Don't Wish

Chapter 9: It's Not For Good

Glinda emerged from Elphaba's bathroom about an hour later, looking decently presentable. It was the best she could do with no make-up, which was merely Elphaba's fault.

"Elphie?" Glinda questioned, poking her head out of the doorway.

But Elphaba was not in the living room that Glinda stepped into. Only Fiyero sat on the dusty couch, a newspaper clutched in his hands. Glinda's eyes widened in horror as she realized what could be contained in the black and white of that newsprint.

"Let me see that!" Glinda demanded, ripping the paper from his grip.

"Hey!" Fiyero protested, but it was too late, Glinda was already skimming over words and flipping pages wildly.

There were a few nonsense charity stories, one about the growing economy in Oz and something about lifted Animal bans, but nothing about Glinda the Good and her forbidden friendship with Elphaba the Wicked.

"Thank goodness." Glinda muttered, tossing the paper back at Fiyero.

"What was with all the drama?" Fiyero asked, talking to Glinda like they were back at Shiz. Like they were the best of buddies and there had been no complications.

Glinda glared at him. "If your reputation was on the line, you'd be dramatic too." She snapped.

"What's wrong with you?" He asked, taken aback by the hostility in her voice.

"What's wrong with me! You're going to sit here like an idiot and ask what is wrong with me!" Glinda yelled, her blue eyes ablaze, "You lied to me for so long, only to run off with my best friend! And then you two go off into hiding and don't even bother telling me that you were alive! And you have the nerve to ask what's wrong with me!"

"Glinda, it wasn't like that, I promise! We were only trying to protect you!"

"Protect me! Try breaking my heart! You two made it so I thought that the two people I cared most about were gone!"

"Is something going on?"

Glinda and Fiyero broke their gaze at each other and turned to the green woman who had just entered the room.

"No." Glinda said icily, glancing over at Fiyero, "I was just getting ready to leave."

"Are you ready?" Elphaba asked, examining Glinda carefully to male sure she was all right.

"Yes, I'll all set."

"How's your ankle?"

"Better, after you wrapped it."

Glinda's ankle was wrapped up in a bandage to brace it and keep the swelling down, since Elphie could not remember a suitable spell to fix it.

"Good. I guess we should head off then."

"Wait, we?"

"Yeah. I decided I could accompany you part of the way."

"Really? But, Elphie, I was going to fly my bubble…"

"We can walk part of the way, come on." Elphaba wouldn't even let Glinda get another word out of her mouth. Instead, the Witch seized her arm and dragged her out of the house.

The midday heat of the Kells was almost unbearable to poor Glinda, who was so used to her climate-controlled environment back in the Emerald City. Elphaba had to laugh at her incessant panting, which was the only noise that passed between the women as they walked along.

Even in the heat, Glinda had to smile. He she was, beside her best friend once again. She hoped to Lurline it wouldn't be the last time, but she knew she needed to be prepared if it was. The thought of losing Elphaba all over again brought tears to her bright blue eyes.

"You ok there. Glinda?" Elphaba asked, noticing Glinda's heavy breathing had subsided. She had broken the silence, and Glinda's thoughts.

"I'm fine. I just…I really missed you, Elphie." Glinda said, after a short pause.

"I missed you too, Glinda. You don't know how weird it was to pull that stunt and not go running up to you screaming 'Glinda, look! I did it! I fooled Oz!'"

"Actually, I kind of do. How do you think it felt to banish the Wizard, put Morrible in jail and take over a country without having my best friend to go to anymore?"

"Isn't running Oz what you've always wanted? Fame? Popularity?"

"What's Oz without the Wicked Witch of the West?"

That made Elphie smile. She linked arms with Glinda and they continued, reminiscing about their days at Shiz.

"Remember the time I blew up your sandwich?"

"Oh yeah, that was funny."

"I was so bad at sorcery then!"

"You weren't that bad."

"Oh yes I was, you said so yourself!"

"Ok. So you were pretty bad."

"I probably wouldn't have passed if it wasn't for you!"

"I didn't help you that much. And what did you do after I left?"

"I actually started reading." There was an over-exaggerated gasp here from Elphaba, "Don't give me that. Morrible helped a bit too."

"Oh, her." There was horrified disgust in Elphie's voice.

"I know what you mean."

"Glinda! Look!"

Elphaba pointed out onto a distant hill. There sat three green-clad men.

"The Gale Force!" Glinda exclaimed, making a move to run away.

"Relax, they can't see us." Elphaba told her, Glinda relaxed a bit.

"I guess this is it, Elphie." Glinda said sadly.

"It is, but only for now. We'll see each other again, I promise."

"I'm going to miss you a lot, but it'll be better knowing you're still alive."

"I'm just glad you know. I didn't think I could keep it a secret forever, and it only took me a month."

Glinda smiled slightly. "You're my best friend, Elphie." She told the green woman, falling into her hug. She laid her head on Elphaba's chest, feeling just like an insecure child again.

"Well, you're my best friend, Glinda." Elphaba said, rocking back and forth in an attempt to comfort Glinda.

Glinda felt tears coming on once again. She had cried more in last day than she could ever remember crying before.

"Don't cry, Glinda. It's not for good, I promise." Elphaba told her, as she felt Glinda's tears hitting her skin. Elphie even started crying silently, her salty droplets fell into Glinda's golden hair.

"I know." Glinda sniffled, pulling herself out of Elphaba's embrace. "Bye, Elphaba."

Elphaba seemed somewhat shocked at the use of her full name, she hasn't heard it come from Glinda for years, Not that she had seen Glinda that often, but even so, she wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not.

"Bye, Glinda." She said, kissing Glinda's forehead softly. She felt like a big sister, who was sending her little sister off to the rest of her life.

Glinda felt like the little sister to Elphaba's big sister. As much as Glinda tried to seem superior to Elphaba, she just couldn't. Somehow she would always seem so much more young and naïve,

"Be safe, alright?" Elphie told her.

"Alright." Glinda nodded, "I will. Don't you go killing yourself either, hear me?"

"Yes, mother." Elphaba said, rolling her eyes.

The pair stood in silence as Glinda conjured herself a bubble. She hovered up a few feet and then looked down at Elphie.

"Because I knew you." She said, cracking a smile.

"I have been changed for good." Elphaba replied almost automatically.

Glinda smiled and saluted, feeling new tears sting her eyes. She lifted up into the air and floated away.

Elphaba smiled back at her as she receded from view. She waved and stood, even though the reflection of the sun off the bubble caused her to squint.

Glinda turned away and floated towards the Gale Force men. It seemed like forever until one of them, probably Collet, spotted her.

"Look! It's Lady Glinda!" He exclaimed happily, jumping and waving like a kid in front of a celebrity.

Glinda touched down minutes later, much to the celebration of the men.

"We've been looking for you everywhere, Lady Glinda!" Toggin told her.

"Where have you been?"

"Searching, of course." Glinda replied convincingly, shocking herself with her good acting skills, "And there is no sign of the Wicked Witch anywhere. As I said before, it was most likely some childish prank."

The men seemed to trust the word of their Good Witch above anything, so they did not question further. But they did urge her, if that was the circumstance, it was time to leave.

"Alright." She said, drawing up bubbles for them and lifting them into the air.

She turned around, back in the direction she had come from earlier. Even though she could not see Elphaba, she was sure she was there.

"I do believe I have been changed for the better." She whispered under her breath, before lifting herself up into the air.

Elphaba remained rooted in that same spot as she watched the three men's bubbles float up. Almost like an echo in her mind, Glinda's voice rang.

"I do believe I have been changed for the better."

"And," Elphie replied, "Because I knew you. I have been changed for good."

She smiled as the last bubble, obviously Glinda's as it was the most on-course, became a speck in the sky. She sighed, and trudged her way back home.

It was just beginning to get dark as Glinda and company came down at the back of the palace.

"Why the back, my lady?" Collet asked as his bubble popped unceremoniously.

"I'm very tired and I would like to get some sleep before the reporters smother me. Thank you, gentlemen, for you escort." Glinda told them, with a curt nod.

She disappeared through the back entrance, leaving the Gale Force stunned and confused. She made her way up a musty staircase that led to a hallway. Finally, she reached the ornate white doors that led to her bedchambers and with a sigh of relief she pushed them open. She took a well-deserved shower and climbed into bed, watching the last of the sun disappear beyond the horizon. She smiled, knowing that back in the Great Kells, Elphie would be watching the same sunset. She closed her eyes, flopping down upon her pillow and falling asleep.

She found herself in a dark room, much like before. Only this time, she wasn't alone. Elphaba stood at the far end of the room, her figure barely visible and she moved ghost-like towards Glinda.

"Elphie!" Glinda cried out, but her voice felt like it was being manipulated. For instead of saying "Elphie!" What came out was "Get away from me!"

What am I saying? No, Elphie don't listen to me!

"Glinda, I'm only here to help you! I have to get you out of here!" Elphaba replied, coming closer.

"I don't need your help, nothing's wrong! Go away!" Glinda yelled, feeling herself yanked up. She realized there were ropes tied around her ankles, wrists and midriff. She was a dangling puppet.

Elphie! Don't! Help me, please! This isn't really me talking!

"Glinda, listen to me!" Elphaba pleaded, putting her hands on Glinda's shoulders, "I'm here to save you!"

"I don't need to be saved!" Glinda shrieked, slapping Elphaba across the face.

No! No! Elphie! What have I done?

"Glinda..," Elphie pleaded again, from the spot from which she lay on the floor.

"Shut up." Glinda said coldly, kicking Elphaba straight in the gut.

Elphie!

The room suddenly became filled with echoing cackles. The sound was so deeply horrifying; it even rang in Glinda's ears. It sounded like it came from the Unnamed God above.

ELPHABA!

Glinda's eyes flew open, and she jolted upright. She was breathing heavily, the sound magnified by the silence.

"Another dream..." She told herself, holding her head in one hand, "That's all it was, a dream."

She glanced at the clock: it was just past midnight. There was no chance of any more sleep tonight. She got out of bed and walked to her window, when suddenly, and idea hit her. Opening the window silently, she slipped out onto the balcony. There was quite a temperature change between the overbearing heat of the Great Kells to the crisply cold night air of the Emerald City.

She shivered as she retrieved her wand from just inside the window and made herself a bubble. She floated down to the beautiful courtyard below, popping her bubble at the bottom and laying her wand up against the vine-covered wall.

She strolled through the gardens, shivering fiercely. She made a mental note to buy something other to sleep in besides tiny, short spaghetti-strapped nightgowns. She sighed, somewhat happily, the gardens at night were so much different than during the day. They seemed closer and more secure, she felt safe here.

She had made these little walks often after Elphie's "death"; they seemed to help her get her thoughts straight. But now, she didn't want to think or analyze, contemplate or ponder. She only wanted to walk and feel safe.

But unfortunately her safety was shattered as a voice rang out from behind her.

"A bit cold out tonight for a stroll, don't you think, my dear?"

A/N: Well, that was fun! And it took me long enough. If you review, I shall love you forever, as I already do with my present reviewers:D