darling. What would you like to hear about tonight? Perhaps a tale of adventure? You've always loved those."
Galinda shook her head from under the covers, popping out from them with a dreamy grin plastered onto her face. "I want a story about romance, Momsie," she said, and Galinda's mother raised her eyebrows slightly.
"Ah, dear, so it's finally beginning," she teased, and Galinda swatted her with a pillow. "Please, Mummy? Make it good. With a happy ending, of course."
Galinda loved happy endings; every other kind was either boring or depressing. Happy endings were what good, lovely people deserved; while the bad people in the story, such as the monster, or witch, died in the end. Or lived an unhappy life.
"Okay," her mother said, sitting down next to Galinda, stroking her forehead soothingly. "Once upon a time, there was a beautiful little girl, with curls like gold."
Galinda squealed. "That's me," she pointed out.
"She was a daughter of royalty, and everyone in the kingdom loved her. Village boys fawned over her, and musicians wrote songs about her. Everyone loved the girl, but she felt that something was missing. You see, she had no one to love."
Galinda frowned. "That's terrible."
Her mother nodded. "It is. Which is why she spent most of her free time conjuring up the man of her dreams: she imagined his laugh, his bright eyes, and his gentlemanly nature. Of course, he was also of royal lineage, because the little girl had good taste."
Galinda giggled as her mother continued the story. "And though she wished he would come and rescue her from her castle then, the little girl knew that she would have to wait until she was older-- until he found her. So every evening, she said goodnight to him on a star, hoping that he'd hear her call. And because she had no knowledge of his name, the girl simply said: 'goodnight, my someone.'"
By this point in the story, Galinda's smile had grown, and her blue eyes sparkled. "Oh, Momsie," she gasped, "That's so romantic!"
Her mother nodded. "And every night, the little girl would sing.
Goodnight, my someone,
Goodnight, my love,
Sleep tight, my someone,
Sleep tight, my love.
Our star is shining its brightest light
For goodnight, my love, for goodnight."
As her mother finished singing the song, her lovely soprano filling Galinda's heart with comfort and ease, the little Upland girl sighed with happiness. "That was a good story, Momsie," she said, and Galinda's mother kissed the top of her head. "I'm glad you liked it, dear. Goodnight."
.x.
Galinda sat in the darkness, her back up against the window-seat. As she gazed out the window with only the stars for light, she smiled. Elphaba's breathing from the bed across the room was the only sound made in the quiet night.
Galinda often used these silent nights to think about her someone. Occasionally, she'd wonder about the man who would whisk her off her feet-- he still hadn't come yet. Unless that silly Boq, or any of her other doomed suitors, princes and noblemen, counted.
Galinda wasn't sure what love was anymore; she'd always thought that some man would make everything apparent to her (it should have been one of those princes, it really should have), but Galinda never found a boy who could hold her interest for long. She was starting to wonder if her someone would ever come along, or if her mother's story was just a sham.
Galinda closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. In case you are out there, my someone, Galinda thought, And I haven't found you yet....
Softly, quietly, so not to wake Elphaba, Galinda sang the song:
"Sweet dreams be yours, dear,
If dreams there be
Sweet dreams to carry you close to me.
I wish they may and I wish they might
Now goodnight, my someone, goodnight."
Though she didn't hear the approaching footsteps, Galinda's eyes shot open when a hand made contact with her shoulder. She looked at the owner of the hand, who stood in a nightgown, her eyes bright against the darkness of her skin.
"Oh, hello, Elphie," she whispered. "I didn't mean to wake you."
Elphaba sat down next to Galinda on the window-seat, her hand still firmly resting on the blonde's shoulder. "No, don't be. It was beautiful," Elphaba answered softly, and Galinda smiled.
"What were you singing about?"
Galinda looked down, her cheeks flushed. "Some nights, I make a wish on a star, and say goodnight to my someone."
Elphaba wrinkled her brow. "Your someone?"
Galinda shrugged sheepishly. "Yeah, it's silly. I just...I don't know."
"I don't think it's silly. You have such a lovely voice, Galinda," Elphaba said, and she brought her hand from the other girl's shoulder, to her collarbone, her fingers dancing across bare skin.
"Th-thank you, Elphie," Galinda whispered, not trusting her voice to form an entire sentence. Something about that lovely green face was making Galinda nervous, though she was too tired and lucid to move from her spot.
Right then, from her spot in front of the stars, Elphaba looked almost enchanting-- a picture of exotic beauty and flowing, black hair. She was beautiful when she let her hair down, Galinda had always thought.
Slowly, as if it happened in slow motion, Elphaba's lips inched closer and closer to Galinda's and they met in a dizzying rush of electricity. Galinda's breath became shallow, though the kiss was more innocent and sweet than sexual.
Finally, Elphaba pulled away, looking at Galinda with worry. "Was that okay?"
And though there was no prince, and her princess had turned out to be a green-skinned Witch, none of that mattered, because she was more than okay.
Galinda touched her lips, smiling. She leaned in and kissed Elphaba's cheek, before heading back to bed. "Goodnight, Elphaba," she whispered, and she could almost feel her roommate smile from across the room.
.x.
Glinda the Good sat in her bedchamber, aware of the faint whistling of a guard, positioned outside her door, in case, Chuffrey had said to her-- he was a loving husband, concerned for her safety (a little too much...Oz, it was so stifling!) and welfare.
Unfortunately, Sir Chuffrey was not Glinda's someone, nor would he ever be.
Elphaba had died, the victim of an "accident," caused by an empty-headed, negligent farm girl, though the "accident" had all of Oz cheering for days. Weeks, even.
And there was Glinda, perched on her window-seat (she'd insisted it be installed in her room immediately after she'd moved in-- still nostalgic after all those years), feeling the weight of Oz on her shoulders.
At first, even through her tears and loneliness, Glinda had at least thought herself noble for turning the Emerald City in a new direction, but proper governing certainly wouldn't bring Elphaba back.
In the end, the Witch had died without knowing she still had Glinda's love; she probably thought it was all a schoolgirl experiment on the blonde's part, though it had been everything to Glinda, and in the end, it was Elphaba who had left.
It was Elphaba who had lived a life of adventure, of purpose-- and when Glinda couldn't handle it (or at least Elphie had only thought she couldn't, she liked to tell herself), she'd replaced her with Fiyero, who certainly could handle it. Glinda had known from the day she came across him in the Emerald City that he was with Elphie-- though she hadn't let on that she knew.
Though Fiyero had eventually died, at least he'd died with his honor intact; something Glinda knew she'd never have. All of Oz thought her to be a brave, good ruler, but Glinda knew she was just a scared little girl (a little girl growing older by the minute), staring at the stars from her window-seat.
Glinda closed her eyes, remembering everything she could about Elphaba-- her scent, her laugh, even her taste.
Then, perhaps to offer up one last prayer to her long-lost love (or maybe it was just wishful thinking), Glinda began singing softly:
"True love can be whispered from heart to heart
When lovers are parted they say
But I must depend on a wish and a star
As long as my heart doesn't know who you are.
Sweet dreams be yours dear,
If dreams there be
Sweet dreams to carry you close to me.
I wish they may and I wish they might,"
And though she hadn't gotten her storybook happy ending, she didn't mind, because the Witch (who was finally free) just might've gotten hers.
"Goodnight, my Elphie, goodnight."