Within weeks of being born, the twins Elphaba and Galinda had the entire palace wrapped around their little pinkies. Every waking moment was spent tending to their needs and cries. Raiden and Isabelle had never realized how exhausting their darling twins were going to be, but they loved them nonetheless. They would dote on their daughters and shower them with attention and love. Glinda and Elphaba would help out as much as they could. They both loved their granddaughters with all of their hearts.

One afternoon, Glinda was in the nursery with Isabelle as she put the twins down for a nap. Isabelle was rocking Galinda in her arms as she was fussier than her sister and would not go down easily.

"Aren't you excited to find out what their powers are?" Glinda beamed.

"Excited…scared out of my mind," Isabelle replied. "After seeing what they could do inside the womb, it makes me a little leery of finding out what they can do outside."

"What do you mean?" Glinda inquired.

"Well, when I was being held captive, Madame Morrible would come in daily and check me for any signs of illness. She would even draw blood from my stomach to test it somehow. About halfway into the pregnancy, she stuck me once and the babies zapped her from the inside. And every time after that day, any time she came near my stomach she would get shocked," Isabelle explained, rocking Galinda back and forth in her arms.

Glinda chuckled a little before saying, "I guess they knew right away who was good and who was evil."

"Yeah," Isabelle agreed. "Towards the end of the pregnancy is when they decided to fling things across the room at her when she would come in. It was rather amusing to see her so frustrated."

Glinda laughed in agreement. "Oh, these little ones are going to grow up so fast. Before you know it, they'll be running around the palace and we'll be chasing them everywhere."

"Raiden and I have our hands full with these two, but we love them dearly," Isabelle said. "I am thankful to have both mom and you to give me advice and help."

"We're happy to help," Glinda said.

Isabelle gazed down at the infant in her arms. With her finger, she gently stroked Galinda's emerald cheek as her eyes became heavy and began to droop. A few moments later, the baby drifted to sleep. Isabelle gently laid the baby in her cradle and tucked her in for her nap. Glinda and Isabelle quietly crept out of the nursery while the twins were sleeping. Glinda gently shut the door behind her. She and Isabelle went down the hall to the library where Elphaba was reading. They walked in and Elphaba looked up at them from her book.

"The twins?" Elphaba inquired.

"Sleeping," Isabelle replied. "Where are Dad, Raiden, and Boq?"

"Who knows?" Elphaba answered. "Probably working with the guard to organize another search for Morrible."

"Those three get into more trouble when they're together," Glinda said. "Remember their hunting trip right after you and Raiden were married?"

"Oh yes," Isabelle exclaimed laughing, "the one where Daddy came home with an arrow in his behind?"

"I don't know how many times Boq apologized for that," Glinda mused.

"To this day Fiyero refuses to tell me what happened. He blushes profusely and walks away every time I try to ask him about it," Elphaba said.

"Not even Raiden would tell me," Isabelle added. "Do you think that it's some sort of 'men code' not to tell us what goes on during their trips?"

"Probably," Glinda answered. "Just like we never tell them what goes on during our little talks."

"That is just the way things are," Elphaba said.

Glinda and Isabelle nodded in agreement.

"Do you think Morrible can be found?" Isabelle asked.

"With every available person searching for her, I doubt she'll get away," Elphaba reassured Isabelle.

"That woman is horrible," Glinda sniped. "Even when we were in school she was one of the most horrendible people I had ever come across. The rumors she spread about Elphie after the incident with the Wizard made me sick to my stomach every night."

"Even while I was pregnant with the twins, she would tell me how she would find some way to change the appearance of my child if it were to turn out like myself and mom. She said that green children did not deserve to live in the world of Oz," Isabelle added.

"We will find her and she will pay for her crimes both on Elphie and you," Glinda said. "She will not escape this time either."

The three women stared at one another in silence. All of them knew that until Morrible was found and captured, the twins were not safe. Isabelle excused herself from the room to check on her daughters. She walked back into the nursery and found both girls sleeping soundly. Lovingly, she gazed at her daughters sleeping in their cradles. Isabelle counted both of her girls a blessing. Quietly she sat in a rocking chair near them.

"You know," she whispered, "before you were born, I knew in my heart that both of you would be girls. I love you both so much that I can't imagine my life without either one of you. I promise you that your grandmothers, grandfathers, your father, and I will do everything in our power to keep you safe. We all adore you and are so happy that you are finally here for us to hold and love."

"Especially because they look so much like their beautiful mother," Raiden's voice whispered from the doorway. "Soon enough we'll be beating off the boys with a stick and chasing suitors from them."

"I didn't realize that you were in here," she whispered.

"I came to check on the girls and you were already in here," he whispered back.

"Raiden," she murmured on the verge of tears, "I'm terrified. It's been a month and we still have not found Madame Morrible. I don't want to lose our daughters."

"Shhh…" he comforted as he took her in his arms. "We won't lose them. I promise you as long as I'm breathing, nothing will ever come to harm our daughters."

"Why…why would she want to harm two of the most innocent beings in all of Oz?" Isabelle begged to know.

"The same reason she went after your mother…power. She was once one of the most influential women in all of Oz and now she has lost that status. With our children's power, she could rule Oz without so much as lifting a finger," Raiden explained.

"That is a horrible reason to take any child from their parents and use them for your own purposes. I swear that one day, somehow, I will make her feel all the consequences for all the pain she has caused our family!" Isabelle whispered.

"Calm yourself sweetheart," he said, kissing her forehead. "No need to get worked up when you don't have to be."

"You're a saint," she said. "How could I deserve you?"

"No, I'm the lucky one to have you in my life," he said.

"Well, whoever is the lucky one, we're both fortunate to have one another. I couldn't fathom living my life without you here beside me to comfort me when I feel like everything is going wrong," she said.

"I have something for you," he said. "It's a little project that I've been working on for the past month since your return home."

"Raiden, a gift for me?" she asked.

"Of course," he said. "Turn around."

Isabelle turned around. Raiden lifted her hair and dangled a necklace around her neck. It was a gold heart locket. She opened it and inscribed inside were the words in script To my wife and the mother of my children. Love always, Raiden. Isabelle could feel the tears welling up in her eyes and threatening to fall down and burn her face. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. She turned around to face her husband. There was a smile on his face. In an instant she pressed her lips to his. A few moments later, they broke their kiss and looked into one another's eyes.

"It's beautiful," she said. "Thank you."

"It's nothing compared to what you have given me," he said.

"I love you so much," she said.

"I love you too," he replied.

Their interlude was interrupted by the wails of a screaming infant. Elphaba was awake and wanting to be picked up immediately. Isabelle quickly walked over to comfort her child. She picked the squalling infant up and cradled her close.