(AN: Still need a story for this. I have a basic idea of what I'm shooting for, but it's the exposition of that plot which is going to prove even harder.)

(As for Nessa's appearance, I'm having as much trouble with that as with Elphaba. Somewhere between Marcie Dodd's cuteness and Cristy Candler, whom I usually envision as Nessarose [since she can be, believably, both sweet and stern]. But most of the actresses who have played her [with one exception] are brunettes or have reddish hair, so I might as well let you imagine her as whoever. The only person I'm trying to not imagine as one of the bases for my characters is Jemma Rix. She's been haunting my mind ever since Of Saints and Sinners...and it hasn't been pretty.)

(Lastly, as you may know, if you've read OSnS, Nessarose is wearing a different outfit. It's the red-black dress from the Wicked Witch of the East Barbie, which Azalea [her maternal ancestor] gave to Elphaba, and then they gave to her.)

(Now enjoy! [any references to Lord of the Rings is unintentional, since it's referred to Another War)

Reunited Again

In the morning, the three of them continued on their way away from the mountain. Their journey did not seem to be getting any better, for it was still slow. For one who had done a great deal of running over the past nine months or so, Nessarose was still unsteady on her feet. It was Elphaba, however, for whom the two were most nervous.

"You shouldn't be on your feet so much," Fiyero said.

"No, I'm fine," she said, trying to hide her irritation.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," Fiyero shrugged. "I just mean, well, I don't know, you did say we were back in Midgard, right?"

"Yes, I'm certain."

"But I remember what happened last time we were there," he said.

"And?"

"And..." he sighed. "This can't be it! You're still green."

"So?" she bit back. "Do you think I wouldn't be green because of where we're at? Would you prefer me to be pink and pale like your little empty-headed ex-girlfriend?"

"No, I didn't mean that..."

"Don't you think I have enough on my mind as it is already without you making up a bunch of nonsense questions about where we're at and why we're there?"

"Elphaba, what's wrong?" Nessarose asked.

"And you!" she turned to her sister. "I thought you were dead! And all this time, you've been my horse! Not only that, you suddenly come back and expect everything to be fine, after all that you and father have put me through, after you've hated me for so long!"

"Elphaba, I'm sorry..."

"Are you?" she inclined her head sinisterly. "Well, I don't think so."

She turned around and started walking away. She did not get very far. After about three steps, she halted.

"Fae?"

"Elphaba?"

The green woman did not move, she just rocked threateningly on her feet. A hand went up to her head, but suddenly she collapsed.

Fiyero threw his arms around her, keeping her from falling face, and stomach, first onto the hard earth. Nessarose ran to her sister's side, examining her face. Her eyes had rolled back, the lids sliding shut lazily. She did not even register that they were with her.

"Elphaba!" Nessa cried out. She then turned to Fiyero. "What's happened to her?"

"I don't know!" It was true. It could be anything; exhaustion, they had not eaten properly in months. It could be her condition, she might have pushed herself into an early delivery. But nothing seemed to be wrong with her other than the fact that she had seemingly fainted.

Then again, he didn't know the first thing about what happened the moment a child was born.

Nightfall had come again. They were sitting around their little fire, enjoying what warmth and little protection it offered them. Nessarose sat at her sister's side, trying to make sure she was okay. One hand of hers, Fiyero noted, had come to rest on Elphaba's swollen stomach.

"Couldn't resist, could you?" he asked.

"I'm sorry," Nessarose turned to Fiyero. "It's just that I don't remember my mother. She died when I was born." She turned to Elphaba. "The only woman I had in my life was my big sister."

He crawled over to Elphaba, where her sister was at as well. Silence followed for the next several minutes, broken only by the crackle and pop of the fire as it devoured the wood.

"What was she like?" he asked. "I mean, you knew her more than anyone else I know..." he sighed. "Except for Glinda."

"Where do you start?" Nessa exclaimed. "There was always big sister Elphaba around, always green, always so...strange."

"Her magic?"

"Yes," she nodded. "Father called it a curse, an abnormality. Sometimes he would lock her away in the attic." She bit her lower lip. "But then he'd let out again, to take care of me." She moved her hand up and caressed Elphaba's face. In the dim light of the fire, it looked orange rather than green. "She never complained, never mistreated me. I can never repay her enough."

"Wow."

"And now," she turned to Fiyero. "Now she's the one who needs help." Nessarose shook her head. "But I don't know how to help! She was always the one to take care of me. I never could take care of anything."

She laughed uneasily.

"I remember, this one time," she said. "Father bought me this beautiful butterfly-rose from Quadling as a birthday present. He said it was the most beautiful flower in all of Oz, and deserved to belong to the prettiest girl in all of Munchkinland." She blushed.

"But it died. I couldn't take care of it!"

"Hey, don't cry."

Nessa cried out. If she had not been that close, she would not have noticed that it was Elphaba speaking.

Her eyes creaked open, she looked fine enough.

"Fae!" Fiyero breathed with great relief.

"Yero!" she held up her hand, rubbing the scruff of his beard.

"He saved you from hurting yourself when you fainted!" Nessa said.

"You'll always be my hero!" she said to her lover. He smiled, kissing her hand.

And promptly collapsed onto the ground.

"Not you too!" Elphaba exclaimed.

"He's just tired," Nessa said, holding Elphaba's face in her hands. "You gave us quite a scare when you fainted."

She nodded.

"What happened?"

"I shouldn't have shouted at you," Elphaba shook her head. "I don't know, maybe it's because I'm pregnant. My emotions seem to be affecting my powers."

"What do you mean?"

"I had another vision," she said. "The light is slowly dying, we have to keep moving."

"Elphaba," Nessarose halted. "What exactly are we doing here in the first place?"

Elphaba sighed.

"Do you remember my powers, back when I was younger?"

Nessarose nodded. "You used to scare us so much."

"I can see things in the future," she said. It was how I found out you were in trouble, she thought. But the subject of Nessarose's death was not something they had brought up, not yet at least.

"And you just now had a vision?"

"Yes." Elphaba nodded, a smile on her face.

"She's not dead."

Over the next several days, they continued their travels through the open country-side. In the distance they could see signs of civilization: far-out villages and farm-houses dotting the landscape. But Elphaba did not choose to stop for the night at any of them.

After all, who would take in a green thing like herself?

About mid-day through today's march, Elphaba halted.

"What's wrong?" Fiyero asked.

"Oh, it's nothing," she shook her head. But he saw that she was wincing while she spoke.

"Is it time already?" he asked, fearing the worst.

"No, I'm fine," she returned. "Whatever it was, it's gone now."

"Are you sure?"

"Just relax! I'm not made of glass, you know!"

They walked on, in relative silence, allowing the wind to caress them as they went. Nessarose had her hair free, and it was being picked up in the wind and flew about like a sea of rubies and onyx.

"You know," Nessa said. "I told you my story, but you haven't told me yours. What's going on here? I mean, I remember everything between meeting you and now, but I'm talking about what happened between those two points."

Elphaba and Fiyero began going over what happened between when Elphaba left Colwen Grounds and when they found her in the fields of Rohan. Nessarose listened intently, and placed her hand over her mouth when she heard what happened in the Throne Room of the Wizard. She had always liked Glinda, up until Boq chose her over her.

"I tried to get to you, once I had the vision..."

"You mean you've had these before?" Nessa asked. "These weren't the first time for you?"

"No," Elphaba shook her head. "But it didn't matter. I was too late."

Nessa bit her lip.

"It all went downhill after that," Elphaba said. "Glinda led me into a trap, and Fiyero gave his life to save me from it. I tried to use my magic, I succeeded...but I didn't know it at the time. I..." She shook her head. "I don't know what came over me at that time. It's all so fuzzy, I...I don't think I was thinking clearly."

"Well, I was," Fiyero said. "For the first time in my life, I was thinking clearly, and planning at that! Can you imagine?" Nessa giggled. It was the first time she had genuinely laughed in a long time. "I asked around, especially with her..."

"Dorothy." Elphaba hissed.

"Her story of other worlds intrigued me," he added, turning to Elphaba. "After all, if she were able to go from her world and come to ours, could we not leave our world and go to another? So I formulated a plan, where Elphaba and I would escape, find a way to stow out of Oz and come to some other world."

"And that's what brought you to me?" Nessa asked.

"Yes." Fiyero said.

"And what about..."

"There it is!" Elphaba pointed. Fiyero knew this walled town, for they had once spent time here and had, by a stroke of luck, miraculously escaped.

"Worms."

"Worms?" Nessa asked.

"The name of that town over there." he pointed out to it. Just then he turned to Elphaba.

"What are we going to do?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the last time we were here, you weren't...well, green. They saw you like that, and if they see you like this now..."

"What's going on?" Nessa asked.

"We need to cover you up!"

"Great idea!" Elphaba commented with profound annoyance.

"I'm serious!" Fiyero insisted. "You remember what happened last time we were here! Oz knows what they'll do now that you're green."

"But we don't have any extra cloth."

"Don't worry." Fiyero said. "We'll figure something out..." Then, aside...

"I hope."

The doors opened, and the captain of the guard appeared.

"My lord!" he announced to the one on the throne. "We found three strangers on the outskirts of the farms. They said that they have been guests of Your Lordship and wish to be presented before you."

"His Majesty is busy at the moment, and will not be disturbed." the woman at the king's right-hand said, with very thinly veiled disgust and contempt at the soldier.

He wore a small metal cross on a chain about his neck.

"My lady," the captain said to her. "They have mentioned you by name, these strangers. And His Lordship as well."

"And did you happen to get their names?" the queen asked.

"Yes," the captain said. "There was a man named Fiyero, he claimed to be Prince of the Vinkus. There were two women, the one clad in crimson and sable, the other shrouded and veiled. I could not see the face of the veiled one, but the 'prince' said that she was his woman: Elphaba-something."

A pause.

"And what exactly are you waiting for?" Queen Grimhild asked. "Bring them in at once!"

"Yes, my lady!"

The captain walked off, and the King turned to his queen.

"Maybe you should let me take care of my own affairs of state, woman! I am the king, after all."

"If it is the will of the gods."

"The gods did not make me king!" he said to her. "The church made me king, and you would be wise to remember that!"

"And will the church protect you from the Huns?"

Silence.

"Hold your serpent's tongue, Grimhild!" the King roared. "If you are even capable of doing that!"

She merely nodded and then turned to the doors of the throne room. They parted, revealing the captain with his quarry.

"Here they are, my lord." the captain said to the King.

"Hmmm." he sighed.

"Uh, Your Majesty?" Fiyero said, speaking to the King. "I don't know if you..."

"I remember you," he said. "It has only been a year since you took advantage of our hospitality and escaped without as much as giving thanks!"

"But we have returned!"

"And on the heels of war, it seems!"

"No, my lady! You're still too weak!"

Just then, a door to the left of the throne-room, behind where the King and Queen sat, opened. Three young women appeared, with two others in their midst. Both of them had bright blond hair, but the shorter of the two of them had hair almost like gold. Her skin was also a tad more tanned than her companion, but it also looked cleaner.

At his side, Fiyero felt Elphaba give a cry.

She threw herself out of Fiyero's grasp and ran toward the two women. The ladies-in-waiting - was that what they were? - rose to stop them.

"No, it's fine!" the shorter blond said. "Stand aside."

They did as instructed.

"Elphie?"

Beneath her shroud, she was smiling, crying, shaking as if stricken by severe cold. A little, soft hand reached down and placed itself upon her shoulder. Those eyes were the same, shining with light, blue and lovely to behold. Her hair was no longer curled, but braided in four long tails that hung down on the front and on the back: but it was the same hair.

She smiled. Elphaba was melting on the inside.

"Glinda!" she breathed.

(AN: Yes, she's back!)

(Leave questions and comments below!)