Chapter Twenty-Five:

Glinda landed on the ground softly, tears still threatening to fall from her eyes. She wiped the moisture away with her fingers, and then wiped her fingers on her light blue sparkling gown, not even caring that she was getting it potentially dirty. She needed to speak with Elphaba quickly.

She strode through the lawn to see a well-built mansion in her sights. Using her name and title, Glinda achieved access to roam about and with that she asked where Elphaba Thropp was to one of the servants. They directed her to the gardens outside. As she approached the two figures she could see in the gardens, she felt her heart become heavy. Her eyes remained glued to that stunning green skin as she walked closer and closer. Oh had she missed that skin. She realized in that moment just how much of Elphaba she had missed.

Soon Elphaba's eyes looked up and met Glinda's. The blonde stopped dead in her tracks, she had reached where Elphaba and her father were sitting. Her heart pounded in her chest and an array of emotions built up inside of her. Those eyes felt like they were staring into her soul.

Elphaba stood up suddenly and smoothed out her dress, "Lady Glinda," she said a bit too formally.

"Oh, Elphaba I knew you'd be here!" said Glinda cheerfully. She had to put on a fake façade for now. Once she and Elphaba were alone, then she would tell her the truth but for now it was safe to pretend nothing was going on.

For a brief moment, Glinda wondered if Elphaba still did not remember what happened at the Corn Exchange. It was clear though, by her warm smile that she still did not remember. Glinda did not know whether that was a blessing or a curse.

"Is that your father?" asked Glinda pointing a finger at the old man who had fallen asleep on the hammock. The breeze that had suddenly started up brought upon the sway of the weeping willows.

Elphaba nodded, "Come," she said taking a hold of Glinda's arm, "Let's walk through the gardens." Glinda's heart fluttered as she felt Elphaba's hand on her arm. A small smile broke across the blonde's face.

Elphaba took notice of Glinda's outfit, which was the glittering blue ball gown she had tailored specifically for her.

"Glinda, you and your dresses," mused Elphaba with a shake of her head, "You're going to blind somebody one day with your sparkles and sequins."

"One day, but not yet," said Glinda with a laugh as they made their way to the gardens.

Glinda was nervous, very, very nervous. She just wanted to burst into tears and collapsed into Elphaba's arms, all while explaining to her what the Wizard was planning.

"I heard you were there, the first one to see what had happened," said Elphaba gravely as they walked along through the dirt pathways.

There were no specifics that needed to be said. Glinda knew exactly what Elphaba was talking about; she expected this to be the first question out of her mouth.

Glinda nodded, "I was, and Elphie don't worry she went quickly." Her mind brought back images of the mangled feet that she had seen, and Glinda shuddered, "I mean as quickly as one can for getting conked on the head. And there was no blood, I was quite glad of that."

She answered quickly, for she wanted to get to the point of why she had come.

A long pause came before Elphaba asked another question. Glinda guessed that her mind was still processing it; it was after all a terrible shock to anyone including Elphaba.

"What about the inhabitants of the house?"

Glinda paled, "Oh the girl Dorothy and the dog… Tata or Toto something like that. Oh, Elphie they were harmless little things! Though I did want to smother that dog a few times…"

Repeated sounds of that dog barking made Glinda tense up in irritation but Elphaba didn't seem to notice. They wanted along the path, gazing at the various roses and bushes in the gardens. Glinda was bursting at the seams. She was nervous, scared, and felt a bit faint in the summer's heat. She just wanted to tell Elphaba what the Wizard was planning to do and face the consequences.

"I heard that she and a little bunch of companions are off to see the Wizard. Is it true that you sent her off to see him?"

Elphaba's voice sounded fierce.

Glinda took a deep breath and a knot of fear tightened in her stomach. She paused in her walking and so did Elphaba. They both looked at each other.

"I did, but Elphie listen to me. I couldn't have kept the stupid girl in Munchkinland! Everyone would have flipped. So I sent her with Nessa's shoes along her merry way to try and send her home, thinking that it was the least I could do for her. I'm not as heartless as you think I am."

Glinda waited for some witty retort but Elphaba's eyes widened.

"You what?" she exclaimed at the blonde. Elphaba wiped her arm away from the blonde and took a step back.

"I gave the girl the shoes. Elphie, she was frightened and I thought they could protect her. I'm sorry for not telling you sooner but I didn't think you'd mind," Glinda said, knowing exactly why Elphaba was upset but Glinda was getting irritated that Elphaba kept asking her questions when all she wanted to do was tell her the truth.

"So you gave her my sister's shoes?" shouted Elphaba as pieces of her black hair fell out of her tight bun. Her black dress spun around her heels as she pivoted away from the blonde. Her combat boots kicked up dust as she began to walk away, furious down the path. "How could you? Don't you know that Nessa told me I could have those shoes when she died! Instead of waiting, you gave those precious shoes to that stupid little farm-"

"Elphaba Thropp will you stop obsessing over those damn shoes!" shrieked Glinda as she dug the heels of her shoes into the ground as she stormed over to the green woman, "Can't you see that I have something to tell you? Can't you see that I'm upset?"

Glinda's voice broke as tears threatened to fall from her eyes.

Elphaba looked at the blonde's face suddenly.

"Well, I'm waiting," she snapped stiffly as she crossed her arms over her chest and tapped one of her feet in irritation.

Glinda took a breath, and felt her body shudder. She knew what would happen if she told Elphaba, but Glinda knew for once in her life that she had to do the right thing. If this was the only thing she did right, then so be it.

"They're, the Wizard and Morrible are- they're planning to kill you, Elphie!" stammered Glinda as her voice rose and became emotional. Tears flooded her vision and she found strangled sobs coming out in her own voice. She breathed in and out quickly as her hysteria grew.

"The farm girl, she's going to see the Wizard," choked out Glinda between gasps of sobs, "and he told me that he's planning to tell her that the only way for her to- to get back home is to kill you."

Glinda looked at Elphaba, her body shaking with sadness, grief and angry, "I won't let them kill you, Elphie," she swore tearfully, "I won't let them."

Elphaba said nothing for the longest time. It seemed like eons and eons of time were flying by as the two women stood there. For Glinda, the silence was unbearable. Her sadness was growing as every second passed, and she was sobbing so loudly that she was sure to wake up Elphaba's father. Elphaba remained silent; which made Glinda sob even harder.

"Oh, Glinda," the blonde heard the green woman say softly after a while. She could hear the clunking of the combats boots as Elphaba walked over to her. Glinda began to cry harder, until her breath came in wheezing gasps. She felt arms around her and she collapsed against Elphaba, just like she had done so back when she lost the baby all those years ago.

"I don't want to be a pawn anymore, Elphie," she whispered as tears rolled consistently down her face, "I don't want my life, I don't want any of it! I just want you." She thought of everything that she had been through in the last fifteen years and she would have thrown it all away just to be with Elphaba.

"Hush now, will you?" commanded Elphaba as she ran her hands gently down Glinda's back in comfort, "Don't worry, Glinda they won't kill me. I'm too smart for them."

Elphaba's voice had a certain cockiness edge to it but that was shut down completely by what Glinda had to whimper next.

"But what if you're not?"

It came out like a child would ask it, emotional and heightened. Elphaba paused her hand and her body.

"Don't think that way, you silly blonde," she muttered into her ear. But even to Glinda she did not sound convincing.

Glinda half-laughed half cried at that, and she tightened her tiny grip around Elphaba's thin waist.

"Oh, Elphie I've missed you so much," expressed Glinda as she tore herself away from the green woman and looked up into her face.

It was amazing how much Elphaba hadn't changed. Her features were still sharp and passionate, her body still annoyingly thin, her limbs long and angular, her hair tied back away from her face, and her skin color was duller but still as stunning as ever.

Glinda stared into those dark eyes of her former lover with passion. She never wanted Elphie to leave her side again.

"I love you, Elphaba, Elphie, Fae," crooned Glinda as her lips got close and closer to Elphaba's. Just when it seemed like they were about to touch, Elphaba gasped and pulled away suddenly. Her hands were lifted off of Glinda, and she wrapped them around herself.

Her eyes were wide, and she seemed shocked.

"Elphie?" the blonde's high-pitched voice seemed scared, "What's wrong?" She felt her stomach turn into a black hole as she waited for an answer. She wondered if Elphaba was having an allergic reaction to her tears or if it was something else altogether.

"Oh Oz," moaned Elphaba. Flashes of that night from the Corn Exchange appeared in her mind.

"I remember, I remember what happened," Elphaba whispered to herself. Her grip on her body lessened and she suddenly looked at Glinda.

"Oh my Oz!" shouted Elphaba as her eyes grew focused again.

"Elphaba? You- you remember?" Glinda took a step closer to her, a trembling hand reached out to touch her skin. The blonde just wanted to touch her, to provide comfort but she didn't know if Elphaba would allow it.

"Don't touch me!" said Elphaba reproachfully as she flinched away from Glinda's fingers.

"Elphie I-" Glinda tried but Elphaba would have none of it.

"You could have told me," she spat out, her murderous gaze on Glinda, "at the mauntery. Glinda you could have told me everything and yet you chose to lie! You told me that the Gale Force killed Fiyero when you knew perfectly well because you were the one who killed him that they did not kill you! You killed him, and I hate you for it!" Elphaba's voice was shrieks and yells.

Every word tore pieces of Glinda's heart out.

"I know I should have, but I'm trying to set things right now. That's why I came here to tell you about the Wizard's plan," rushed Glinda trying to calm the dangerous waters that these memories had created.

Elphaba's features turned harsh as she whirled away from the other woman.

"And you thought that that would make everything all right," muttered Elphaba bitterly.

"I-" but Glinda didn't even finish her sentence.

"I don't want to hear your excuses, Glinda!" shouted Elphaba as she started to stomp away.

"Elphaba, wait just let me explain!" yelled Glinda as Elphaba stormed past her in the dirt.

"I'm done with you, I'm done with everything!" screamed Elphaba. She threw her hands down against her sides with a slapping sound. Her expression remained furious as Glinda unlady-likely ran over to her.

"Elphie, Elphie listen to me," whispered Glinda as the other woman stood in the middle for the path shaking with emotion.

Elphaba closed her eyes and breathed in and out deeply, trying to sort everything out in her head.

"Don't do this," the blonde said softly as her fingertips reached out and grazed the skin on Elphaba's forearm gently, "Don't give in to them. Don't be like me. You can change things, Elphie."

"I've already given up, Glinda," said Elphaba blandly, "And don't kid yourself… since when I have changed anything…"

She started to walk away, to go check on her father.

"You've changed me."

Elphaba turned around and looked at the woman. Glinda's eyes were tearing up and she fiddled with those tiny hands.

"You did, you kept me sane when I needed you the most. Even now, when I get upset I think of you-" Glinda was rambling, fearful that Elphaba would just disappear on here again.

"Don't," interrupted Elphaba passionately.

The blonde's foolish smile faltered, "What?" She was confused, what was Elphaba talking about? Glinda felt like she wanted to cry again.

"Don't think of me, Glinda. Don't even daydream or dream or even have nightmares about me. Don't think about calling me, or kissing or anything! I'm as good as dead to you now. Can't you see, Glinda? I'm wicked!"

Glinda shook her head.

"You're not. I can see right through you, and I always have. You are not wicked Elphaba Thropp!"

She took a step forward, while Elphaba took a step back.

"I killed Madame Morrible," admitted Elphaba.

That stopped Glinda. It made her pause. The words registered in her mind but she couldn't comprehend them.

"Elphie, you're not a murderer, you-"

Elphaba shrieked and grabbed at her hair.

"Glinda! Do you not see me for who I truly am now? I killed Madame Morrible, and I'm going to get those shoes from that little girl even if it means if I have to kill her," Elphaba stormed over to Glinda, and grabbed her small wrist tightly.

"Don't get in my way again, or I will hurt you," she threatened as she stared deep into Glinda's eyes.

The blonde's breath hitched, "You can't hurt me anymore, Elphie," she said as her voice wobbled, "because you already tore out my heart."

"I'll kill you," shouted Elphaba but even as she said it they both knew she never would. Elphaba couldn't kill Glinda and she knew it. She could threaten, and boy would she do a lot of that, but she would never kill her.

Glinda's face morphed into one of utter sadness and yet she still smiled. It was a trembling smile but a smile nonetheless and it shocked Elphaba to see that the blonde was smiling.

"I'd still love you even if you did," choked out Glinda as a single tear streamed down her face. It fell onto Elphaba's wrist but the green woman did not move. A prolonged silence filled the tense air.

"Leave," Elphie hissed at the blonde as her grasp on her wrist lessened and she whirled away from her without another word.

Glinda watched as she walked away with tears in her eyes. Her heart felt like it was ripping at the seams, and there was nothing she could do to fix it.

The one woman who understood her, who cared about her, who loved her was as wicked as sin and was about to be murdered by a little girl. And Glinda could do nothing.

Sobs escaped from her lips and wracked her small body as she stood there and just watched until Elphaba was nothing but a speck of green in the distance.

So much ANGST! But don't worry our two famous leading ladies will have just one other meeting before Elphaba dies, or does she...?

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