Authors Notes: This is a short one, I'm afraid. However, the one I'm working on now is longer. Not the next chapter, that's already written, but the one after that. I'm putting them up slowly because chapter…what, five? Well, it's taking a long time. Anyway, here's a little chapter-lette. Ta.

Glinda was overcome with emotion; it was attacking her from all sides. She felt crushed and pulled apart at once. So, she did what she always did when overwhelmed. She shut down all the inner voices and dealt first with her surroundings.

Her sights locked on her company of one.

"You need to leave now."

The poor girl looked for everything as if she had been slapped.

"Wh…what? Now?" She stuttered.

"Yes. I'm sorry. This is quite important. We'll speak later. It's late. Good night, dear." Smile.

"B...but," She stood to step toward Glinda, who took the opportunity to take the girl's elbow and guide her toward the door. Her continued and increasingly insistent protestations were gently soothed but firmly ignored. Glinda finally reached the door, turning the knob and urging the child through it.

"As I've said, we'll continue this tomorrow and…"

"But…but…I…no…wait…I…WAIT!"

Glinda was shocked out of her ritual by the near scream that had come from the creature by her side. She had wrenched herself from Glinda's grasp, throwing herself to the floor, and was…sobbing.

"I can't get it out of my head," she choked out between ragged breaths and tears. "I can't get her out of my head. The screaming and…and…melting! It won't stop! Don't you understand? I killed her! I killed her!"

Dorothy raised her eyes pleadingly and Glinda found herself unable to turn her away. Such passion, and a very astute need for morality in one so young. You would like her, Elphie. Glinda fell to her knees beside the wretched girl, her skirts spreading like a new made island.

"Now, now, stop this," she whispered soothingly. "Come dear, there's no need…look at me child. Come on, dear look at me. Dorothy. Look at me and listen."

Finally, she lifted her head from her hands to look searchingly into Glinda's face. Glinda sighed and took the girls hands, making small circles with her thumb on the backs.

"Listen to me now, child. You did nothing wrong. You didn't kill her."

Dorothy blinked. "What?"

"You. Didn't. Kill her."

For many heartbeats all the girl did was breath.

"I don't understand," she said at last.

Here Glinda paused. How far dare she go with this? Would this child's peace of mind be worth the betrayal?

What would Elphie do?

"She's not dead," Glinda heard herself whisper, and waited intently for the girl's response.

"Oh."

Better than expected.

"That…that's what the note said?"

"Yes," Glinda affirmed. More or less. "I need to…to take care of this. Dorothy, you must say nothing to no-one, do you understand?"

She paused, and then nodded. "Yes. I…I'll go now."

Glinda smiled, a real smile for once this evening. "Thank you."

Dorothy rose and exited with a brief self-depreciating smile. Glinda shut the door quickly behind her, spun around pressing her back against the door. She looked down the note that had not yet left her hand, carefully unfolding it to read it's contents one more time. The script was thin, spidery, carefully written and, to Glinda, unmistakable. And what it said…equally unmistakable.

The rose still has her thorns.

Oh, Elphie. Glinda had no idea what her friend's intent with this was, why she had been told, what she was meant to do. But she knew what she was going to.

It took six minutes to write an appropriate letter explaining her need for several days of seclusion to sort through her new responsibilities and to place it where it would be easily found. Half an hour to find some non-conspicuous clothing in the back of her closet. Forty-three minutes to get out of her current getup and change. Two minutes to decide how much money to bring. Nine minutes to make it out of the palace unseen.

And so, exactly ninety minutes later, Glinda found herself purchasing a ticket for a very late, or very early, train heading west.