A/N: Lo, a new chapter arriveth! I know this update's taken me forever, and you may all feel free to throw virtual rocks/rotten vegetables/unruly Munchkins/etc. at me for the delay. Blame this one on my incurable laziness and writer's block.

Yet again, partial credit for this chapter goes to my good friend Eve, alias TheWickedWitchOfOz. Without her, Boq would still be sulking and not speaking to anyone, Glinda would still be in panic mode over… well, something about which you will learn by reading the chapter, and I would have had to think of an entirely different way to reach the planned conclusion of the story. Your input and suggestions are invaluable as always, my pretty!

Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked. It owns me.

After this, a tentative peace settled over Kiamo Ko. The change in the state of affairs was a welcome one to all concerned. Granted, Boq still wasn't speaking to anyone except Glinda and occasionally Dorothy, but at least he had stopped attempting to pick fights with anyone who looked at him the wrong way.

Once things had settled down, Elphaba's ever-active mind began to work, wondering what was to be done now. The intrepid band of Witch hunters would not be able to stay at Kiamo Ko indefinitely. People would begin to suspect that something was amiss if the foursome (plus Toto) were not on their way back to the Emerald City very shortly. Either they would decide that Elphaba had somehow taken Dorothy and her friends captive or some such nonsense and send a group to storm the castle and rescue them, or someone would start to wonder if perhaps the travelers were closer to the Witch than they had let on. And neither of these options seemed as if they would deliver very agreeable results.

Elphaba was entirely confident of her ability to defend herself against an angry mob. But either of these two possible scenarios could easily end with someone she cared about being hurt because of their relationship with her, which was something that she was determined never to let happen again. And besides that, she simply had better things to do than deal with a crowd of people wielding torches and pitchforks. They would need to formulate some sort of plan before things came to such a pass.

The question first and foremost in her mind was the main dilemma of the current situation. It seemed perfectly logical that Dorothy, Fiyero, Saryan, and Boq should return to the Emerald City as soon as possible to avoid suspicion. But what should their story be when they arrived? Before they left, they would need to come up with an altered version of what had occurred at Kiamo Ko to tell the Wizard and Morrible. Obviously Dorothy and her companions had not killed Elphaba as they had been instructed to do, and the two who had sent them were going to want to know why they had failed in their task. She would have to invent a plausible story for them to tell to explain why the Wicked Witch of the West was still alive. If Morrible and the Wizard had even the slightest suspicion that the Witch hunters were actually friends with the person they were supposed to be hunting, the consequences would be grim for all four of them, not to mention Elphaba herself, and Glinda as well.

And then, completely out of the blue, it hit her. Dorothy and her companions had not killed Elphaba as they had been instructed to do. But there was no reason why anyone else needed to know it. She and Glinda would simply disappear, leaving Kiamo Ko unoccupied once again, and the other four would journey back to the Emerald City and report that they had done away with the Wicked Witch of the West just as the Wizard and Morrible had ordered.

At first she dismissed this idea as impossible, telling herself that it would never work. It was too easy to see through – Morrible and the Wizard would have no difficulty figuring out that her death was a hoax if they really thought about it. Furthermore, it depended on too many unpredictable elements; there was too much that could go wrong.

But the more she thought about it, the more she began to realize that it could work. The sentries at Kiamo Ko, the only people who would be able to discredit a fabricated tale of Elphaba's demise, bore no love for a reclusive ruler in a far-away city. Their only loyalty was to Fiyero's family, and now to Elphaba and Glinda as well, and the green girl was certain that, given the proper instructions, they would not reveal to anyone what had really happened. As long as Dorothy and the others did not give anything away and then vanished out of the public eye as soon as possible, and as long as she and Glinda stayed carefully hidden, no one would be the wiser.

Elphaba toyed with the idea of creating a false account of her own death, liking it better and better with every passing moment. There was definite appeal to the concept of being believed to be dead. If people thought Dorothy had killed her, they would stop hunting her. She would finally get the peace and quiet and rest she had been wanting for so long.

And then she had an even more astonishing epiphany. Why should being presumed dead mean that she had to go skulking about in the shadows for the rest of her life? Far from being simply a relief to her on a personal level, she saw now that allowing all of Oz to think she was dead and gone could prove to be quite useful. Oh, the things she could do if she could be certain that no one was watching for her, expecting her, guarding against her! What opportunities it could open up! She could get back to her work helping the Animals who were still resisting the Wizard's laws. Surely she could really make a difference this time, if she didn't constantly have to worry about being hunted herself. Or, better still… Her eyes widened as she was suddenly struck with the best idea she'd had yet.

Rather than simply helping the Animals resist the unjust restrictions… why not take it one step farther and get rid of the restrictions altogether by eliminating their source?

Elphaba stood frozen for several moments, paralyzed by the thrill of the mere thought. She had come to realize a long time ago that the only way to truly stop what the Wizard and Morrible were doing to Oz would be to get them out of power altogether. And, truth be told, she had entertained the notion more than once of doing something to effect such a regime change. But the opportunity had never presented itself to put any of her ideas into action. The one time she had managed to sneak into the palace undetected had been during a special occasion, the day of Fiyero and Glinda's engagement party. On a normal day, the place was swarming with the Wizard's guards, any of whom would kill her just as soon as look at her.

But, she reflected, if she were dead, the Wizard and Morrible and their guards would not be expecting her to make an appearance. The vigilance they had always maintained against her would be greatly relaxed, perhaps even dropped altogether. It would be much easier to gain access to the palace once everyone thought she was no longer a threat. After all, as she had once heard somewhere, the most dangerous enemy is the one that isn't feared. And once she was inside the palace, she could see to it that Morrible and the Wizard paid dearly for their abuse of their power, and that they would never have the opportunity to commit such abuse again.

She was so enamored of her newly-formulated plan that for several minutes nothing could have broken through her elation. But then her excitement quickly ebbed as she realized that there was still one major flaw that would have to be factored into the equation. A flaw that, if not dealt with, would surely ruin everything. In a word, Boq. The Tin Man apparently believed everything Morrible and the Wizard had told him, and had been more than willing to fulfill their request to escort Dorothy to Kiamo Ko. Elphaba somehow found it doubtful that he would be a very willing participant in a plot that would oust both of them from power.

But all was not lost, she told herself firmly, determined not to let this golden opportunity go to waste. The problem simply became a question of winning Boq's loyalty. Her plan could still work, if she could figure out some way of convincing the Tin Man that Morrible and the Wizard were the real villains. She'd have to find someone else to do the convincing, though; there wasn't a chance in hell that Boq was going to listen to anything she had to say against the Wizard and his press secretary. Fiyero and Saryan were both out as well, because the Tin Man's opinion of them was no higher than was his opinion of Elphaba. He might be willing to listen to Dorothy, but the girl had only met Morrible once, and that had been very briefly. Elphaba doubted whether the child even completely believed what she would be trying to convince Boq of.

That left only one person: Glinda. Elphaba quickly decided that the blonde had the greatest likelihood of being able to coax Boq over to their side. He had always harbored a great deal of affection – or perhaps obsession would be a more accurate choice of a word – for Glinda, and she was currently the only one for whom his feelings did not include contempt. If there was one person the Tin Man would listen to and possibly even believe, it was her. Of course, there was no predicting how Boq might react to something being said against Morrible and the Wizard, regardless of who said it, but Glinda would surely have a better chance of winning him over than any of the rest of them.

With this thought in mind, the green girl quickly sought out Glinda, Fiyero, Saryan, and Dorothy and summoned them up to her workroom for a council-of-war of sorts. Boq was nowhere to be found – he had gone off somewhere alone again, probably to throw himself yet another of the pity parties of which he seemed to be so fond. But that was just as well, really. He could not be let in on their plans just yet, not until they could be sure he wouldn't go behind their backs and ruin everything. She hustled the other four up the winding stairs and into the little room at the top of the tower. Once they were all inside, she closed the door behind them and, after casting a simple soundproofing spell on the chamber to make sure they could not be overheard, proceeded to outline the details of the plan she had concocted.

Finally she finished, and looked back and forth between them, waiting to hear their reactions. There was complete silence for a few moments as everyone attempted to wrap their minds around what she had proposed.

"It really could work," Fiyero decided thoughtfully at last. "If everyone thinks you're dead, they certainly won't be expecting anything like this."

"It definitely has the element of surprise," agreed Glinda, albeit rather hesitantly.

"It all sounds completely insane, if you ask me," Saryan opined with a nervous shake of his head. But he softened the doubtful words by adding loyally, "But if you say we can pull it off, Elphaba, then I believe you."

Surprisingly, it was Dorothy who finally dared to question part of the green girl's scheme. "But if we're going to get rid of the Wizard and Madam Morrible, then who's going to rule Oz? I mean, we can't just leave the country without a leader. Someone will have to take their place."

Three of the four other pairs of eyes in the room immediately came to rest on one person. Feeling their gazes all focused on her, Glinda's eyes widened, and she looked from person to person, as though hoping to be assured that they didn't mean what she thought they meant. "What? Me? You can't be serious!"

"Oh yes we can," contradicted Elphaba. "Face it, Glin, you're the ideal person for the job, and we all know it. The people already know you and love you. They'll accept you as their new ruler much more easily than they would anyone else."

The blonde shook her head in protest. "Elphie, I don't know the first thing about running a country! I never actually made any of the important decisions. I just announced them. I was nothing more than a glorified spokesgirl of sorts."

"Well, there's an easy solution to that. Just find yourself some advisors who do know about running a country. I'm sure anyone you ask will be more than willing to help you."

"How am I supposed to know who I can trust to give me good advice?"

"Just follow your instincts, Glinda. It's really not that difficult. You'll be able to tell who's trustworthy and who isn't."

"And what if it just so happens that I don't want to be in charge, hmm?" Glinda burst out almost desperately. "What then, Elphie? What if ruling a country isn't what I want to do with my life? What if I don't want to have sole responsibility for the happiness and well-being of so many people? What if I don't want to spend the rest of my life trying to fix other peoples' problems and never getting to have anyone fix mine?"

By this time, the blonde was nearly shouting, and Elphaba quickly went over to lay a reassuring hand on her friend's shoulder. "All right, Glin, all right. Calm down. No one's going to force you to do anything you don't want to."

Glinda drew a couple of deep breaths to get her emotions under control and cast the green girl a dubious look. "You promise?"

"I promise," Elphaba pledged. "If you really don't want to do it, you don't have to. But I wish you'd at least think about it."

"What's there to think about, Elphie? I already told you why I can't."

"I know you did. I was listening. But I bet you could, if you put your mind to it."

Glinda studied her friend's face uncertainly. "You really think I could actually rule an entire country?" she asked. Her tone was skeptical, but for the first time, she seemed to be seriously considering the idea.

"I don't think so, Glin," Elphaba corrected her. "I know so."

The blonde couldn't help but smile at that. "Well… I suppose being in charge of everything would have its benefits," she conceded after a moment.

Sensing that her friend's antipathy towards the idea was weakening, Elphaba continued in her most persuasive tone, "And it wouldn't have to be forever, or even for very long. You could be a sort of interim ruler if that's what you'd prefer, someone whose job is simply to hold things together until someone else can be found to take charge on a more permanent basis."

"I guess I could do that," Glinda decided, nodding rather hesitantly. "As long as it's only for a little while, and as long as I don't have to deal with any major crises."

"Oz as a whole is actually surprisingly stable at the moment," explained the green girl. "As much as I detest Morrible and the Wizard, I have to admit, not all of their policies have been bad for the country."

"Only most of them," interjected Fiyero, earning himself an appreciative smirk from Elphaba, a snort of agreement from Saryan, and giggles from Glinda and Dorothy.

Then Elphaba turned back to Glinda. "My point is, I can't imagine that you'd have any serious problems on your hands. In fact, I doubt you'd really have to do much of anything, other than simply reassuring the people that everything is still going as it's supposed to."

"That's practically all they ever had me do anyway."

"You'll be a natural, then. You've already got experience. The only thing that'll be different will be that now it'll be you, not someone else, deciding what you say to the people."

"I always did hate only being allowed to say what they told me to…" admitted the blonde.

Elphaba nodded her understanding. "So think of this as a chance to let the people of Oz hear your voice and your thoughts for a change, rather than letting someone else use you to spread their propaganda."

Glinda considered this for several long moments before looking back up at Elphaba, a determination written across her features that the green girl had rarely ever seen there. "You know what, Elphie? You're absolutely right! I've got my own ideas and opinions. And they may not be very profound or well-informed, but they're every bit as good as Morrible's or the Wizard's, and they have just as much right to be heard!"

"So you'll do it?"

"I'll do it!"

This declaration prompted several minutes of excitement and frenzied discussion of what Glinda would do once she had taken the place of Oz's current rulers. But then Saryan thought of another obstacle, and voiced it aloud. "What about Boq?" The question brought everyone crashing back to reality.

"He's right," Fiyero realized. "Boq isn't going to want to help us with this. And he could ruin everything if he isn't on our side."

Elphaba nodded. "I know. But he'll be easy enough to take care of. All we have to do is convince him somehow that it's really Morrible and the Wizard who are the wicked ones, and that what we're planning is best for everyone in the long run."

"And how exactly do you propose to do that?" he wondered. "Even if we try to talk to him, he won't listen. He doesn't trust any of us."

"That's not entirely true," Elphaba pointed out, casting a significant glance at her blonde friend.

Catching on to what the green girl had in mind, Glinda jumped on this train of thought and offered, "Maybe I could try. He isn't angry at me anymore, or at least, not as much as he is at the rest of you. He might listen to me."

"He might listen," conceded Saryan, "but what will you say? How are you going to prove to him that Morrible and the Wizard are evil?"

"Tell him about what Morrible did to you, Glin," suggested Elphaba. "How she was controlling you with that spell. That ought to get his attention."

Glinda was skeptical. "You really think he'll believe it? I don't have any way of proving that it actually happened."

"I think telling him will be enough," Elphaba maintained. "Considering how he's always felt about you, the mere thought of Morrible doing such a thing to you, even if he isn't entirely sure that it actually happened, should make him angry enough at her that he'll help us."

Glinda nodded. "Well, it's certainly worth a try, anyway. All right, I'll see what I can do."

The five of them dispersed then, returning to whatever they had been doing before Elphaba called them up to her tower chamber. Glinda went off in search of Boq, and Elphaba watched her go, hoping without much conviction that the blonde might succeed where the rest of them were bound to fail.

Some time later there came a knock at the door of her workroom. "Come in," she called.

The door swung open to admit Glinda, triumph written plainly all over her face. "I did it, Elphie! It worked! Boq believed me!"

"He did?" Elphaba was on her feet in an instant at this news, her grin matching her friend's. "Fantastic! Glinda, you never cease to amaze me."

"Oh, stop it," demurred the blonde modestly, but it was obvious from her expression that she was quite pleased with Elphaba's words of praise.

"So how did you do it? What did you say to him?"

"Well, I started off by asking him how Morrible and the Wizard explained it when I disappeared. Dorothy already told us what the official story was, of course, but he didn't know that, so he told me how they told everyone you had kidnapped me and killed me. I guess he bought it without question, at least until he got here. But I think finding me alive and well weakened his faith in them at least a little."

"Probably so," agreed Elphaba. "And then what happened?"

Glinda furrowed her brow as she obligingly called up her memory of the rest of the conversation. "Then I said that I used to believe what Morrible and the Wizard told me, too, and he asked what I meant by 'used to.' And then I told him about all the awful things they've done and then lied to cover up. I don't think he was really buying it at first, but eventually he started to believe me. And when I told him about Morrible using that mind-control spell on me, it was the last straw."

The green girl raised an eyebrow as she wondered, "So he didn't doubt at all that you were telling him the truth?"

"I don't think it even crossed his mind to question me," Glinda reported proudly.

"You see? I told you it would work!" exulted Elphaba with a grin of satisfaction. "I knew he'd never doubt you. Like I said before, even the idea of someone harming you is enough to earn them his eternal enmity."

The blonde nodded. "I think it's safe to say that Boq now hates Morrible and the Wizard every bit as much as we do. We won't have any problems now getting him to go along with our plan."

Her prediction proved correct. Having been assured of Boq's newfound loathing for Oz's ruler and his press secretary, Elphaba went with her friend to outline their scheme to the Tin Man. And after hearing about what Morrible had done to Glinda, he was more than willing to get in on the plot. His reasons for joining them may have had more to do with getting revenge on the press secretary for harming the object of his affections than with any sense of duty or concern for the country, but the green girl wasn't complaining. Boq was on their side now, whatever his motives, and because of it, her wild plan might just have a prayer of succeeding. She would take what she could get.

The only detail of the plan with which Elphaba was dissatisfied was that, in order for an account of her death to be believed, the four Witch hunters would have to return to the Emerald City in the same states in which they had left it. As much as she wanted to undo what she had done to Fiyero and Boq, finding a way to reverse the spells she had cast on them would have to wait until after the plot against Morrible and the Wizard had been seen through to its completion. It would arouse too much suspicion if Boq set out on the expedition as the Tin Man and returned as a human being, so, for the sake of the plan's success, he had to make do with his metal body for a little while longer. And, though she hated to leave him as he was, Fiyero would have to remain the Scarecrow for the time being for his own protection. The Wizard's guards had been given orders to kill him, and if he arrived in the Emerald City looking like himself, she knew they would not hesitate to finish what they had started on the day of the battle at the Animal hideout.

Although she knew that they had no chance of victory unless both of them remained in their spell-induced states, she still felt indescribably guilty that she could do nothing at the moment to change them back to normal. However, both Fiyero and Boq insisted that if remaining in their current conditions until after the Wizard and Morrible were gotten rid of would help ensure the success of the plot, then they were more than willing to do so. It didn't make her feel any better, but she appreciated that both of them (especially Boq) were being so understanding about it. She promised both of them – and herself – that the first thing she would do once Morrible and the Wizard were taken care of would be to find a way to reverse the effects of her spells.

And so the band of travelers prepared to set out once again, planning to retrace the route they had been traveling before, only in the opposite direction. Elphaba and Glinda would follow behind them in a day or two and then meet up with them to put the plan into action.

As they readied themselves for the journey, Dorothy thought of another question to put to the green girl. "What exactly should we say happened?" she asked. "If we tell them we killed you, they're going to want to know how we did it."

Realizing that the girl had a point, Elphaba considered her question for a moment. Finally she began, "Tell them…" Then a slow, devious grin spread across her face as an idea occurred to her. "Tell them you melted me. Yes, I think that will do perfectly."

Dorothy's eyebrows shot up. "Tell them I did what?"

"You heard me. Tell them that you threw a bucket of water on me and I dissolved into a shapeless puddle of green ooze before your very eyes."

"But… that's impossible! People can't melt! No one would ever believe it."

"You'd be surprised. Didn't you hear the sordid rumors about me in the Emerald City? They say I'm so wicked that pure water could melt me."

"Yes, I did hear that," admitted Dorothy, "but I never really believed it. I mean, it just doesn't make any sense."

"You know that, and I know that, but I don't think the rest of Oz knows it," Elphaba quipped. "Morrible and the Wizard started that rumor themselves ages ago, and everyone bought it without question. Well, now we'll see if they believe their own lies."

"But what if they don't believe it?"

"Then they'll know that I'm still alive and that I'm plotting something drastic against them, but they won't have any idea what it is or when it's going to happen, so they won't be able to do anything to stop me. They'll be running scared."

Dorothy still looked less than convinced, but apparently decided to let herself be reassured by the green girl's confidence, and gave no reply.

Ignoring the skepticism in the girl's expression, Elphaba continued, "Well, regardless of whether or not they believe that I melted, hearing the story from you and the others won't be enough for them. They're going to want to see concrete evidence that I'm really dead."

The child nodded at that. "Yes, the Wizard told me I'd have to bring him something to prove that I'd done what he told me to. But what can I show him?"

Elphaba entertained thoughts of several possible items, but dismissed each of them just as quickly as they had come to her. But then, finally, she hit upon it – the one thing that would convince the Wizard and Morrible that Dorothy was telling the truth, no matter how implausible it sounded. "I'll give you all the proof you'll need. Come with me."

"What are you talking about?" demanded Dorothy as she followed the green girl down to the kitchen. "What could there possibly be down here that would make the Wizard and Morrible believe you're dead?"

Elphaba glanced over her shoulder and gave the girl a simple reply. "My broom."

Dorothy's forehead creased in a frown of confusion. "What? But isn't your broom up in your tower? And besides, don't you and Glinda need it to get to the Emerald City quick enough? And why would you let the Wizard and Morrible have something that's so important to you?"

"If you'd stop pestering me with questions, maybe I could explain."

"Oh. Sorry."

"Thank you. Now then, I'm not really going to give you my broom to take to them. You're right about Glinda and I needing it to follow you to the Emerald City, and about it being too important to me to give up. But that's exactly why Morrible and the Wizard will believe your story if you show up back at the palace with it. They both know I'd never willingly give up my broom as long as there's breath left in my body. So when they see you with it, they'll be forced to accept that I really am dead."

"But if you're not really going to give me your broom, then what are you going to give me?"

"A different broom. Neither of them have seen mine enough to be able to tell the difference between it and another broom. They won't notice if the one you give them isn't really mine."

By this time, they had reached the kitchen. Elphaba went over to a storage closet in the corner and, after a moment or two of rummaging, produced the broom she had been seeking. Sticking the bristled end into the wood-burning stove, she lit it on fire, and then laid it carefully on the floor where the burning broom couldn't harm either of them. After letting it smolder for a minute, she doused the flames with water from the teakettle, which was sitting filled next to the stove, awaiting the next person who might want something hot to drink.

Dorothy gave her a puzzled look. "What'd you burn it all up like that for?"

"Just adding an artistic touch, if you will," Elphaba replied. "You can tell Morrible and the Wizard that I lit my broom on fire and then tried to burn the Scarecrow with it, and you threw the water on him to save him, and it happened to splash me in the process and melted me."

Dorothy shook her head with a bewildered expression, as though wondering how in Oz Elphaba managed to come up with such convoluted ideas seemingly out of thin air. However, she wisely kept her mouth shut, and merely stooped to pick up the charred remnants of the broom before trailing back upstairs behind the green girl.

And so, not very much time later, they all stood in the courtyard, bidding each other goodbye before they went their separate ways to prepare for their various parts in the plot to overthrow Morrible and the Wizard. Elphaba clung fiercely to Fiyero for a moment, wishing desperately that she didn't have to be separated from him again, and he held her just as tightly. But she had to let him go, of course; otherwise their plan could never work.

Besides, she attempted to reassure herself as she and Glinda watched the other four set off back the way they had come, this separation wasn't like the last. This time she knew where he was going and what he would be doing once he got there, and more importantly, she knew she would see him again in a matter of a relatively few days. As long as they all did exactly as she had instructed them, there was no reason why anything should go wrong.

Of course, as she had remarked during the night that she and Fiyero had spent in the forest on their way to see Nessa, there were times when she wondered if he had any sense of caution at all. He certainly hadn't obeyed her request to be careful during the battle at the Animal camp. Well, I certainly hope he's learned his lesson about acting without thinking, she thought to herself a bit snidely, because if being turned into a Scarecrow didn't teach him, I don't think anything ever will!

Once the little band of travelers was out of sight, Elphaba took a deep breath and firmly refocused her mind. Things were out of her hands now, at least for a little while. She would simply have to trust that Fiyero, Boq, Saryan, and Dorothy would be able to fulfill their part of the plot and make sure things went as planned until she and Glinda arrived. There was nothing more she could do at the moment, so standing there fretting wouldn't accomplish anything. Glinda seemed to sense her resolve, because she turned to look up at her taller friend, and together the two witches headed back inside Kiamo Ko to finish their own preparations.

Dun-dun-duuuuuuuuhn! Will the big takeover plot be successful? Will Fiyero and Boq ever be human again? (Will anyone catch the blatant musical reference in that last sentence?) Can Glinda really rule a country? All these questions and more will be answered in the final four chapters of "Lost and Found!"

Yes, that's right, folks, there are only FOUR MORE CHAPTERS TO GO! But have no fear, readers mine, because I've already planned out a short little few-chapter-long piece to come after it, and then after that will come… .: drumroll :. A SEQUEL!!

A happy and healthy Easter to all who celebrate it! Now be good little readers and stuff my Easter basket with loverly reviews!