"What do we do? Elphaba!"

Liir could tell that Glinda was in near hysterics, and to tell the truth, he wasn't doing that much better. His mother's life was slipping away right before his eyes and there was nothing they could do.

Kristin kneeled beside the fallen green woman. "She took that gunshot to protect us… she didn't have to."

"Of course she didn't, but she did anyway. She wanted to keep us safe… because she loves us," Glinda said as her tears fell onto Elphaba's clothes. "Elphaba, you stubborn green thing, why do you always have to play the martyr?"

"Well… who else will if I don't?"

Glinda inhaled sharply. "Elphie?"

The green woman grimaced in pain. "Looks like that bastard… got his final shot on me."

"No, Elphie, you're going to make it. We're going to get you out of here."

"Don't kid yourself, Glinda. I'm not leaving here alive. But you can still make it. The trapdoor… in the dungeon… should get you out."

"No! I'm not leaving without you!"

"You risked your life to save me from that man… and now I will do the same," Kristin said. She closed her eyes before placing a delicate hand over the green woman's wound. Golden light started to emerge from her hand, and even through her clouded mind, Elphaba knew what the young girl was doing.

"Kristin… no! Glinda… stop her!"

Before Glinda could react, Kristin collapsed to the floor. Elphaba's hand shot to her chest, only to find that her wound was gone.

"Elphaba, what's going on? Your wound—"

"Kristin used her magic to heal it."

"Well, that's good right?"

"No, Glinda, it's not! Wounds can't just disappear; they have to go somewhere!"

"What do you mean by that?"

Liir, however, knew then what his mother was saying. "Kristin took the injury from you… for herself."

Elphaba nodded grimly.

The blood started seeping through Kristin's clothes and Glinda finally realized what was happening to her daughter.

"Oh, Oz, Elphie, save her! Don't let her die!"

Elphaba quickly picked up the limp girl. "We don't have much time, and we can't all fit on my broom."

"You take Kristin and get her help. Auntie and I will find a way out of here on our own," Liir said.

Elphaba looked at her son, and then at Glinda. "I don't like the idea of leaving you two alone, but I suppose it's the best course of action. Be careful." The green witch whistled and her broom appeared seconds later, hovering in the air. Elphaba got on, holding Kristin tightly in one arm. "All right, you. We don't have time for your stubbornness, so let's go."

The two left the ground and shot through the window Elphaba had broken earlier, disappearing into the night sky.

Liir looked at Glinda. "Come on. We've got to get out of here."

Glinda nodded and the two started running. Liir rounded a corner, but quickly jumped back, throwing his arm to stop Glinda.

"What is it?" Glinda asked.

"Fiyero's guards. They're still combing the place! We can't leave through the front."

"Then how do we get out?"

"There's a trapdoor under a desk in one of the rooms. I got in that way; we can leave that way too."

The two turned and Liir led the blonde to Fiyero's study. He threw open the door and ran over to the desk. He pushed it out of the way and opened the trapdoor.

"You first, Auntie," Liir said, offering her his hand. Glinda took it and Liir helped her down, releasing her when her feet hit the ground. Liir jumped in after her, closing the trapdoor behind him.

The two made their way through the tunnels, Liir leading the way.

"Are you sure this is the way?" Glinda asked.

"I think so."

There was a sudden rumbling and the two stopped.

"What was that?" Glinda asked, reaching for the walls.

"I don't know."

There was another rumble, stronger this time. After a third rumble which almost sent the blonde to the ground, Liir heard a distant crashing noise that seemed to be approaching them. It didn't take him much longer to figure out what it was.

"The tunnels are caving in! We have to move now!"

"I need a doctor right now!"

Elphaba knew that she was risking giving herself up (the green skin wasn't really inconspicuous), but it didn't matter to her in the slightest. She couldn't let Kristin die… not after four years of searching. She couldn't let Glinda down again.

"You'll have to take a number," the nurse behind the desk said, not looking up.

Elphaba felt her temper explode. "I said I need an Ozdamn doctor right now! This little girl is going to die unless she gets medical attention right now!" Elphaba slammed one hand down on the desk, which got the startled nurse's attention. "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Y-yes."

A few seconds later, several nurses came out, wheeling a stretcher. Elphaba lay Kristin down gently and started to follow, but one nurse held her back. The green woman could only watch as the blonde was taken away… and she was left with an awful feeling of déjà vu.

It didn't take long for the two to realize that they were trapped. In an attempt to outrun the collapsing tunnels, Liir and Glinda had taken many different turns and twists, and now, Liir found that their path was blocked by a wall of rocks and dirt. He pushed on the rocks, hoping they would come loose, but they didn't budge. His hand slipped on one sharp edge and he hissed in pain, pulling his hand back and looking at his new injury. He closed his hand in frustration.

"What do we do now?" Glinda asked, panting and brushing a few strands of hair out of her face.

"I don't know. We can't go back the way we came, and it doesn't look like we can go forward."

"So… we're trapped?"

Liir knew the truth, but he didn't want to say it. "No. No, I'll… we can find a way out."

Liir heard a sudden choked sob and saw Glinda sitting on the floor.

"I… I'm so sorry you had to get involved in this, Liir. I never thought anyone would get hurt."

Liir sat beside his aunt. "It wasn't your fault. I… I just wanted you and mother to be happy together. Like you used to be."

"I guess… we never realized how much you would be affected by our decision to split apart."

"Auntie… you wouldn't really be happy away from mother, would you?"

Glinda looked at Liir, tears in her eyes. "No. No, I wouldn't."

Elphaba looked down at her bloodstained hands. She knew that even if she was able to clean all the blood off, knowing that it was Kristin's would haunt her for much longer.

The door to the hospital suddenly burst open, and Elphaba stood up just as the palace guards came storming in. Before she could react, they swarmed her. She tried to fight back, only to be struck across the face and knocked to the ground. She felt them force her arms behind her back and cuff them together.

"Elphaba Thropp, you're under arrest for the murder of Glinda Upland."

"Wha- she's not dead! You don't understand, her daughter is in trouble!" Elphaba protested as she was hauled to her feet. "Let me go, her daughter needs me! Kristin! Kristin!"