I don't own Wicked.


Nessarose sat across the table from Elphaba and Galinda as they ate breakfast the next morning. Shell fed her and himself. He had become rather skilled using his left hand. She eyed the two suspiciously until Galinda spoke, breaking the silence between the four. "Last night, Elphie spoke!" she said, not being able to hold in her excitement. Nessa saw Elphaba blush and she smiled.

"Really?" she questioned.

"Mmhmm," the blonde nodded happily and kissed Elphaba's cheek. "She said my name! Well, close enough anyways. She calls me Glinda. So from this day forward, I will be known as Glinda Arduenna!" she announced. Nessarose laughed, not really seeing the significance in changing her name so suddenly. If Elphaba did speak, she'd be able to say Galinda at some point. But she wouldn't voice her opinion on the matter. She found it rather sweet that Galinda-er-Glinda loved her sister so much. She was thrilled that the green Thropp sibling was accepted and found love. Out of anyone Nessa could think of, she deserved it.

"Say something already!" Shell exclaimed. Blushing, Elphaba obliged.

"Shell," she managed to get out. "And Nessie. Thank you for saving me." Nessarose felt tears falling down her cheeks because she was so happy. She and Shell were surprised when Elphaba had gotten up and hugged them both. Shell was surprised because it was so sudden and she had never let him touch her before.

"Oh, Elphaba," Nessa cried. "You're welcome, but it was mostly Shell's doings." Shell blushed and tried to argue, but she was too stubborn to let him.

"Elphie, why don't you and Shell do something together today? You two haven't spent much time together and I am deprived of my Nessa time," Glinda suggested. Nessarose had missed the blonde dearly, and she did wish to spend quality time with the girl who helped her sister in so many ways as well as the one who treated Nessa just like a sister.

"Would you like that, Shell?" Elphaba questioned him. A smile spread across his face as he nodded eagerly. He had been waiting for his oldest sister to warm up to him.

"Can we go into town and get ice cream or something? I know my way around," Shell suggested. Although he took full responsibility to save his sister while taking care of the other one, he was still only twelve years old-a child.

"If that's what you want," Elphaba said to him.

"And then can we go to the park? I know I'm too old for playgrounds, but you haven't been to one. I want to show you the seesaw."

"Sounds fun," Elphaba smiled as he grabbed her hand and led her out of the room. Nessarose could hear him as he kept going on about things that they were going to do.

"Maybe an aquarium?" was the last thing Nessa heard after the door shut.

"Good thing I gave Elphie more than enough money for today," Glinda giggled. "Is there anything in particular you'd like to do today?"

"Maybe we can go for a walk? You're the only one who has the patience to let me do it myself," Nessa joked. It wasn't entirely true, though, because Avaric would walk slowly beside her with his arm around her waist to steady her.

"Okay," Glinda smiled. The two had gotten up from the breakfast table and went outside. They walked silently to the gardens, just enjoying each other's company.

"I want to thank you for helping Elphaba, and loving her so much," Nessa said suddenly. This made the blonde stop in her tracks.

"Wh-what are you talking about?" Glinda stuttered. Nessa rolled her eyes; she seemed to think she wasn't obvious for her love for her sister.

"Glinda," Nessarose said, using her new name. She stopped walking and faced her. "I know you love her. I could tell. Anyone who pays attention could, anyway. Plus, Elphaba came to me yesterday asking for relationship advice. Well, that wasn't what she called it, but it was close enough. Why she asked me when I have no experience myself, nor will I ever, I have no idea. But I guess my advice seemed to work, right?"

"You don't think there's anything wrong with me?" Glinda whispered. She couldn't even look the brunette in her eyes. She stared down at her shoes, slowly moving one around in the dirt path making a small circle.

"No. Why would…oh, I bet your mother has told you there was something wrong with you before. Am I right?"

"How did you…" Glinda trailed, ashamed to even speak. Her voice was quiet and she sounded nervous and upset with herself. Nessa gave her a small smile and shrugged.

"As nice as your mother has been to my family, she just seems like that kind of person." Nessarose thought of herself as a good observer. There wasn't much she could do as a child, so she learned how to read people. Apparently, she read her father wrong, but he had fooled everyone around them.

"She is," Glinda nodded. "I never told anyone this except Elphie, but when I was a little girl, I used to play this game where I was a princess in distress. I would never have a prince save me. It was always a princess. My mother would yell at me and tell me I was a disgrace. I would just stop playing pretend altogether."

"I'm sorry," Nessa said. "And to be honest, if you met me a year ago, I probably would have agreed with your mother. I was convinced about the teachings of the Unnamed God and whatnot. But now, I know the truth and I've been reading. There is nothing wrong with you, Glinda. Society has been brainwashed to think that there's something wrong. But there just isn't. In the past, it used to be perfectly acceptable for a man to love another man and a woman to love another woman. Heck, it was even acceptable for a man to have fifteen wives and sleep with another woman on the side. I don't want you to think there's anything wrong with you." Glinda's eyes teared up at the younger girl's words. Nessa thought the blonde was believing them and absorbing everything. Nessa couldn't even imagine what it would be like to grow up and be told who you are isn't right. And an even more severe case was Elphaba who had been told she was an abomination.

"Thank you," Glinda said as she hugged her. "Thank you for loving me the way I am."

"You don't need to thank me," Nessa laughed as Glinda released her. "Now dry those tears because I can't do it for you." Glinda nodded and smiled at her, brushing away the stray tears.

"What's this?" Glinda said and picked up a random package on the ground. Had that been there before? Regardless, it was addressed to the younger girl. They stared at it until Nessa requested for the blonde to open it.

"Sure. You have any idea who it's from? Maybe a secret admirer?" Perfect eyebrows went up and down teasingly. Nessa only rolled her eyes. Glinda managed to rip the box open sloppily because she didn't have anything proper to open it with. Instead, she just tore at it, opening it in any way she could. Inside were the most beautiful shoes Nessa had ever seen. Glinda held one up to the sunlight and it looked as if it was made of rubies-no-crystals-a silver color. She wondered who had given it to her, but she was transfixed with the beauty of them. Glinda took both of them out and dropped the cardboard on the ground. "They're…" Glinda trailed, unable to finish her sentence as she was mesmerized by the beauty.

"Gorgeous," Nessarose whispered and Glinda silently nodded, agreeing with her. For some reason, something on the ground caught Nessa's eye. It was a piece of paper faced down. Perhaps this had the person's name on it who had given them to her? "Glinda, can you see what that paper says?" Shaking her head, Glinda came back to reality.

"Of course," she said and put the shoes down for a moment. She picked up the paper and held it for both of them to see. Nessa's blood ran cold when she saw the words written on the paper.

I know where you are. You can't hide from daddy anymore.

"Holy shit," Nessa cursed, something she never did.

"Please tell me it isn't who I think it is," Glinda said in fear.

"No, no, no," Nessa said and crumpled to the ground. She cried and yelled out into the open. She felt Glinda's arms wrap around her comfortingly. It seemed like hours-it could have been- that they were just sitting on the ground next to those stupid shoes. "Get rid of them."

"How?" Glinda asked.

"Figure it out. Destroy them."

"Nessa, I'm going to teach you how to run," Glinda said suddenly.

"Why?" she questioned. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes, but she was able to hold them back.

"Because the box had no address on it, just your name. It means he must be here somewhere. If he is here, you should be able to get away."

"How do you plan on teaching me how to run?" Nessa asked as she felt Glinda help her up from the ground. She looked down at the blonde with a frown. She didn't like where this was going, and she was afraid of the answer.

"The first time you fall, I'm going to catch you. The second time, I'll help you up in a heartbeat. The third time you fall, I'll let you figure out how to get up and start running again. You've almost mastered keeping your balance, so we don't have to spend time on that," Glinda explained. "I'll run with you," she said as she kicked off her heels. Nessa took a deep breath and nodded. Glinda was tough with her, but it always gave Nessarose some new form of independence.

The two began to run. Nessa was able to maintain her balance until a certain point, and she fell forward. Glinda caught her before her face smacked into the ground. She stood Nessa back up and the two ran again. Of course, Nessa fell down and Glinda rushed over and helped her back up onto her feet. Nessa knew she couldn't fall this time because how would she get up? She had seen Glinda get up without using her arms before, but she still had them for balance whereas Nessa did not.

Nessarose ran again, for a longer distance this time, but eventually fell. She managed to get herself to a sitting position by rolling onto her back and using her abdominal muscles. "Get up, Nessa. You can't take this long to get up. If someone's coming after you, they would have gotten you by now," Glinda said and stood in front of her with her hands on her hips.

"I can't," Nessa finally said defeated. There was no possible way she could get up from the ground.

"You can," Glinda said confidently. "But you won't."

"You really don't pity me, do you?" Nessa questioned, remembering how Glinda once told her when they first met how she didn't pity her.

"What is there to pity?" she questioned. "Now get up or you'll be stuck out here. Nessa, if anything happens, I want you to be able to get up and get away from it, whether it's your father or somecreepy man on the side of the road, or Shell when he's being annoying," she added. Nessa smiled up at her. "Use your abdominal muscles, your legs, and most importantly, tell yourself you can do it."

Nessa took her advice. It took her a minute, but she finally stood up by herself. She stumbled a bit once she was on her two feet, but miraculously regained her balance by moving her shoulders back and forth as if arms were attached to them. "See? You can do anything you put your mind to," Glinda said and hugged her. "And I must say, you are a fast runner for someone who has never run before."

"Maybe I'm not fast. Maybe your legs are too short to keep up," the brunette joked.

"Not funny, Nessa," Glinda said as the slightly taller girl broke out in laughter. "Anyway, I feel better now that you have a chance at getting away from some kind of danger."

"I want to thank you for teaching me how to walk and everything. Before you, nobody has ever given me the chance to do these things. You made me realize I had some independence. I will always have to rely on someone to feed me and wash me, but now I don't have to rely on someone to get around or to save me."

"Oh, you're welcome, Nessa!" Glinda said and hugged her tightly. "Although once I'm done with you, you'll be able to feed and wash yourself, and who knows? Maybe even use the bathroom without assistance."

"Very funny," Nessa scoffed.

"No, I'm serious. I think you could feed yourself with your feet. I don't know if you'll ever be able to cook, but if it makes you feel any better, I cannot cook to save my life," she laughed. "We just have to work on your flexibility. I think you'll be able to dress yourself someday. People can do amazing things if they try, Nessa. I know it sounds impossible today, but it isn't. Remember when you thought I was ridiculous for making you walk down the stairs? It isn't impossible anymore, is it? You can go up and down them without much trouble, am I right?"

"You seem to be lately," Nessa said as the two began to walk towards the house. "What do we do with the shoes?" she asked.

"Let's just leave them there for now. We can burn them tomorrow if you'd like," Glinda said as she draped an arm around Nessa's waist.

"You don't think he'll be coming back here, will he?"

"I hope not, Nessa, but I will send my parents a letter right away. I just hope they'll come home right away. Daddy always knows what to do. In the meantime, I'll request for Boq and Avaric to stay in the main house with us."

"Do we tell Elphaba and Shell?" Nessarose asked. The blonde nodded slowly.

"As much as I don't want to, we must. They have the right to know. Silently, Nessa nodded and the two made their way back into the large mansion.