"Uhhh, Oz?" Finley the monkey asked with fright as the duo trudged through the Dark Forest.

"What monkey?" Oz snapped, not turning around to look at his friend.

"Might I make a suggestion?" Finley stammered, eyeing the forest as he walked close to the wizard's ankles. He never liked going into the Dark Forest, especially with many unknown beings lurking in its shadows, and especially with Oz not telling him why they were there.

Oz sighed and rolled his eyes. "What is it Finely?"

Finley shivered when he saw a pair of yellow eyes glaring at him. "I uhh…think that this is not a great idea and that we should leave," He said quickly.

Oz stopped in his tracks and looked down at the small creature. "Finley, you can't be telling me you're scared are you?" The wizard said with annoyance.

"Who me? No way," The monkey laughed nervously, giving Oz a brush of reassurance, hoping his lie was convincing.

"Good," Oz nodded before walking again. He picked up his pace, wanting to get in and out of the forest as quickly as possible.

Finely looked around before following him. "It's not like I have much to fear when I'm with the great and powerful…OOOOOOZZZZZZ!" He screamed when something pounced on him, causing him to flap his wings in terror. He flew onto Oz's shoulder, wrapping his small arms around the human's neck, covering his eyes.

"Finley! What are you doing?" Oz shouted, caught off guard as he tried to loosen the monkey's grip on his face. "Monkey I can't see!" He yelled and began to spin in an unbalanced circle. "Get off!"

Finley ignored the protests and tightened his grip. He stared back at his attacker, a small but fierce looking grey wolf. The wolf gazed back at back at him with glowing, yellow eyes, smacking its tongue across its lips. It was crouched low to the ground, ready to strike at any moment.

Finally, Oz ripped the monkey's arms from his face. "Finley what has gotten into-"He began but stopped in mid-sentence at the sight of the wolf, now joined by another. "You." He finished then took a gulp down his throat. "Oh…my…" He stuttered, his eyes widening as more wolves stepped in from the shadows. Oz started to back up, only to have the wolves creep closer towards them.

"Got any ideas?" Oz muttered up to Finely who was still holding on tightly to his shoulder.

"You're the wizard," Finley hissed back.

Curse you monkey. Oz thought as he continued to slowly back away. "You're right," He agreed. "Ummm…let's see," He said, darting his eyes around, hoping to find something to assist them. Six wolves were gathered now, low growls in their throats and teeth bared. Oz looked back up at the wolves. "RUN!" He finally yelled before taking off into the forest. His dash caused Finely to slip from his shoulders but he quickly flapped his wings to catch up.

"This is your plan?" Finely stated when he was within ear shot of the wizard.

Oz panted as he ran. "You have a better one?" He called.

Finely heard the barks of the wolves, knowing they were close behind. "No! Yours is great! Let's go!" He said and pushed his wings harder.

Oz ran as fast as his legs would carry him, but he knew he wouldn't be able to outrun a pack of wolves. He needed to come up with a better plan. The last time he had been in the dark forest Glinda was there to help them get away from Evanora's baboons. This time he wasn't so lucky. Glinda. Oh god would she be mad when she found out that he had left Emerald City; and even madder when she found out he had gone into the Dark Forest.

Almost as if he could read the wizard's mind, Finely spoke up. "Too bad we don't have a pretty good witch to help us," He stated.

Oz was about to respond when a heavy weight suddenly knocked him to the ground. Oz shouted as he fell. He tried to get up but the wolf had him pinned good, its paws digging into this shoulder blades. "Help!" He called. "Monkey!"

Oz tried to struggle from the wolf's grip but suddenly felt a clamp of teeth sink into his leg. He screamed in agony as the teeth sunk themselves in deeper, shaking the rest of his body violently. The last thing the wizard remembered was a beam of bright light and scattered whimpers before he lost consciousness.

"Wizard. Wizard?" A small, worried voice echoed in his head. Oz tried to make out who it was, but his mind was too groggy to conjure up anything. "Is he going to be alright?" The voice said again.

"He'll be fine child. I hope," A second voice joined in, this one sounding much more familiar. Oz groaned and tried to open his eyes, but they burned at the slightest of movement. Still, he forced them to open, then blinked rapidly when bright light flooded his vision. Where was he?

"He's waking up! The first voice said cheerfully. Oz looked around and saw nothing but a cluster of blurs surrounding him. Nausea and aching pain soared through his body as he tried to move. When his vision finally became decently clear, he saw the smiling face of China Girl sitting on his chest. He quickly scanned his surroundings, assuming he was in a hospital room. "Wizard! Are you ok?" She asked, her voice filled with worry.

"Don't smother him. Let him breathe a little," A third voice came in to ear shot he recognized as Finely's.

"Monkey," Oz muttered. "What happened?" He asked when his friend came into view. "Are you ok?"

Finely smiled and sat down next to China Girl. "Well the wolves caught up to us," He said lightly.

Oz snorted. "Yeah, no kidding. Are you ok though?"
"Me? Oh yeah," Finley said with a smile. "My wing got busted but other than that I feel fine. You on the other hand…well let's just say if Glinda hadn't shown up-"
"Glinda?" Oz interrupted. How was Glinda able to save them? Better yet, why was she in the Dark Forest?

Finely nodded. "Yeah she-"

"Alright that's enough," The second voice from earlier filled the room, only a bit more stern than before. "It's time to give the wizard some rest," Oz turned his head to see none other than Glinda standing in the doorway.

Finely and China Girl said quick goodbyes before exiting the room, leaving Oz and the witch alone. Oz gazed at her, soaking in the beautiful woman standing before him. He had never been happier to see anyone in his life. "Glinda," He began with a smile.

"Don't 'Glinda' me," She said, glaring at him as she walked towards his bed. Oz shut his gaping mouth and creased his eyebrows. "Did you really think that I wouldn't find out?" She asked, not expecting an answer.

"Find out what?" He stuttered, confused at her anger.

"Oh honestly Oz! How big of a fool do you take me for?" She spat at him as she started to pace the room.

Oz suddenly realized what she was upset about. Being "dead", Oz could not leave the palace grounds for risk of being seen. He tried to sit up, but pain rushed through his body when he hadn't even moved an inch. "Glinda, I-"He attempted to say.

"Save it!" She said, her voice rising with anger. "Why is it that when there are important matters to be done regarding our kingdom, you brush them off because there isn't anything you can do but then you all of sudden go into the Dark Forest like it's nothing!" She shouted. "Are you that careless?" She faced him, meeting his eyes for the first time. "Or did you just get bored?"

Oz was speechless; he had never seen Glinda raise her voice at any one. Ever. In fact, it was sort of frightening. Instead of giving some snarky response, he gazed at her, noticing the tiredness in her beautiful, hazel eyes. "How long have I been out?" He finally asked.

Glinda pursed her lips. This wasn't the response she was expecting. "A few days. Why?" She questioned.

"Then why does it look like you haven't slept for weeks?" He asked, his eyes growing with concern.

His question left Glinda speechless. "I uhhh…" She stumbled for words, trying to look at anything but him. When she finally looked up, she threw her hands in the air with frustration. "Well I wasn't going to just leave you!" She admitted.

Oz could tell that she had been frantic with worry. He suddenly felt a rush of guilt at the fact she had lost sleep because of him. He stretched his hand to her. "Come here," He said quietly.

The good witch slowly walked towards him, taking his outstretched hand. She sat down carefully next to him. Oz lifted his other hand and painfully pushed a lose curl from her eyes then stroked her cheek tenderly. "You're so…beautiful," He whispered.

"Oscar I thought I was going to lose you," She said in a hushed tone, blinking back tears.

Finally it dawned on Oz, realizing what the bright light had been that must have saved him. "It was you," He mouthed, looking up at her warm smile. "You were the light," He said with amazement.

Glinda nodded. "Yes," She gently grazed his cheek with her fingertips. "Of course," She continued to stroke his face, letting her index finger linger on the tips of his lips.

Oz grinned at her, grazing his hand through her blond locks, twisting each strand in between his fingers. "Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?" He asked.

Glinda giggled lightly but couldn't help the deep flush blooming in her cheeks. "You just did," She replied.

The wizard stuck his tongue on the inside of his cheek and gazed off at the wall. "Huh," He then looked up at her with a grand smile. "Well I guess I'm over-due," With that, he cupped the back of her neck and pulled the witch in for a kiss.

When their lips met, Glinda felt a burst of electricity flow through her entire body. She had completely forgotten she was ever mad at him or that he had almost died. None of that mattered now. Nothing else even existed. At that very moment all there was, was her and him.

Glinda leaned into the kiss, pressing her body delicately onto of his. Oz pulled her closer; he could feel her heart beat steadily against his. He wrapped his arms around her back, wanting her as close to him as she could be.

All of a sudden, Oz felt a rush of pain zip through him. His body could not handle the pressure that was upon him. He broke away from Glinda, yelling in agony. She gasped and quickly pushed herself away. "Oz! What's wrong? Are you alright?" She asked.

But the wizard could not hear her. He couldn't focus on anything but the intense burning flowing through his flesh. He screamed louder, his body beginning to tremble and shake. His eyes rolled to the back of his head.

Hearing his screams, a group of physicians entered the room and rushed to his side. They muttered questions to him and began hooking him up to tubes and wires. Glinda moved away to give them room to work. She fought back the tears that were threatening to leak from her eyes. She couldn't help but blame herself for the cause of his pain.

One of the physicians turned to her and gave a slight bow. "I'm sorry m'lady, but I'm afraid I must ask you to leave," He said apologetically.

Glinda shook away her worries and gave a quick nod. "Of course," She gently touched his arm. "Please. Help him," She begged.

The physician nodded. "We'll do what we can your highness," He replied honestly.

Glinda gave him a soft smile before leaving the room. After she closed the door, she heard a worried "he's not breathing!" She turned to rush back in but the door was locked when she twisted the knob.

Covering her mouth with her hands, she walked quickly to her bed chambers. She kept her eyes down, hoping not make contact with anyone. Once she reached them, she slammed the door shut and leaned against it. Finally able to let them out, Glinda burst into a broken sob. She huffed, trying to control her breathing. She could feel her head spin uncontrollably and her legs tempting to give out. She quickly slid down to the floor, pulling her knees up against her chest, burying her head in them.

How could she have been so stupid? Letting her feelings get in the way when she knew Oz needed to recover. But, like most times she was around the wizard, she gave into her feelings, forgetting about everything else. You stupid witch. She muttered in her brain.

After a few moments, Glinda was able to gather short, reasonable breaths. Wiping her eyes with the sleeves of her dress, she shook her head. "Control yourself Glinda," She scolded to herself. "He's going to be fine. Besides, you have a job to do," With that, she stood up and took a moment to compose herself before leaving the room.

When Oz finally woke up, he found himself in a different room, alone. He looked around, trying to gather some memory as to how he had gotten there, but he drew nothing but blanks. In fact, he couldn't remember anything that had happened to him recently.

He slowly started to sit up, ignoring the sharp pain igniting through his body. Dangling his legs off the side of his bed, he gazed at his surroundings. He assumed it was a hospital room, but it looked more like a prison. And Glinda. Where was Glinda?

There were many unfamiliar machines and gadgets lying around and the lighting was uncomfortably dark. He wasn't even sure if he was in the Emerald City anymore. He looked down to see a white bandage wrapped around his right leg; must have been where the wolf bit.

Suddenly, a man walked into the room wearing a white robe and a surgical mask around his neck. "Ah, good. I was hoping you would wake up soon," He said with a friendly smile. "How are you feeling sir?"

Oz stared at the man in confusion. "Um, fine I guess. Who are you?" He asked.

The man chuckled lightly. "I'm Dr. Arnolds. I've been taking care of you these past few days. But I wouldn't expect you to know that,"

A few days? What? Oz put a hand against his head. Nothing was making any sense. "Do you mind explaining to me what exactly has been happening? How long was I asleep?" He wondered, but what he really wanted to know where Glinda was.

"Well, when you were first brought in, you were out for about two days. Your leg was in pretty rough shape and we went into immediate surgery. Waited any longer, you might have lost the whole thing," The doctor began. "Then you somehow reacted horribly to an anesthetic we gave you and had a seizure. It gave miss Glinda quite the scare,"

Oz's eyes widened. "Glinda! Is she-?"

"Oh yes she's quite fine. I just finished speaking with her. She had to attend a meeting but she said she'll be back as quickly as she could," Dr. Arnolds replied with a smile. "And don't worry, your secret is safe with me," He said a bit quieter.

Realizing what he meant, Oz sighed with relief. "Thank you," He said gratefully.

The doctor nodded then turned around to a counter behind him. "Now unfortunately your reaction mixed with this mysterious wolf bite caused to internal bleeding in your system," When he saw Oz's horrid face, he shook his head. "Now, no need to worry, we've been taking care of it but you'll have to stay with us a few more days. I hope that won't be a problem sir,"

Oz felt a shiver down his spine. "Nope. Not at all," He said, feeling suddenly nauseous.

Smiling, the doctor handed him a pair of blue pills and a glass of water. "Take these and I'll be back in a while to check on you. Get some rest wizard," He said before exiting the room.

Oz took the pills and gulped down half the cup of water. He set the glass down and leaned against the bed frame. Feeling a bit drowsy, he let his eyes slowly shut, ready for a comfortable sleep. Before he was totally gone, there was a soft knock on the door. He lifted his head up just in time to see Glinda enter the room.

"Glinda," He said, his heart filled with an overcome joy. She looked strikingly beautiful, as always. She was dressed in a simple beige gown, her blond hair cascading down her shoulders, crown missing from her head, and wand in her grip. A warm smile was painted on her face.

"Hi there sleepy head," She said, walking towards him.

Oz straightened up and pulled the slender woman into his arms. Glinda melted into his embrace, stroking the back of his neck. When they pulled apart, he placed a delicate kiss on her forehead. "Hello beautiful,"

Glinda grinned, feeling a feint flush to her cheeks. "How are you feeling?" She asked.

Oz took a deep breath. "Well, to be honest, I've had better days," He said with a laugh.

With a sigh, Glinda set her wand down. "You really scared us Oscar. The doctor didn't think you were going to make it," She said.

"Well it's a good thing I'm supposed to be dead!" He said, laughing at his own joke. When he saw that the look on her face was anything but happy, he quickly shut his mouth. "Sorry,"

Glinda wiped away the worry and replaced it with a smile. She scooted closer to him. "You always know when to lighten things up,"

Oz pulled her close to him. He could feel himself getting better with every second she was in his arms. Glinda rested her head against his chest. Neither one thought words were necessary at the moment. All that mattered was that they were together. Slowly, Oz pulled her away just far enough for him to cup her face in his hands and planting a kiss on her lips.

Glinda felt as if she had suddenly reached a paradise; one that could only be reached when he kissed her. She had never experienced anything like it before her life. It was terrifying, yet wonderful at the same time. She snaked her arms around his neck, edging to get closer to him.

Oz slid his hands down her shoulders and locked them around her waist as he continued to kiss her. He never did understand what he had felt for Glinda from the moment he met her. At first he had thought it was his desperation for Annie and the two's striking resemblance of one another, but now, he knew that was not the case. What he felt for Glinda was much more electrifying and real.

When it was finally time for air, they parted and leaned their foreheads against one another. "No one has ever made me feel the way you do Glinda," Oz whispered with complete honesty and compassion. "I think that I-"

"Shh," Glinda said, placing a finger on his lips. "Stop talking," She commanded, and quickly smashed her lips against his before he could say anything more.

Ok uh wow! That was long! Sorry bout that everybody! I'm so bad at setting limits for my chapters. But sometimes you just got to let loose ya know? Anyway, I just wanted to say a HUGE thank you to my reviewers! I love you all so much and it brings such joy to see the beautiful things that have been said about this. So THANK YOU!

I really didn't like this chapter so much. Not sure why. It just..i dunno I'll let you guys decide. I hope you enjoy and I'll try to update once more before I go back to school.