Are you ready for, ready for
A perfect storm, perfect storm
'Cause once you're mine, once you're mine
There's no going back
-Dark Horse by Katy Perry
Elphaba stroked Galinda's hair gently, smiling slightly as she watched the blonde sleep on her chest. The Frottican apparently hadn't slept in quite some time, and though she'd tried to stay awake, she'd succumbed to her exhaustion about ten minutes ago. Nessa was still awake, sitting by the window with her prayer book open in her lap.
"Don't tell me you prayed for me the whole time," Elphaba said teasingly.
Nessa gave her sister a look. "Prayer never hurt anyone."
"It hurts my nonexistent soul."
"Surprisingly, I missed your biting sarcasm."
"I missed you too, Nessie." A pause. "What happened while I was gone?"
The younger Thropp shrugged. "Nothing much…"
A slim eyebrow arched. "Why were you at Shiz? You're not supposed to attend until next year."
"Father took Shell and went off to Quadling Country… our mother's death was too much for him, and your sudden disappearance didn't help. He left me at Shiz to keep me safe, and I've been rooming with Galinda."
Elphaba smiled slightly, looking back down at the blonde in question. "And she hasn't driven you insane yet?"
"She was too busy being concerned about you."
"Of course she was." The Munchkin kissed Galinda's forehead gently, and pink lips twitched into a small smile as the blonde nestled further into the green woman.
There was a knock at the door, and both women looked up.
"I hope I'm not disturbing you," the Wizard said, opening the door.
"No… you didn't," Nessa said before her sister could say something rude, no doubt.
The Wizard nodded before taking a few steps into the room. "How… how are you feeling, Elphaba?"
"Fine," the Munchkin replied shortly.
Oscar nodded, his gaze falling the sleeping Galinda. "And Miss Galinda?"
"She's still alive, so don't think about pulling a white sheet over her," the green woman practically spat, holding the blonde a bit closer.
"Elphaba," Nessa said, giving her sister.
"It's all right, Miss Nessarose," the Wizard said. "Might you give us a few minutes alone?"
The brunette gave her sister a look that told her to be civil before she turned her chair and wheeled from the room.
"Elphaba… I know you will never forgive me for what I've done… and you have every right to remain angry with me… but please believe me when I say that I never wanted to hurt you. I never had a family of my own… until you were born."
"Why did you try to kill me then?"
The Wizard sighed. "I was young… scared… I didn't know any better…"
"And now you do?"
"I like to think so." Oscar sighed again. "Elphaba… you will most likely never trust me again, but as your father, I will keep you safe. Therefore, I am removing you from Shiz University, and away from Madame Morrible's reach."
The Third Thropp Descending paused, a bit taken aback by that. "What?"
"I do not believe that Madame Morrible is looking out for your best interests, despite what she might say. I do not feel that you are safe under her care."
"But you… you agreed with her to bring me back here."
The Wizard nodded. "Yes, I did… she was the only one who knew where you were and how to free you… I had to go along with her plan in order to bring you home safely."
The Munchkin was having a hard time grasping what the Wizard was telling her. "All along… you had no intention of letting Morrible drain my magic…"
"Of course not. I meant what I said, Elphaba: you are my daughter, and I will not allow any harm to come to you."
Elphaba wasn't quite sure how to respond; this was certainly unexpected. "I… if I am removed from Shiz… where will I go? My mother is dead, and my father has disappeared into Quadling Country… and while your intentions are good, I cannot bear to stay in your palace… or even this city… it is too haunting for me."
"I understand… that is why I have made arrangements to allow you to stay at the Colwen Grounds."
"But my education—
"I have hired private professors to teach you so you can finish your degree."
"Well I can't just leave Galinda—"
"I understand you two have agreed to be married. I can officiate the marriage, and once she is your wife, she will be granted the same immunity your name allows."
Elphaba could only stare at the Wizard. "How long have you had this planned?"
"Since Morrible came to me wanting to bring you back. I knew her intentions had to be selfish, so I began thinking of how I could help you… even though I know you asked me to stay out of your life."
The green woman looked down at the blonde still sleeping on her chest. "You told me Galinda was dead… you knew how much I cared for her…"
"And if I could go back and change it, I would, but what's done is done. What matters is that I am trying to help you now… if you let me. Please, Elphaba… you've spent your entire life taking care of others… isn't it time someone took care of you?"
The Third Thropp Descending didn't want to admit that what the Wizard was saying was agreeable. Aside from Galinda, no one had ever watched out for her. Nessa loved her of course, but she was invalid, and had relied on Elphaba for her care. Melena had never shown her daughter the slightest bit of maternal affection until she'd taken a bullet to save the green woman's life, and subsequently lost her own. And now the Wizard… a man who had tried to drown her as a baby… now he was offering to help her and place her away from Morrible's grasp, a woman who was proving to be more of an enemy than the Wizard himself.
Elphaba soon found herself nodding. "All right… once Galinda wakes up, I will discuss this with her… if she agrees, then I will accept your proposals… all of them."
The Wizard nodded, a smile on his face. "Thank you, Elphaba."
"Don't thank me yet. I could still say no."
Oscar nodded before he stood and headed for the door, pausing to look over his shoulder at the Third Thropp Descending. "You may not believe me… but I did love your mother… and I love you."
Elphaba had no reply, and as the Wizard left, she found the words replaying in her mind, wondering if they really were the truth.
About an hour or so later, Galinda began to stir, and she felt a hand stroking her hair gently as blue eyes fluttered open.
"Mmm… Elphie?"
"Yes, my sweet, it's me," came the Munchkin's familiar voice.
Galinda smiled sleepily at that, looking up at the angular face of her green lover. "I was afraid I might be dreaming again…"
"Unless we are both asleep and sharing the same dream, I believe you are awake."
The blonde gave her a look, but snuggled into her chest with a happy sigh. "You didn't sleep?"
"I wasn't tired."
"How could you not be?" Galinda looked back up at her.
"From what I understand, I was unconscious for quite some time when I arrived here, and I didn't feel like sleeping so soon after."
The blonde frowned. "But you need to rest."
"I'm fine."
"Elphie—"
"Hush, my sweet," Elphaba interrupted, silencing the Frottican's protests with a gentle kiss. "For now, there is a more important matter I must discuss with you."
The frown deepened. "Elphaba Thropp, if you tell me you are going to leave again, I swear to Oz—"
"Are you going to listen, or continue to make assumptions and put words in my mouth?"
Galinda gave the green woman a look, but closed her mouth.
"Thank you." Elphaba kissed her again. "The Wizard came to speak to me earlier… he has a plan to keep us safe from Morrible."
"Us?"
"Yes… us." The Third Thropp Descending brushed a lock of hair from the blonde's face. "The Wizard has offered to officiate our marriage, and then move us to the Colwen Grounds."
"He… he wants to marry us?" A pause. "How will that keep us safe?"
"Once you are my wife, you will share the same immunity that the Thropp name provides me. Morrible will be unable to touch us, and we will not have to return to Shiz."
"But our degrees—"
"He has hired private professors to teach us in our home."
Galinda blinked; this was a lot to take in, after all.
"What do you think?" Elphaba asked.
The blonde pinched her arm.
"Ow!"
"Why didn't you wake me up?"
"Because you were asleep!"
"So?!"
Elphaba rolled her eyes, and received another pinch for such. "OW!"
"Elphaba Thropp, you have to wake me up when there are decisions that could change our life!"
"I'm sorry! It's not like we still can't say yes."
"Well, when we're married, you need to remember to wake me!"
A slim eyebrow arched. "So… you do want this? You want to marry me?"
"Yes, you ridiculous woman!"
Elphaba smiled slightly at that, kissing the blonde gently, and it struck Galinda fully what she had said.
"I love you too…" the Munchkin said once they had broken apart. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her mother's ring, causing sapphire eyes to widen.
"Elphie…"
"I trust I don't have to ask again…?"
Galinda didn't reply, instead shaking her head as her eyes began to fill with tears, watching as Elphaba slid the ring onto her finger. She kissed the green woman deeply, wrapping her arms around her.
"I love you so much, Elphaba…" the blonde breathed once they had broken apart.
"And I you, my sweet…"
Nessa figured that by now, Elphaba should be ready for her presence again. She had given her sister far longer than a few minutes to talk to the Wizard alone, and she had heard Galinda's voice earlier, which meant the blonde was awake. The younger Thropp was currently on her way back to Elphaba's room, her chair squeaking slightly.
"Miss Nessarose."
The brunette froze at the voice, and she took a deep breath before she turned her chair around. "Madame Morrible."
The older woman approached Nessa, an unsettling smile plastered on her face. "How are you feeling now that you have been reunited with your sister?"
"I… I am all right; my condition should improve now."
"That is certainly good to hear. However, I have another concern regarding you and your sister." Morrible took a few steps towards the brunette, making her feel very nervous. "It does not appear as though Miss Elphaba will be returning to Shiz… which leaves me to wonder if you will be returning as well."
"I… I hadn't entirely considered. I was focused on my sister's safe return."
"Of course you were, though I am concerned that should you choose to not return your Shiz, you will lose out on an important education. I also believe that if you continue to rely on your sister, you will never become independent; after all, you can't expect Elphaba to remain by your side for the rest of your life, can you? Haven't you taken enough of her childhood?"
Nessa gripped the arms of her chair, trying to block out Morrible's words, and force away her own guilt. "I am perfectly capable without Elphaba—"
"Yet you claim you grew ill and close to death in her absence."
The younger Thropp's grip on her chair tightened.
"Well, perhaps Miss Elphaba would be able to think clearer without having to worry about you any longer."
Before Nessa could question what that meant, Morrible pushed her wheelchair backwards towards the staircase. The younger Thropp quickly grabbed the front of the older woman's robes in an attempt to keep herself from tumbling down the stairs.
"Miss Nessarose, really, this will all be over quite soon," Morrible said nastily, trying to pry her hands free.
"You are not going to use me as leverage against my sister!" Nessa replied, her voice strained as she fought to keep her grip.
"You are not leverage; you are merely a nuisance." Morrible gave her another shove, and Nessa lost her grip for a moment. She felt her chair teeter backwards over the first step, and she grappled for something to hold onto, managing to catch the rail. She clung to it tightly, hearing her chair go clattering down the staircase.
"Must you be difficult?" Morrible sighed.
"El—" Nessa started to scream for her sister, but her voice was suddenly silenced.
"She's not going to help you; not this time."
The brunette realized it must have been Morrible's magic that was keeping her quiet, and in that moment, Nessa knew the headmistress meant to kill her.
"Miss Nessarose!"
The two women looked up at the voice, seeing that it was the Wizard approaching.
"Are you all right? What happened?" he continued, kneeling beside her and pulling her up to safety.
Nessa tried to reply, but her voice was still silenced, and all that came out were strangled noises. Her gaze fell on Morrible, and her eyes widened as she saw the older woman lifting a vase. She tried to warn the Wizard, but with her voice still lost, there was little she could do but watch.
"How soon do you think we can get married?" Galinda asked from where she sat on the bed, admiring the ring on her finger.
"As soon as we wish," came Elphaba's reply from the washroom. She soon emerged, arching an eyebrow upon seeing the blonde. "Are you still looking at that?"
"I like the way it looks," the Frottican replied, sticking her tongue out at the green woman.
Elphaba rolled her eyes, and had just approached the bed when the sound of shattering glass caught their attention.
"What was that?" Galinda asked.
"I don't know." Elphaba started for the door, but the Frottican caught her arm.
"Elphaba wait. I know how this goes: you go investigate, and then you manage to get into trouble."
"I can't just stay here."
"Then I'm going with you."
"No—"
"Don't try and tell me it's too dangerous. I can take care of myself; I am not helpless."
Elphaba knew she couldn't argue with the blonde, so she merely nodded. "Just stay close to me." The green woman left the room, Galinda close behind. The two made their way down the hall quietly, and upon reaching the corner, Elphaba paused, motioning for Galinda to do the same.
"I'll check first, then you follow," the green woman whispered.
Galinda nodded, and Elphaba peered around the corner. Her gaze fell on the pieces of shattered glass on the floor, and she made her toward them carefully, kneeling down to examine the pieces.
"What happened?" Galinda asked.
"I'm not sure… but it can't be good," the green woman replied, straightening up. "There's blood on some of the pieces."
Galinda reached for the Munchkin's hand, and Elphaba allowed her to take it.
"Don't worry, my sweet. We'll figure this out."
Galinda was about to nod when her gaze fell on the bottom of the staircase. "Elphaba…"
The green woman followed her gaze, and her heart stopped for a moment. "Nessa." Elphava raced down the staircase, falling to her knees beside her sister, who was lying sprawled beside her wrecked wheelchair. "Nessie? Nessie, are you all right?"
The younger Thropp looked up at her sister, letting out a strangled noise of pain.
"What happened?"
Nessa closed her eyes, trying to focus, but she was in too much pain to move, and Morrible hadn't released the silencing spell, so all that came out was another pained whimper.
Elphaba lifted her sister into her arms gently as she stood. "All right, Nessie, don't worry, I've got you."
"Oh, Miss Elphaba, when will you allow your sister to fend for herself?"
The green woman let out a growl as she scanned the room, trying to find the owner of the voice she hated so much. "Morrible!"
Galinda gripped the green woman's arm, and Elphaba turned, her gaze falling on the older woman.
"You… what did you do to my sister?" Elphaba growled.
"You always had a flair for the dramatic. Miss Nessarose is still alive, isn't she?"
"She's in pain, and she can't speak! What did you do, hit her with a vase and then push her down the stairs?"
"Why, Miss Elphaba, I would never—"
"Then what happened?"
"I merely placed a silencing spell on her." Morrible waved her hand, and Nessa let out a gasp, beginning to cough. "There, good as new."
"Elphaba… the Wizard… she knocked him out," Nessa managed to get out.
The green woman looked back up at Morrible. "What did you do to him?"
"And why should you care, Miss Elphaba? If I recall correctly, you've always had an intense dislike for the Wizard."
"Don't play games with me! What did you do?"
Morrible let out a sigh. "I merely took care of him; after all, he was standing in the way of your education."
Galinda's eyes widened at that. "You killed the Wizard?"
"Why, Miss Galinda, you assume the worst."
"Enough of this," Elphaba growled, setting her sister down gently.
Galinda knelt beside the younger Thropp, ready to raise a bubble if needed.
The Third Thropp Descending summoned a fireball, starting for the older woman. "I am going to finish this once and for all—" Elphaba suddenly stopped, jerking a bit as the fireball fizzled out. Galinda didn't understand why until she heard an odd, slick noise, and she saw a dagger being pulled from Elphaba's torso.
"Elphaba!"
The green woman put a hand to the wound, bringing her hand back red. Her brow furrowed, as if she weren't entirely sure what had happened. She tried to take another step forward, only to have the blade thrust into her again.
"Miss Elphaba, you have disappointed me; once again, you have let your emotions blind you," Morrible said, extracting the dagger.
Elphaba fell to her knees, her blood dripping onto the emerald tiles. She reprimanded herself for being so careless; she should have expected Morrible to be waiting for her… to get her all riled up so she wouldn't think clearly.
"Elphaba!" she heard Galinda call again, and she glanced over her shoulder, seeing the blonde begin to stand.
"No!" she managed to gasp out. "Stay with Nessa…"
The Frottican paused, her eyes welling with tears. How could something like this happen to them again? They were going to be married…
"How valiant of you, Miss Elphaba. However, your actions will once again be in vain," Morrible said. She placed a hand on the back on the green woman's head, pushing it down as she raised her knife again. "You have been a thorn in my side long enough."
"Oh Madame, I'm much more than a thorn," Elphaba managed, a smirk on her face.
"You think too highly of yourself."
As Morrible began to bring down the blade, Galinda thrust her arm out, creating a bubble around the green woman at the same time Elphaba summoned the last of her magic, creating the same dark electricity from Kiamo Ko. The result of their combined magic not only threw Morrible back, but had also inadvertently created an electrified bubble around the Munchkin.
"Very impressive," Morrible said as she got to her feet. "But this only buys you time. I'll just dispose of the blonde airhead and your crippled sister first."
"Excuse you?!" came Galinda's indignant reply. A fireball was suddenly rocketing at Morrible, who thrust a hand out quickly to extinguish it, but when that didn't work, she was forced to dive out of the way. "I may be blonde, but I'm not THAT blonde!"
"Well, Miss Galinda, it appears you're finally beginning to gain control of your magic… well, in a way more than bubbles."
"There is nothing wrong with my bubbles!" Galinda threw another fireball, and she realized then that they were encased within bubbles, explaining why Morrible couldn't extinguish them.
The older woman dodged the projectile yet again. "What do you plan to do, Miss Galinda? Continue this barrage until you manage to hit me? If I were you—" Morrible didn't get to finish her thought about what she would do because at that moment, the blonde managed to hit her with another fireball, knocking her back.
"You were saying, Madame?"
Morrible stood with a growl before sweeping her hands to the side, and a strong wind began to pass throughout the room.
"Is this your big plan? To create a little wind? The worst you can do is ruin my hair, and I care little about that now!" Galinda called over the wind.
"Miss Galinda, you must have forgotten, which is not surprising in the slightest; my specialty is weather."
The Frottican's brow furrowed a bit, but after a few more moments, her eyes widened as she realized what Morrible had meant. She hadn't created just a strong wind; she was creating a tornado.
"What's the matter, Miss Galinda? Out of bubbles?" came Morrible's taunting voice.
"Not quite." Galinda quickly summoned one around Nessa before turning her attention back to Elphaba, who still inside her bubble, but looking very weak. "Elphaba!" she called, trying to get close to her, but the wind was picking up much stronger. The blonde put her arms up to protect her face as she slowly made her way towards the Munchkin. "Elphaba!" she shouted again, but her voice was lost in the howling wind.
The room began to shake, and pieces of the ceiling began to crack and fall, narrowly missing Galinda by inches. The Frottican was forced to take a step back as a large piece of emerald hit the floor in front of her. One piece fell on Elphaba's bubble, and the dark electricity shattered it, sending emerald shards every which way.
"Come now, Miss Galinda, don't tell me you're giving up."
Galinda let out a low growl, but she knew that remaining unprotected would not end well for her. The blonde created her own bubble just as the twister brought down the entire ceiling, leaving Galinda to do little more than cover her head and pray for the best.