Disclaimer: I own not Wicked. Hope you all enjoyed the calm before the storm.

"No! No! No!" Elphaba jumped up and down, screaming. Rose sighed. The two were shopping for a new dress for Elphaba, and if there was anything her daughter certainly wasn't, it was a fashionista.

"Hm." Rose picked up a lavender dress, placing it on Elphaba. "That's a good color. Let's go try this on."

"Won't!" Elphaba struggled against her mothers grip. "Won't! No!"

"Elphaba, please." Rose said. "You need to calm down."

"No!" Elphaba screamed. "No! Won't! No! No! No! No!"

"Kids these days." A voice from the next aisle said. Rose did a slight face hoof. She knew the type. Probably had no kids of their own, yet felt that screaming children were solely their parents fault.

Why me? Rose thought.

"Pardon me, ma'am?" A voice behind her said. She turned for a second. It was a salesperson, talking to someone else. She turned her head back.

Elphaba had disappeared.

"Not again." Rose muttered. Standing up, she stared walking towards a section of the store she knew Elphaba liked; the exit. "Elphaba? Elphaba?" she called. Why did the toddler dressses have to be towards the back of the store? "Elphaba?"

"Mama!"

Rose tensed. That wasn't the voice Elphaba used for a temper tantrum. That was the voice she used when she was scared. Rose rushed to the front of the store.

"Mama! Mama! Mama!"

"Be quiet, you little brat!" A sharp slap! could be heard throughout the store.

"Mama!" Rose prayed to every deity she'd ever heard of that her daughter hadn't been slapped. Knocking over a curious employee, she quickly saw what was happening. Some random man she'd never seen before was trying (and, for that matter, failing) to drag Elphaba out of the store.

"JUST WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" She ran in front of him before he could get any further.

"Mama!" Elphaba reached out towards her, trying to break the man's grip. The man looked at Rose, surprised and slightly flustered.

"I'm taking my daughter out of the store, what else?" he said

"YOUR DAUGHTER?!" Rose yelled at the top of her lungs. "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE! THAT'S MY DAUGHTER. YOU'RE TRYING TO KIDNAP MY DAUGHTER!" This got a few looks from the other costumers. The man laughed.

"Are you serious?" he said. "She looks nothing like you!"

"SHE'S ADOPTED, YOU TWIT!" She quickly grabbed the adoption certificate out of her purse, an old habit that thank Oz she had. "I HAVE THE CERTIFICATE RIGHT HERE!"

The man frowned. By now, most of the store was watching.

"Well, uh . . ." The man grew pale, loosening his grip just enough for Elphaba to slip out. She quickly ran to her mother, hugging her legs tightly.

"Mama! Mama! Mama!" she cried.

"Shh, shh." Rose picked her up. "It's ok, Elphaba. We're leaving."

"Madame!" Rose turned. A person who seemed to be the manager was running towards her, purple dress in hand. "Please. Free of charge."

Rose nodded, taking it. "Thank you."

"Now, as for you, sir," he said, turning towards Elphaba's would-be kidnapper. "I'm afraid you'll have to come with me."

"What! B-bu-bu-but . . ."

Rose started to walk away. The man's eyes narrowed.

"YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS, BEAST!" The man yelled. "YOU HAVE MY WRATH NOW!"

Rose rolled her eyes.

"YOU JUST WAIT! I'LL GET THAT MONSTER! I'LL GET THAT THING DROWNED! AND WHEN I DO, YOU'LL BE SORRY YOU EVER QUESTIONED THE GOVERNOR!"

Rose froze. "The governor?" she choked out. "You're the governor?"

Sure enough, that man was the governor. Rose found out by reading the paper the next morning. GOVERNOR ATTEMPTS TO KIDNAP GREEN CHILD was the front page.

"Well, that's one way to make a headline." Lirr commented, looking as close to pale as a Goat can get. "Are you sure he said 'drowned'?"

"I don't know." Rose whispered. "I don't know. I'm scared."

Lirr shook his head. "He's probably out on bail by now. Can't imagine money is a problem for him."

"We need to leave." Rose said.

"I know." Lirr looked at his wife. "But where?"

The two stayed silent.

"The Vinkus?" Rose said. "That's as far as we can go, isn't it?"

"Without crossing the Deadly Desert, yes." Lirr comfirmed. "It won't be easy, though."

Elphaba walked in, doll in hand, giggling about something before walking into the living room.

"We leave tonight."