A/N: Oh my Oz, guys, I had no idea it had been this long since I last updated. Don't worry--it won't be long, maybe two or three chapters, until you don't have to deal with my lateness regarding this story anymore. XP

Chapter Ten:

Against a Wall

"…and that's the scarifying part! She doesn't cry or talk or scream or anything! She just sits there, staring out her window. I don't know if she even eats or sleeps anymore. I… I'm a little worried about her."

Galinda, after having watched her friend mope for a full week, ahd finally decided to sit down in the kitchen and talk to Perla.

"What should I do?"

Perla sighed heavily, and continued to stir her chicken broth. "Blossom, Miss Elphaba's going through a difficult time. She can't have been too happy wherever she was before she came here, and I think she found a good friend in Master Fiyero. Now that he's gone, she probably feels where he's missing."

Galinda swallowed, suddenly feeling very sad for poor Elphie. "What about me? I could be her friend, couldn't I?"

Perla clucked in a grandmotherly fashion. "Of course you could, blossom. But I think she found a bit more than a friend in him."

"Oh." Galinda understood perfectly.

"Now," Perla continued, "what Miss Elphaba needs is someone to talk to—when she's ready—and something to get her out of that bedroom. Just a menial little task or responsibility, that's all… I know. Do you think she would object to sweeping the hallway her bedroom is on?"

"I don't think she'd object to anything right now," Galinda said grimly. "I'll try your idea tomorrow."

Perla glanced up warily. "Do you think Lady Upland would be bothered by it?"

"Mother doesn't care about anything Elphie does." Galinda stood up from her stool, and was about to leave, before something Elphaba had said came back to her.

"You're lucky to have someone who loves you… some people don't."

Galinda turned around slowly. "Perla?"

"Yes, blossom?"

Galinda threw her arms around the old woman's neck. "Thank you."

Perla sounded pleasantly surprised as she said, "You're welcome."

"Elphie!" Galinda trilled as she entered the Magenta Bedroom without knocking. Elphaba jumped, startled out of her reverie by the sudden high note.

The blonde bounced over to the window seat and ceremoniously handed the broom she was carrying to Elphaba. The green girl stared at it with her eyebrows knit for a second before looking up, wordlessly, at Galinda for an explanation.

"You're going to get out of this room for a little while," Galinda announced. "Just sweep out the corridor"—she gestured outside of Elphaba's bedroom—"and then you can come back."

Elphaba shrugged indifferently.

"Good." Galinda smiled encouragingly. "Oh, and Elphie? Before I leave… what do you think of my dress?" She had purposely worn a frock that even she had to admit looked like a Lurlinemas tree had thrown up on it. Elphaba hadn't insulted her in days, and she kind of missed it.

Elphie stared at the dress for a moment, and then grunted.

Galinda sighed heavily. "Just let me know when you're done."

Elphaba sluggishly pushed the broom down the stone floor of the hallway. Other people in her social position might have been outraged at being asked to sink so low, but she didn't care. At that moment, she didn't care about much of anything. As far as she was concerned, there was nothing to care about, other than the fact that she had found someone to pour her heart out to, and then he had disappeared before her eyes.

She needed desperately to feel something, to lie in his arms and hear him say everything was all right. If she hadn't been numb, it would've scared her how much she needed him.

She sighed and kept sweeping. She wanted to see him. She had to see him.

But there was nothing she could do about it. He was miles away, and all she could do was sweep and let the unbearable wanting build up inside her. After a while, she couldn't stand it any longer. She could feel longing bubbling out from her heart, rushing from her chest to her hands and into the broom.

Suddenly she felt her feet lifting off the ground. She was moving through the air, being dragged down the hallway by… by what? It couldn't be the broom, could it?

Whatever the reason, she was going too fast—the air was whistling in her ears—the wall was coming at her rapidly—she thought, Stop! but nothing happened—closing her eyes, she braced herself for the blow—

WHAM!

The last thing Elphaba heard as she slid down the wall to the floor was Galinda, clicking down the hall in her high heels. "Elphie, you can stop…"

A gasp and frantic clicking… then dark silence.

Elphaba woke up lying between the sheets in the Magenta Bedroom. For a moment, she almost believed the whole awful incident with Fiyero had been a nightmare… almost.

Galinda was perched on the chair next to the vanity table, watching her. When she noticed that Elphaba was awake, she rushed to the side of the bed. "Elphie, are you all right?"

Elphaba chuckled flatly. "If I can't stay conscious for longer than a couple of weeks here, I'll have to leave."

Galinda enveloped the green girl in a crushing, perfumed hug. "I'm just glad you're not hurt! The broom snapped in half, but that doesn't matter… Oh, Elphie! It looked like you had just thrown yourself against the wall!"

"It was the broom," Elphaba muttered.

"I'm sorry?"

Elphaba wriggled out of Galinda's hug. "The broom… I wanted to see Fiyero so badly… the broom just picked me up and flew me against the wall."

Galinda's eyes widened. "You must have hit your head harder than we thought."

Elphaba huffed. "It really happened! I'll prove—" She stopped abruptly and stared openmouthed at something outside her window.

"What is it?" Galinda turned around and gasped.

And Elphaba knew that she saw the massive Eagle perched on the windowsill too.