I don't own Wicked.

The woman nodded and smiled faintly. "You look horrible, Glinda. What did they do to you?"

"I...I had to run," she stammered, still reeling from shock. "Rebels are causing trouble...two of them caught me outside of Kiamo Ko."

"Kiamo Ko?" Fiyero echoed with a frown. "What were you doing there?"

"I go every year...to remember you. Both of you." As Glinda spoke, Elphaba winced and Fiyero looked slightly ashamed of himself.

"Fiyero..." Elphaba looked at her husband, her eyes conveying a message, and without a word he rose and left. As Fiyero went through the door, he briefly took Glinda's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Glinda squeezed back, accepting his silent apology. It's all right. I understand why you left...

Once he was gone, Elphaba seemed to steel herself before moving to stand in front of Glinda. Shock gave way to anger and joy and old grief, and it all bubbled up inside the blonde, causing her to step back even though all she wanted to was to hug her friend close and never let go again.

"You lied. Why?" Glinda's voice was razor-sharp, making Elphaba flinch.

"I couldn't stay; I told you that. People were coming after me, and everyone I loved was getting hurt. First Doctor Dillamond, then Boq and Nessa...and then Fiyero." Elphaba's voice softened as she recalled the old losses. "I knew if I stayed, something would happen to you. I couldn't live with that, so I disappeared." Abruptly she turned, walking over to the window and staring out with her back to Glinda, rigid as a post.

"But why did you let me believe you were dead? You could have told me; I wouldn't have given you away!"

"You wouldn't have let me go." As Elphaba spoke, it was Glinda's turn to flinch, knowing that her old friend was right. "And you might have tried to slip away to see us. Eventually someone would find out, and they would kill you. I couldn't ever let that happen."

And then Glinda understood that Elphaba had been through just as much as she had; that she too had experienced stabbing guilt and sleepless nights and if only, if only endlessly repeating through her dreams. Her fury evaporated, and she stepped forward and put her arms around Elphaba.

The dark-haired woman was startled at first, but she hesitantly returned the embrace. Her reluctance didn't last long, though, and soon Glinda was crushed against her. When Elphaba finally spoke, her voice was shaking. "I've missed you so much...I'm so sorry..."

"It's okay," the blonde woman murmured, hugging her friend tighter. "I'm just happy you're alive." Pulling back, she gave Elphaba a puzzled look. "You're not green anymore!"

"I found a spell in the Grimmerie that did the trick, but it took me nearly five years," responded Elphaba with a grin. Her merriment faded and was replaced with a rather odd look: part amusement, part thoughtful and part sad. "It's ironic that the Wizard couldn't give me what I wanted, but I wouldn't have been able to get it without him either."

"Elphie, I—I'm sorry for not coming with you. Even after I knew that the Wizard was a con, I...I was afraid." Glinda averted her gaze from Elphaba, shame welling inside her. "And you almost died because of me."

"Don't worry. That's all in the past. And to be honest, I'm glad you didn't. I had to go through all sorts of horrible things...you didn't deserve that." Elphaba smiled, but as she looked back at Glinda, her brow furrowed, seeming to notice the dirt and blood for the first time. "What happened?"

"Oh, just a little mishap in the woods. It's not a—" Glinda started to wave it off but stopped as Elphaba clutched her forearms so tightly that she squeaked in pain.

"Glinda." Elphaba's voice was so low that she was almost growling. "Who did this to you?"

Knowing that it was no use lying, Glinda explained about Alaric and Freidle and what was going on in Oz at the moment. "They're not dangerous, at least I didn't think so...oh, come on, Elphie," she said in exasperation as her counterpart looked stricken, "you didn't think that everyone would be happy with the Wizard gone, did you? I've undone all the Animal bans and such, and not everyone likes that."

"They could have killed you."

"So could walking down the stairs, but I do that anyways."

Elphaba's face had softened and was now unreadable as she released Glinda's arms. "Go wash off. You can wear some of my clothes until you go back to Oz."

Grateful that Elphaba was placated (at least for the moment) and eager to get all the muck off of herself, Glinda obeyed and went up the stairs. Before going into the hallway, she stopped and glanced back, her sapphire eyes shining. "Elphaba, it's really good to see you again."

"You too," the sorceress replied with a gentle smile. Her expression changed, however, as the blonde vanished out of sight. It was the old look she used to get whenever there was a battle to be fought; something Glinda would have called her "defying gravity" look.

If those no-good lowlifes thought they could hurt Glinda and get away with it, they were in for a surprise. It was time the Wicked Witch returned to Oz one last time.