AN: So I completely forgot to update yesterday and such. I'm updating twice today. I've been so busy. I've been trying to start on "Forced Love" again and I am fighting with my past self about how fast they moved there. I can't exactly take it back (well, I guess I could but so many people have already read it… if it were still in the editing stage, I would), but I can try and work through it, though it's slow going. Maybe I'll take a look at "Truth or Dare" or "Your Life Could End Up Changing"… not sure. Anyway, for now, here's this.

Chapter 38: Reckless

As the winter holidays approached, Elphaba and Glinda continued to study the Grimmerie for the spell alluded to in the history book. The girls stayed up night after night while Fiyero watched or studied for his economics class. Nothing seemed to pop out at them.

"I give up," Glinda grumbled late one Friday night. "We're not getting anywhere."

"Unless we burn ourselves with fire, I really don't see how this spell would work…" Elphaba turned the page.

"What about that transformation spell? The one you used for Malky and to fix Glinda's pillows?"

"How could that 'purify' us?"

"Well, what if the thing needed to purify you is an object?"

"What words am I supposed to ask it to do? Asking it to create a cat or pillows makes sense, but how do I say 'whatever in Kumbrica's arse we need to purify ourselves'?"

"You say that."

"You're insane."

"I'll try it and see what happens. Give me something to transform," Glinda demanded. Fiyero handed her a pencil from Elphaba's desk, ignoring that Elphaba glared at him when he did so. Glinda grabbed the Grimmerie from Elphaba, who at this point didn't protest. She muttered the spell and pointed at the pencil. A vial of potion appeared. "It worked!" She made to grab it.

Elphaba snatched it first. "Glinda, don't! You're just going to take some random potion that appeared from a spell? You don't even know what this really is!"

Glinda's face fell. "That's true. But what choice do we have?"

Elphaba turned to Fiyero. "Fiyero, how would you feel if I were to just take this random potion that could very well kill me?" Elphaba asked sweetly.

Fiyero took the potion from her. "Not happening."

"See? Fiyero agrees."

"Fiyero agrees because you scared him and he loves you too much not to worry," Glinda huffed.

"Well, I also worry, and I worry about you." Elphaba folded her arms across her chest.

Fiyero sighed, looking from one girl to the other. "Don't put me in the middle of this. Both of you scare me."

Elphaba glared at him. "I'm your girlfriend and you're afraid of me?"

"Either one of you angry is not something I want to endure." Fiyero held up his hands.

Glinda sighed. "Well, then what do we do now?"

Elphaba took the bottle from Fiyero and grabbed a ceramic mug from her bookshelf. "I want to at least see what this looks like." She poured the bottle into the mug. The liquid was a murky, thick purple, though it smelled deceptively sweet.

Glinda swished the liquid around in the mug. "We need to do something with it. This is the only solution we've come up with."

"Or you just get rid of the book," Fiyero suggested.

Both girls glared at him.

"Or not."

"We could give it to Malky and see if he gets sick or dies…" Glinda thought aloud.

"So his life is less valuable than ours?" Elphaba grumbled.

"Well, what else is there?"

Elphaba sighed. "I don't know."

Glinda put the cup down on the floor and the cat instantly ran towards it. Elphaba turned away as the cat lapped a few sips of the liquid, clenching her fists. She turned back when there was a flash of light. The cat was still there, as if nothing had changed.

"See? Malky's fine!" Glinda grabbed the cup and, before Elphaba could stop her, took three sips of the liquid. The light flashed again and when it was gone, Glinda stood in the same spot.

Elphaba ran over to her and grabbed the mug. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"I feel… lighter."

"Glinda," Elphaba hid her face in her hands and took a deep breath, "that was the stupidest thing you have ever done. How do you know there aren't any long term effects?"

She shrugged. "I don't know."

Fiyero took Elphaba's hand. "Calm down. There's nothing you can do about it now."

Elphaba looked at Glinda, trying to stay calm. "I can't believe you did that."

Fiyero threw his arm around Elphaba's waist. "Glinda, that was a little reckless."

Glinda looked at her feet. "I know. But… I don't feel like it hurt me."

Elphaba pulled away from Fiyero gently and sat down on her bed, still breathing slowly as if trying to keep herself in control. "Does it feel any different when you touch the book? You said you could sense something bad in that spell, in that book, although not as much as I could… are those feelings still there?"

Fiyero handed Glinda the book and sat beside Elphaba, resting a hand on her shoulder comfortingly as she leaned into him. "I guess trying at this point can't hurt, can it?"

Glinda looked at Elphaba for a moment, concerned. "I didn't mean to upset you, Elphie."

"When everyone around me goes off almost getting themselves killed, it upsets me!"

"I didn't almost get myself killed!"

"How do you know?"

"I just… do."

Elphaba grumbled, "Sure."

"Well, excuse me, I'm going to look at this, then." Glinda opened the book and began flipping through the pages. She paused as she came to the supposed "curse" and studied it. "I don't feel that scary feeling, Elphie."

"Maybe you're just tricking yourself into thinking that."

"No, Elphie, I mean it! I couldn't even use this spell if I tried."

"I think she means it, Fae," Fiyero said helpfully.

"Oh, so now you want me to drink the damn thing?"

"Well… maybe not." Fiyero bit his lip for a moment, then kissed her. "Hell, go ahead. You do enough crazy things."

Elphaba glared at him, but grabbed the mug and swallowed three gulps. Light flashed again and she felt pretty much the same. Well, not quite, but she couldn't put a finger on how it felt. The purple liquid tasted like pure sugar, almost too sweet. Fiyero was still holding her hand, actually squeezing it so hard she had no circulation. "Fiyero, you can stop clutching me for dear life."

"Sorry." He let go. "So…?"

"Just give me the damn book." Elphaba wrenched the book out of Glinda's arms.

"No need to be so angry about it," Glinda shook her head.

Elphaba was already looking through the book, turning the pages until she reached the page that had caused her nightmares for months. As she looked it over, nothing changed. She didn't feel the shadows that had once darkened her thoughts. "Glinda…"

"I'm right. I know."

Elphaba sent her a piercing look. "It was still stupid to do what you did."

"It worked."

"And if it hadn't?"

"Oh, don't be so cynical!"

Elphaba seemed a little shaken, so Fiyero wrapped his arms around her. "It's okay. We're all fine. No one got hurt."

"Well, it could've been worse!"

Glinda sighed. "I'm sorry, Elphie."

"It's okay, so long as you're fine."

She hugged Elphaba. "I am. And so are you. So is Malky!"

The cat was purring at Glinda's feet. Elphaba merely shook her head at it, "You are all going to drive me completely nuts."