A/N: This chapter gets a little emotionally heavy toward the end. There is mention of possible self harm. I hope you all enjoy it.

Chapter 21

"The deceit runs much deeper than I could have ever imagined," Asli shook his head as Glinda finished filling in her new love.

"It gets worse," the blonde swallowed.

"How could it possibly?" Elphaba rolled her eyes. Glinda pointed to her purse which had been brought down to her by her assistant. Under the makeup kits and hair accessories was something she needed to show her friend. Asli grabbed it and handed it to her.

"The Wizard left because I made him. The truth of what he had done was too much," the blonde said as she reached inside the purse and pulled out a small green bottle. Elphaba's jaw dropped.

"That was my Mother's. I have it," she said.

"You do but this bottle didn't come from your mother, it came from the Wizard," Glinda's words hit the green woman like a ton of bricks.

"I suspect that your father did all those horrible things to you because you were a constant reminder of your mother's transgressions. Well that and he was crazy," she continued.

"But he made Mother eat those awful milkflowers. Why would he do that if he suspected my mother cheated on him?" Elphaba asked.

"He might have had suspicions about the cheating but there was no way to know the liquid contained in the bottle was the actual cause of your green skin," Glinda said.

"I don't know what's worse – my real father having set me up for doom since I was born or having to suffer most of my life with a man who never loved me despite the fact that he was supposed to be my father," Elphaba heaved a sigh and leaned back heavily on the chair she sat in.

"I'm so sorry Elphie," Glinda said. She reached out for her friend whom, she could not reach, and Asli removed himself from the bed and helped Elphaba get next to her friend. The green girl began to cry, something most people did not think her capable of.

"I will let you two be and check on Prince Fiyero," Asli said quietly before exiting the room. The blonde let her friend cry until it seemed that she was completely spent.

"What did I do?" Elphaba asked.

"You didn't do anything Elphie. You have always been yourself and it is because of that people have been rude and mean and hurtful," Glinda told her.

"I must get back to my cell. We can't have any impropriety. You have to keep your distance from me," the green woman said, trying to get up the tiny blonde's grip tightened however and Elphaba looked at her.

"I thought I had lost you Elphie and I couldn't take that. I'm not losing you again," Glinda said.

"I'm not sure you have much of a choice Lin," Elphaba argued.

"You faked yours and Fiyero's deaths so that people would believe you had gone. You told no one and it hurt to find out the way I had to. Why didn't you tell me?" Glinda asked, recalling the last moments they shared at Kiamo Ko.

"It was too risky. The people of Oz adore you and it needs to stay that way. I am what they fear. I am what goes bump in the night," Elphaba explained.

"You can't say that about yourself. I don't think that way about you. Fiyero must not think that way about you. For Oz sakes Elphie, you have a dragon on your side," the blonde told her.

"That remains to be seen. The dragon sent Chistery here along with his brother Flying Monkeys," the green skinned woman shook her head.

"Great Oz," Glinda murmured.

"I made Chistery promise to leave and I think he'll take my advice," Elphaba shrugged.

"I hope so," the blonde agreed. Silence fell between them for a few moments until Elphaba worked up the courage to ask,

"So you didn't wait until marriage huh?" Glinda was about to shoot daggers at her friend but she supposed that it would do no good. After all, she had gotten herself into this and she had dragged Asli in with her.

"I have been in a bad place since you and Fiyero "died". Emotionally I just gave up. If you two, two of the bravest people I know, didn't make it out, I figured nothing mattered anymore, except taking up your cause. I have done a lot since your disappearance that I'm not proud of. Though, I do not regret giving my heart and soul to Asli. He is a good man," Glinda explained.

"You were always a wild one back at school. I was the uptight one," Elphaba pointed out.

"Elphie I have been doing things; things that I didn't do back in college. I've been losing my sense of self," the blonde wasn't sure how to word it exactly.

"How?" Elphaba began to grow worried for her friend.

"I provoked Asli into our little tryst. I mean he always seemed to like me more than he was letting on and I may have showed my interest by grinding up against him," Glinda began to blush. Elphaba didn't say anything but her eyebrows did go up a little.

"I've also been hitting the wine at dinner pretty hard and it's to the point that the chef always has two bottles on hand," her friend continued.

"Well grief and stress does odd things to people. I wouldn't call that entirely shocking but I would hope that I can help you de-stress a little," the green woman took Glinda's hand in hers.

"Elphie, that's not the worst of it," the blonde started.

"What? Did you kill someone?" Elphaba gave her a quizzical look. She could see the blonde struggling with what she was trying to say and the green woman prodded slightly.

"Look no matter what you did, I will always be your friend. You and Fiyero are the only family I have left. I'm not giving up on you," she told her.

"I almost gave up on myself," the words were barely above a whisper.

"Lin?" Elphaba grew more concerned now.

"I climbed up to the highest turret on the palace and walked to the edge of the balcony. I was literally a step away from ending it all. I'm not strong like you Elphie. I didn't think I could continue living without you and Fiyero," Glinda swallowed hard before continuing.

"While I stood up there considering how I would look splatted on the ground, I saw the people partying in the streets and it made me mad. They were happy you were dead and they didn't even know you. I turned around and headed back inside. Even if they could never get to know you, they would get to know what you wanted and how things should be done. It was then that I decided I wasn't going to be the bubble headed blonde bimbo anymore. It was then that I wanted to live every moment like it was my last and I wanted to make people see how foolish they were," she finished.

"Oh Lin," Elphaba threw her arms around her friend and gave her a squeeze. They both began to cry as they realized just how much each of them meant to the other. From this moment forward, Elphaba made a silent promise to never leave her best friend again.

To Be Continued…