Chapter Eleven:

Elphaba was going to kill her that Glinda knew for sure. She was going to metaphorically or literally depending on her mood kill the blonde for letting Liir into the cave and letting him know of their existence.

That was all Glinda could think of while she let Liir eat and rest within the damp hiding place. There could be the very likely possibility that Elphaba would dispose of Liir instead of her. Glinda hoped to intervene with the fact that Liir could possibly be Elphaba's son before then though. All she wanted to do was protect Liir but to also protect Elphie. She deserved protection and happiness after the life she had been living for some time.

"So you live here?" Liir's voice was filled with concern and hesitation. Glinda would have asked the question the same way if the roles had been reversed. It did seem quite insane to anyone who had not been a part of it for so long.

"Yes," said Glinda with a small laugh, "I know, it's kind of ridiculous but Elphie doesn't want us to get cau-". She stopped herself mid word. Giving away the fact that they were wanted criminals raised a red flag in her mind, one that she thankfully realized before it was too late.

"Who is this Elphie person you keep talking about? Is she a friend of yours?" asked Liir.

Boy, did he have a lot of questions. Glinda felt herself sweating from just hearing them. She broke eye contact with him to stare off into the glittering waters of the waterfall.

"She is," answered Glinda vaguely, "You'll meet her tonight."

"Can't wait," said Liir and Glinda could not figure out for the life of her if he was saying that sarcastically or not. She could only assume that he meant it genuinely.

"Why do you live here?" asked Liir as his gaze wandered around the cave.

Glinda picked at the dirt under her nails absentmindedly, "Oh, just for reasons."

When she saw his disappointed face in knowing more details she sighed heavily.

"It's," she chewed on the words, "complicated to say the least."

She didn't want to reveal too much, he was just a boy after all. A stranger. For all she knew Glinda's instincts could be wrong and he could end up murdering her tonight and making off with their supplies by the time Elphaba came back. Sometimes she really had the worst sense of judgment.

The blonde didn't get a chance to expand on the whole, 'it's complicated' thing because as soon as the words left her mouth, the waterfall parted revealing Elphaba.

At first Elphaba only saw Glinda and at the sight of the blonde Elphaba smiled. But as soon as she caught sight of Liir, her expression changed dramatically. It was as if a dark cloud had stopped right over her face, her features darkening, her smile faded and was replaced by a grim line. She immediately stunned him with some sort of spell that Glinda couldn't identify before the blonde even had a chance to explain herself.

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?" shrieked Elphaba as she strode over to where Glinda was, looking beyond furious, "YOU COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED! HE COULD HAVE HURT YOU!"

The blonde tried to justify her reasons for letting Liir into the cave, "Elphie he's all alone and he was hungry, I couldn't just leave him to starve. And besides he helped me find my way back to the waterfall and I felt like I had to repay the favor."

Elphaba rolled her eyes, "You're a sentimental old fool, you know that?" she spat out bitterly. She couldn't believe that Glinda just let this, this stranger into their hiding spot without her permission. What on earth was she thinking? Was she trying to get them killed?

"Are we really going to play the age card, dearie?" teased Glinda, gaining her wits about her again.

Elphaba couldn't believe Glinda was trying to charm her way out of this.

"You're ignoring my point," muttered Elphaba as she glanced back at Liir, who remained frozen, sitting on the ground.

"I know," said the blonde slyly.

She sighed when she saw the dark and angry look on Elphaba's face.

"Elphaba, he's a nobody, with no one to tell his tales to even if he did leave. Just let him stay. He can help us," Glinda tried to speak up for the boy. She refrained from using the 'I think he's your son' card. Its use would come with time.

"It's too late, he's seen me, the real me. He'll go to the police," pointed out Elphaba.

"He doesn't know who we are, he didn't even question me when I told him my name was Glinda," replied the blonde trying to get Elphaba to see her way.

"I still don't understand why I have to put up with another person being here just because you feel like being a good Samaritan to this child!" huffed Elphaba. She had had a long day and this was not the type of greeting she had wanted, nor expected to get when she had returned here.

"You're really going to turn away a child, Elphie…"

Oh Oz, Elphaba knew that tone of voice. It was the voice of Glinda's that tore her soul and heart apart, ripped them up seam by seam. It was the voice that brought her guilt to full surface. It was full of all that pain and suffering the blonde had went through, everything from the horrid marriage to Chuffrey, the miscarriages, the goodbyes. It was all summed up in that voice.

Sighing, Elphaba's face softened.

"I could just kill him," she suggested nonchalantly.

Glinda was not amused. The green woman sighed again. She was getting too old for this type of thing. She was not a babysitter. She already had enough to deal with having Glinda here and now she was supposed to add another?

"I'm serious, Elphie," scolded the blonde.

"So I am," retorted Elphaba with a wave of her broom in the direction of Liir, "I could just dump his body down the river and no one would ever know."

Glinda frowned even more. She crossed her arms over her chest defiantly and pouted.

"You wouldn't do that, you know how much that would upset me."

Elphaba scowled, "We don't need anyone else here! Give me one good reason why he should stay and then fine I'll let him stay!" She threw up her hands in annoyance and set down her bag. She was not expecting a retort, seeing as she was just about to find the spells in the Grimmerie that would maybe disarm his and alter his memories for good so that she wouldn't have to kill him.

"I have one," said the blonde shakily. She wasn't sure how well this news was going to go over with Elphaba but it was worth a shot. She had to do something.

"Elphie… I think he's your son."

sorry about not updating! Had bad case of Writer's Block!

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