The fight is done
The war is won
Raise your hands
Towards the sun
As Elphaba wheeled her sister into her room at the medical clinic, she felt a wav of sadness wash over her. This room was so quaint and… lonely. It must have been awful for Nessa to have to stay here, and Elphaba felt bad for leaving her here for so long.
"So, Elphaba, where are you going to live?" Nessa asked as she turned her chair to face her sister.
"The Wizard so generously provided me with a house in Munchkinland," Elphaba said, not without some bitterness as she opened the door to the small closet and peered inside.
"Well, I hope you enjoy your new home… and life," Nessa said, trying to hide the sadness in her voice. Elphaba looked at her sister.
"You mean our new home and life. I'm getting you out of here," the green woman, closing the door. "Do you have any possessions?"
"Probably as many as you," Nessa replied with a smile. Elphaba gave a short laugh, and continued to move around the room. "Elphaba… do you really mean it?"
The green woman looked at her sister. "If you'll give me another chance. I know I messed up, Nessa, but give me a chance to redeem myself."
The brunette nodded, trying to hide her tears. "Yes. I'd like that very much."
Galinda had noticed a change in her husband. He no longer forced her into his bed, and was much more careful around her, as if she were made of glass. Galinda didn't understand this new behavior, and she wasn't sure whether to be suspicious or not. But the blonde had other things to worry about, such as Elphaba. She was happy that the green woman had finally won her freedom, but now that she was no longer in the tunnels, Galinda had no way to see her, for she had no idea where Elphaba was living. She didn't even have anything of Elphaba's to remember her by, except the memories they had created together.
"Our house should just be up this road," Elphaba said.
"I haven't been here in so long. Not much has changed, really, and—"
Nessa stopped short as her eyes fell on the house, and filled up with tears. "This… this is our house."
"Surprise."
Elphaba had neglected to tell her sister one important detail about the house; it was the house they had lived in with their father after he had moved to Munchkinland. The green woman wheeled her sister into the house, closing the front door behind them. Nessa wheeled away from Elphaba and into the kitchen. She ran her hand across the worn wood of the kitchen table.
"I remember that morning… when you disappeared," Nessa said softly. Elphaba, who had followed her sister, looked down at her boots. "I came here for breakfast, like usual, and you weren't here. I thought maybe you had slept in. After all, how was I to know? I couldn't check your room; there was no way I was getting my chair up those stairs. So I waited, but you never came, even after I called your name. I waited for you all day, and when night fell, I realized that you had left me… alone."
"That was a long time ago," Elphaba said. She too remembered the day she had run away. She hadn't wanted to leave Nessa alone, but she hadn't been able to take it anymore. Everyone had expected her to take over as the next Eminent Thropp.
I didn't want to be told how to live my life.
"What matters is that I'm here now, and I'm not going to leave you again," Elphaba continued, putting a hand on her sister's shoulder.
Nessa smiled up at her. "I'll hold you to that."
"I'd expect no less from you."
That night found Elphaba lying on the roof, looking up at the stars. It had been a long time since she had been outside for so long, and had just been able to look at the stars. No worrying about who she would have to kill next, or if she would even survive her next fight. Of course, the green woman was not without worry.
Galinda.
Her hand strayed to the pendant that hung around her neck. She may have won her freedom, but Elphaba still felt empty without the blonde. And with Galinda's pregnancy hanging over her head, it was impossible for Elphaba not to worry about her. Galinda would be devastated when she found out that she was bearing Sir Chuffery's child, and Elphaba couldn't imagine how the man himself would treat something as delicate as a baby.
Elphaba sat up. She had to watch over Galinda, no matter what Sir Chuffery threatened to do. The green woman hopped off the roof and pulled the hood of her black cloak up as she started off, unaware that Nessa was watching her from her window, hurt in her eyes. Elphaba loved her, yes, but she knew that Galinda would always come before her.
After all, she was only Elphaba's crippled sister; Galinda was her lover.
Galinda sat at her vanity as she took the clip out of her hair, letting her blonde curls fall freely. She felt a sudden breeze and turned to see that the window was open. The blonde frowned. She was sure she had shut it. Galinda stood up and approached the window, looking outside before she closed and locked it, closing the curtains as well. The blonde sat back down at her vanity and reached for her brush, only to find that it was gone.
"Now where in Oz's name…" the blonde started, looking under the vanity.
"You really should keep better track of your things, Miss Galinda."
Galinda froze at the familiar voice. She sat up slowly and caught sight of a green figure leaning against the wall in her mirror.
"Elphaba?"
Elphaba smiled and straightened up. She approached the blonde, and Galinda saw that she was holding her brush.
"You thought I left you," Elphaba said as she started to brush the blonde's hair.
"No," Galinda said, closing her eyes with a smile. "I just didn't know where you were."
"I'm here now."
Galinda opened her eyes and turned, grabbing Elphaba's wrists. Her eyes fell on the holes in Elphaba's hands.
"Why did you take the bandages off?" she asked, looking up into Elphaba's eyes.
"They were getting in my way."
"You have to leave them on, or your hands won't heal."
"I'm going to have scars, bandages or not. Besides, chicks dig scars, don't they?" Elphaba gave the blonde a crooked grin.
Galinda shook her head before she stood up and pushed Elphaba back onto her bed. She straddled the green woman's hips, keeping her from moving.
"Why did you really come back?" the blonde asked.
"Is it a crime to want to see the one you love?"
"Only when it's you."
Elphaba smiled as Galinda leaned down to lock lips with her. The two didn't break contact even as Elphaba reached up to unbutton the front of Galinda's dress. She pushed the fabric off Galinda's shoulders and down to her waist.
A sudden knock on the door interrupted the girls as they both looked up.
"Galinda?"
"It's Chuffery," Galinda hissed. She stood and quickly started buttoning her dress back up as Elphaba pushed herself off the bed.
"Galinda?" the man called again, trying to open the locked door.
"One moment," Galinda called back. She turned back to Elphaba and saw that the she was choosing to hide in the closet. After she made sure that the door was closed securely behind the green woman, Galinda unlocked and opened the bedroom door.
"Is everything all right?" Chuffery asked.
"Fine," Galinda replied.
Chuffery walked into the room. "I have something to tell you."
"Oh, really?"
"There have been some people here asking about Elphaba. They say she's meant to be the next Eminent Thropp. I told that they must be mistaken; after all, if our Elphaba had been a Thropp, she wouldn't have been down in the underground fighting, now would she? Still, they insisted, so I gave them the address of Elphaba's home."
"Why?" Galinda asked before she could stop herself.
"So they can see for themselves that this is all a mistake. Anyway, the point of my telling you this is that I don't think it would be very wise for you to go seeking Elphaba out. After all, who knows what kind of trouble she may have stirred up? We wouldn't want you getting caught up in all that, would we?"
Chuffery left and Galinda slammed the door behind him, locking it angrily. She heard the closet door open, and she looked up to see Elphaba emerging.
"They're looking for me. They know I got out," Elphaba said. Her face was a pale green. "I have to get out of here. I can't let them find me."
"Elphaba… you can't."
"I have to."
The green woman started to leave, but felt Galinda grab her arm. She turned and looked into Galinda's sapphire eyes.
"Stay. Please."
Elphaba saw the want in Galinda's eyes. It wasn't just the sex she wanted, but Elphaba knew she needed the love. She needed to know that someone really cared for her. Elphaba turned back to the blonde and put an emerald hand on the side of her face.
"We could get into a lot of trouble for this," she said.
Galinda smiled. "You're worth it."
As the two made passionate love that night, Galinda felt as though a weight was being lifted from her shoulders as Elphaba moved with her. After she had hit her peak, she looked up at the green woman who was panting above her.
"You're amazing," the blonde said with a smile.
Elphaba smiled back, and Galinda could feel her warm breath on her bare skin. "I do what I can."
"Elphaba… are you really going to run again?" Galinda asked.
"I have to."
"What about Nessa?"
The green woman paused. She had promised Nessa that she would never run away again and leave her alone. She hated to have to break her promise so soon, but Fate wasn't kind. She wouldn't allow Elphaba to have a normal life.
"Galinda… will you take care of her for me?"
"What?"
"Just while I'm gone. Please."
Galinda looked up into Elphaba's dark eyes, and nodded. "I will."
Elphaba let out a sigh of relief before she lay down beside the blonde, resting her head below the blonde's neck.
"Thank you."
The next morning, the two girls managed to get out before Sir Chuffery was up. Elphaba led Galinda to her house, but when they arrived, the green woman immediately knew something was wrong.
The front door was hanging on one hinge.
"No," Elphaba said, hoping that she wasn't seeing what she was seeing. She ran inside the house, Galinda close behind her. "Nessa!"
The house was in shambles. Broken glass and torn paper littered the floor, and furniture had been overturned.
"What happened?" Galinda asked.
"They took her," Elphaba said darkly. "Damn it!" The green woman let out a sigh. "I should've been here. I should've protected her."
"There was no way you could have known," Galinda said.
"I told her I would protect her, and now she's gone."
There was the sudden sound of shattering glass, and both girls looked up. Elphaba smelled smoke, and heard a familiar crackling noise.
"Get out of the house," Elphaba said, backing up.
"Why?"
The window behind the blonde shattered, and she let out a scream.
"Come on!" Elphaba shouted, grabbing Galinda's arm and leading her upstairs as the fire spread through the front room.
"The house is on fire!" Galinda cried.
"I know!" Elphaba shouted back.
"There's no way out! We're going to burn!"
Elphaba's eyes flashed towards a large window at the end of the hall. "No we're not."
"What?"
"Do you trust me?" Elphaba asked, looking deep into Galinda's eyes.
"Yes."
The green woman ran at the window, putting her shoulder down. The glass shattered and the two girls were plummeting through the air. They rolled when they hit the grass, and Elphaba managed to get to her feet.
"Come on!" she said to Galinda, helping the blonde up. The two ran from the house, stopping a safe distance away. Elphaba looked back at the house and let out a nervous laugh. "We… we were almost in that."
"Elphaba Thropp, you could have gotten us killed, jumping out of the window like that!" the blonde shouted in near hysterics.
"But we're alive, aren't we?"
"That's not the point!"
"You're right. The point is someone took Nessa and wants me dead. I have to find who that is."
Galinda felt her anger melt away. "I thought you were running away."
"I have to find out what happened to Nessa."
Galinda looked down. "Will I ever see you again?"
Elphaba put a hand under the blonde's chin and lifted her head so that their eyes were locked. "I'll always come back to you. I promise."
Galinda embraced the green woman tightly, as thought it were the last time, for it very well could be. "I love you," she whispered, tears running down her face.
"Don't cry for me. I'll be back before you know it."
The green woman broke their embrace and gave the blonde one last smile before she disappeared into the trees, fearing that if she stayed any longer, she too would break out into tears.
Though she wouldn't admit it, Elphaba Thropp was absolutely terrified.