Glinda held Elphaba tight for the longest time. They had hugged back at the Wizard's palace, right before Elphaba had left with Fiyero, but the moment had been fleeting. She remembered the moment longingly, the last happy moment before things had come crashing down.

"What's going on in here?" Glinda had said, running to the Wizard's inner chambers after hearing a scuffle. She had heard the echoes of her own heels on the stone floor come to a stop as she entered the room. She had to blink a few times when she had seen Elphaba standing there, for Glinda had imagined it so many times.

"Elphie?" she had asked apprehensively, then rushed forward as Elphaba nodded and offered an awkward smile. Glinda had never felt so happy, standing there with her arms wrapped around Elphaba, after being worried about her safety for so long.

That moment had been so wonderful, and yet so short-lived. However, Glinda did not want to remember what came next, since it didn't really matter anymore. Right now, all she wanted to think about was being reunited with Elphaba, seeing her best friend again. Finally releasing each other from their hug, Elphaba and Glinda were able to look each other in the eyes once more. The two had tears streaming down their cheeks, but both were smiling, and Glinda couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous they both looked as they continued crying. However, the smile left Glinda's face when she remembered the ruby-red slippers, now discarded on the grassy hill of the clearing. Glinda moved away from Elphaba, reaching down to pick up a shoe. Plopping down on the ground, Glinda picked up the left shoe, holding it delicately in her hand. It sparkled as clearly as ever, it barely even looked worn. Elphaba moved next to Glinda, picking up the right shoe, sitting down beside her.

"I was on my way to save her," Glinda murmured, letting sadness take over again, "I…I should've been able to save her."

"Glinda, no!" Elphaba put a hand on the blonde's shoulder, "this is not your fault, you did everything you could! It's a miracle you even survived!"

Glinda looked up at Elphaba, wordlessly thanking her for saving her life. "But I was the only one who knew it would happen," she sighed, "if I hadn't blacked out, I could have told you sooner, you could have flown off to rescue her…"

"Glinda, you cannot blame yourself for Nessa's death!" Elphaba said sternly. "You cannot live your life wondering 'what if'…you did everything you could." Elphaba sighed as she finished, obviously letting it sink in that her sister was gone.

Now it was Glinda's turn to be comforting. "She forgave you," Glinda smiled, making Elphaba look up with a start, looking Glinda in the eyes. "For what happened with Boq, she forgave you. She wanted to find you, we tried to find you. But I know she forgave you."

"But I ruined things for her!" Elphaba was crying now. "She was with Boq, and was the Governor of Munchkinland for Oz sake!" She stopped as she sobbed for a moment. "Then I took it all away from her!"

"You did not!" Glinda squeaked, yet said so sternly. "You said so yourself Elphaba, you can't live your life wondering 'what if.' I was with her the day before…" she trailed off, not wanting to finish the thought. "She confided in me Elphaba, and I know in my heart that she forgave you."

"You're not, you're not just saying that?" Elphaba asked desperately, still wiping away tears.

"Of course not," Glinda smiled, hugging her friend again. Releasing Elphaba, she became serious again. "When you went to Munchkinland, how did you get her shoes? I mean, what happened?"

Wiping the last of her tears, Elphaba stood up, then helped Glinda do the same. "I think we should go tell Fiyero we're alright and then we can both explain everything, okay?"

Glinda smiled and nodded in agreement, brushing herself off after standing up. Glinda and Elphaba picked up their wand and broom respectively and walked, hand in hand, back to Fiyero.

Glinda and Elphaba walked together through the forest, wordlessly retracing their steps back to Fiyero. Although they had to dart around an absurd number of trees, branches, and bushes, Glinda and Elphaba never lost their grip on each other's hand. It had been so long since the two had been there for each other, neither one was letting go now.

Finally, the women found there way back to where they'd left Fiyero. Glinda couldn't help but stifle a laugh as Fiyero came to view, for he was still sitting on the ground, looking as stunned as when Elphaba and Glinda had left him there. But the noise of Elphaba's and Glinda's approach seemed to snap him out of his trance, as he made eye contact with the two women.

"Elphaba?" he said quietly as he stood up, as if he didn't believe she had come back. Elphaba nodded and smiled at Fiyero, and watched as he rushed towards her. Glinda broke her grip with Elphaba for a moment so that Fiyero and Elphaba could embrace.

Although his voice was hushed, Glinda could hear Fiyero pleading quietly. "Elphaba, I'm so sorry about what you saw, but you know I love you, I want to be with you, please know that!" Glinda felt like the words should have hurt more to hear, but more than anything, she felt glad to see her two best friends so happy. Seeing the two together, it was inexplicably clear that they were meant to be together. In fact, their chemistry seemed so natural, Glinda couldn't believe she hadn't seen it earlier. Hardly my place to stand in the way of love like that, she smiled, feeling genuinely happy for her friends.

"Shhhh, Fiyero, I know, it's okay," Elphaba soothed her lover, and the two shared a kiss. Glinda felt a little embarrassed standing so close to the pair during such a private and intimate moment, so she moved away from the pair. But she had only moved a few feet when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Glinda turned to see Fiyero standing next to her, still with a pleading look in his eyes.

"Glinda, I am so sorry," Fiyero said, "I never meant to hurt you, and I'm sorry I couldn't kiss you back over there, but my heart is somewhere else," he said while gesturing towards Elphaba. Reading the look on his face, Glinda could tell that both his apology to her and his love for Elphaba were genuine.

"I know," Glinda smiled. She thought she would need to force one of her plastered smiles to convince Fiyero, the same smile she used whenever greeting the Ozians. But Glinda was surprised to find that a true smile came naturally. "I know you would never hurt me," Glinda continued, "you just…love her."

As Glinda gestured towards her friend, Elphaba moved towards the pair. The three smiled at each other awkwardly yet happily as they moved in for a group hug. Trying to lighten the mood when they released each other, Glinda joked "Now Fiyero, is there anything else you feel the need to apologize for, or can we move on?"

Elphaba laughed as Fiyero seemed to be genuinely racking his brain for anything else. But after a moment he also realized that Glinda was kidding, and the three shared a laugh. The trio sat down on the ground as they finished laughing, and Glinda cleared her throat, "Well get comfortable friends, I think we have a lot to discuss."

Elphaba and Fiyero exchanged nervous glances, which Glinda perceived as them wondering if Glinda was going to pry into the origins of their relationship. Glinda smiled a bit as she thought of questions that could make them squirm. So when did you two know you were in love? Did you have feelings for each other back at Shiz? Had you been secretly meeting all the time Elphaba was supposedly missing? How serious is the relationship? But Glinda didn't really want to know the answers yet, for it was still a touchy subject for all three. However, Glinda did want everyone to understand what had transpired for all three the last few weeks.

"So the last few weeks, where have you two been hiding?" Glinda worded her question carefully, not wanting much more information than she had asked for.

Fiyero was first to respond, "Here mostly. Just out here in the forest, since no one really comes out here. Besides, Elphaba's already naturally camouflaged for the environment."

Glinda laughed as Elphaba elbowed him for the joke, then smiled as Elphaba continued. "There's a cave about ten minutes in that direction that we can use when it's cold or when weather's bad, but we've been pretty comfortable out here. It's pretty similar to what I've been doing ever since I disappeared, but I'm afraid it's been a bit of an adjustment for Fiyero," she smiled, looking over at her lover.

Glinda really took a moment to survey the two, and realized how much the pair must be roughing it. In the few weeks Fiyero had been gone, his clothes seemed to be hanging much looser on his body than before. Also, although Glinda had seen very little of Elphaba since Shiz, she also looked noticeably thinner, with her cheekbones even more prominent than before. The pair also looked a little pale and tired, and Glinda couldn't help but pity the pair, but then quickly changed her mind. Looking at the pair once more, she looked past their loose clothes and pale complexions to realize that neither one had ever looked happier.

"I have a few Animal friends in the area that have been providing us with some food," Elphaba continued, as if she had been reading Glinda's mind. "But we've been getting by fine. Again, it's only been a few weeks, so we're still trying to figure everything out ourselves…" Elphaba trailed off, and Glinda feared they were going to start discussing details she didn't want to hear. Fortunately, Elphaba and Glinda must have been having the same thought, for she quickly changed the subject, "So what about you? You said you were with Nessa?"

"Really?" Fiyero cut in. "We talked a lot about finding you, about talking to you, but we thought you'd be secluded in the Wizard's palace, we knew we couldn't risk it. If we had known you were with Nessa, we would have tried to find you sooner…"

"I know, but I'm glad you didn't," Glinda said truthfully, which warranted a surprised look from Fiyero, so Glinda explained, "I needed time to heal, and to think things through. If the two of you had come to see me a week or two ago, I don't think I would have cared to listen to the apologies."

A bit of awkwardness seemed to set in. Although the trio were all more than aware of the situation, everyone seemed scared to really talk about it. Avoiding anymore unnecessary awkwardness, Glinda got back on track. "Yes, I spent about two weeks with Nessa, up until the day before…well, the day before the storm," Glinda finished, still unable to use the words Nessa and dead in the same sentence.

"Why were you with Nessa though, I thought you two hadn't seen each other since back at Shiz?" Elphaba inquired. "Did she come find you?"

"No, I sought her out actually," Glinda thought back to the bottle, visiting their old dorm room, spending time with Nessa. "After you left, the Wizard offered me a drink," Glinda started.

"A drink?" Fiyero echoed, obviously confused by the seemingly random information Glinda was recounting.

"Yes, a drink. It was from a little glass bottle, a ridged one, and it was filled with green liquid." Fiyero still looked confused, but Glinda and Elphaba exchanged knowing glances.

"Ummm…I don't get it," Fiyero felt left out, realizing that Elphaba and Glinda were on the same page.

"I always kept an identical bottle with me," Elphaba started, "it had belonged to my mother, it was the only keepsake I had of hers. I never saw another little bottle like it."

"So why would the Wizard have an identical bottle?" Fiyero questioned, still a step behind the women. But suddenly, it seemed to click in his head, "Oh wait, you're not implying that…he can't be…Elphaba's father?"

Glinda expected Elphaba to look shocked by Fiyero's question, but she was obviously wondering the same thing. Although Elphaba had never been close with Frex, Glinda could see Elphaba's pleading eyes, desperately wanting the truth.

"Well that's what I tried to find out," Glinda sighed. "I went to see Nessa, and we rummaged through the attic at the Governor's Mansion, and we found an old picture of Melena and the Wizard…"

"Melena? Elphaba's mother?" Fiyero asked. Elphaba nodded wordlessly, her eyes encouraging Glinda to explain.

"So Nessa and I tried to uncover some information. We struggled to find a definitive answer, but we learned that the two used to meet secretly years ago," Glinda explained.

"So it wasn't just a one-time thing?" Elphaba asked urgently.

"It looks like it was going on for a few years," Glinda sighed, knowing that this must be a hard blow for Elphaba to take.

"So how did the Wizard get away with sneaking around like that?" Fiyero questioned.

"They were discreet," Glinda sighed, "and it was a long time ago, right before…"

"…right before I was born," Elphaba finished Glinda's sentence, letting the truth set in.

"So Elphaba is the Wizard's daughter?" Fiyero asked incredulously, being the last of the group to understand what was going on. "Have you spoken to the Wizard about this?"

"Well I went to go see him," Glinda sighed, knowing that the story was now getting close to present-day. "I left Nessa in Munchkinland, and went to go talk to the Wizard. Only when I found him, he was…" Glinda didn't want to finish her sentence. She had just finished telling Elphaba that the Wizard was her father, and now it was her responsibility to tell Elphaba that her father was dead.

"What? When you found him, he was what?" Elphaba asked urgently. It was the first time since the beginning of the conversation that Elphaba hadn't been able to finish Glinda's thought, and it pained the blonde to have to share such terrible news.

"I'm sorry Elphaba," was all Glinda could manage at first, letting a tear roll down her cheek. The Wizard had been like a second father to Glinda, so she shared the pain Elphaba would soon be facing. "When I found him, I was too late…"

Elphaba's face looked like it had turned to stone. Glinda tried to read the emotion on her friend's face, but Elphaba was doing a good job of hiding whatever she was feeling. Glinda imagined it must be mixed emotions, for the Wizard was the main person she had been fighting all these years. Yet, to lose your father, Glinda imagined it must feel terrible for Elphaba.

"Oh no," Fiyero mumbled, realizing the grim truth that Glinda was explaining. Fiyero moved over a bit to sit closer to Elphaba, putting an arm around her in support. Glinda wiped away a few tears, still waiting for Elphaba to display some emotion. "What happened?" Fiyero asked, wanting more information from Glinda.

"Morrible," Glinda said simply. Both Fiyero and Elphaba looked up at hearing this answer, staring Glinda right in the eye. "I don't know how she killed him, but she wants to rule Oz. She killed the Wizard so she could take his power."

"But if the Wizard's dead, wouldn't Elphaba be next in line to take power?" Fiyero questioned.

"Yes, and Morrible knows it. She was going to kill me and Nessa because we knew too much, then she was coming after Elphaba. That's when I ran, to go warn Nessa, but then the storm came and Elphaba saved me and…well, here we are." Glinda let the remaining information out quickly, for she wanted to stop causing Elphaba pain. But Elphaba still looked emotionless, staring at nothing in particular, as if she hadn't processed anything Glinda had said.

Finally, worrying that Elphaba had gone into some kind of shock, she finally questioned Elphaba. "What happened when you went to Munchkinland?"

Elphaba finally looked up at Glinda, making eye contact. Her eyes looked cold and sad, but Elphaba answered Glinda's question. "It was very quiet when I got there, the storm had already passed," she said quietly. "It looked like a tornado had gone through or something, and there was this house in the middle of Munchkinland. I went down to investigate, and I saw a glimmer of red next to the house. I went to take a closer look, and it was her shoes," Elphaba sobbed a bit, referencing the ruby-red slippers. "The rest of her must have been under the house, it must have crushed her, for all I could see were the pair of shoes…" she trailed off for a moment, and Fiyero squeezed Elphaba's shoulder supportively. Brushing away a few tears, she finally continued, "Anyway, I would have tried to figure out what happen, but someone suddenly came out of the house, some girl. So I ran off and came back here."

The three sat in silence for a long time, processing the information they had just shared. Finally, Glinda spoke up, "I think we need to go back."

"Where?" Elphaba said, a tone of helplessness hidden in her voice.

"To Munchkinland, I think you and I need to go back Elphaba."

"Glinda, do you really think that's the best idea? You are probably two of the most recognizable faces in Oz, and Morrible wants you both dead! Besides, have a little sensitivity, her sister just died," Fiyero pointed out.

"I know, and I'm sorry, you know I'm truly sorry Elphaba," Glinda sighed, to which Elphaba nodded silently. "But to protect Elphaba, we need proof that she's the rightful heir to the Wizard's throne. The picture of the Wizard and Melena, that's all we have right now, and it's back at the Governor's Mansion. We'll go at night, we'll stay hidden, but we need that picture."

"No Glinda, I don't think that's the best-"

"She's right," Elphaba interrupted Fiyero. "We need to get that picture. We'll go at sunset."

Fiyero considered arguing, but could see that both women were very determined. Slowly, he nodded in agreement, and helped Elphaba and Glinda plan their mission.