Hey, everyone~

Here's a new chapter for y'all. It has lots of Gelphie, so enjoy. :)

-Essence


Chapter 55

"Elphie, I love you."

"I know, my sweet. I feel quite the same way."

Glinda snuggled further into Elphaba's bare chest, reveling in the body warmth that her naked, green-skinned lover provided for her. The blonde sighed softly and twirled a strand of black hair absentmindedly between her pale fingers, very aware of the fact that Elphaba was watching her intently.

"What, my love? Why do you stare at me so?" Glinda asked her, turning her head so she could gaze into those chocolate brown eyes she loved so much.

"Oh, am I not allowed to stare at you now?" Elphaba laughed, giving her forehead a quick kiss.

"That's not what I meant, silly!" Glinda giggled. "You can stare at me all you want. You're my girlfriend. But what I meant was that you are looking at me so strangely."

"We've just made love, my sweet," Elphaba explained, reaching a slender green hand to stroke those beautiful blonde curls. "How can I not stare at you? I wouldn't dare stare at anything else, I hope."

Glinda sighed. "Of course not, my adorable love."

"It's just that you have this glow about you that I've never noticed before," said Elphaba. Looking more closely at her blonde lover, she could still see that tell-tale afterglow that surrounded her pale body. But there was this apparent intensity that surprised the green woman and maybe even concerned her a little.

"Oh, really?" Glinda asked her, quickly glancing down at her own body before looking back into Elphaba's thoughtful eyes. "It might just be my love for you expressing itself in a strangely physical way."

"I thought you just did that five minutes ago," Elphaba said and laughed when Glinda smacked her on the arm.

Glinda then gave her a smirk and cupped Elphaba's face between her hands. "Come here, you," she purred to her and pulled the green woman on top of her.

"Glinda, how can you possibly…after all that we did…are you sure…?"

"Just shut up and kiss me," the blonde whispered huskily and wasted no time in capturing those green lips in a kiss full of desire and passion. Elphaba greedily accepted the unexpected kiss, temporarily forgetting about the strange glow.

Glinda moaned into the kiss and wrapped her legs around Elphaba's waist, eliciting a heavy grunt from the green woman. Elphaba looked deep into her lover's blue eyes and only saw the love written there just for her to read.

"Glinda, I love you," the green witch said, meaning every single word.

"I love you too, Elphie," the blonde responded, her words coming out in a slur in her love-drunkenness. She hungrily searched out Elphaba's kiss again, but the green woman candidly avoided her, causing the blonde's brows to furrow together in apparent frustration.

"Elphie…?" Glinda was confused as to why her love wasn't responding to her advances, but Elphaba knew perfectly why. It was evident Glinda was growing weary, but it seemed the blonde just couldn't get enough of her green-skinned lover.

"Glinda, I think this is enough for one go," Elphaba told her as Glinda started to nip at the nape of her neck.

"You can manage to squeeze another one out of me, can you, Elphie?" the blonde mumbled against the green skin.

Elphaba sighed. "That's not the point, my sweet," the green woman said, tactically adjusting herself so that Glinda had to purposefully stretch out her body in order to keep seducing her.

Glinda then suddenly pulled back, anger flashing in her blue eyes. "Okay, now you're just frustrating me! What's wrong with you, Elphaba?"

"What's wrong is your health, Glinda," Elphaba said calmly.

"What about it?" Glinda said scathingly, her words cutting through Elphaba like a knife. "I feel fine."

"Apparently not," Elphaba said and to Glinda's immediate frustration, removed herself from on top of her lover.

"No, Elphaba!" Glinda scowled at her as the green witch proceeded to get off the bed. "Come back here!"

"Glinda, it is apparent that you are not yourself right now. Something has happened that I can't quite explain, but my intuition is acute enough to tell me that what you need now is rest."

"No, Elphie," whined Glinda, sounding like a five-year-old. "What I need now is you."

"Glinda, I don't want to be pulled into something your obviously frail body can't handle right now," Elphaba said. "And don't look at me like that. You know I hate it when you cry."

Glinda sniffed, the tears starting to fall down her cheeks. "I-I can't help but f-feel like y-you don't w-want me anymore! W-what did I do so wrong?" She curled up into the fetal position, wracking sobs causing her thin frame to shake violently.

Elphaba felt her heart breaking painfully as she saw her love looking so distraught. She couldn't help but walk back towards the edge of the bed and lay a hand on Glinda's back. "Of course I want you, my sweet," she said.

Glinda continued to cry, but listened nonetheless.

"And I will always want you," Elphaba continued. "It's just that I feel you have had enough for today. I mean…look at you, Glinda. After all that you've been through, you still want to?"

"Yes," was all Elphaba heard from the mass of blonde hair.

"Well, I don't feel like you're up to it. We've already done it once. Aren't you satisfied at all?"

Glinda took her time to uncurl, turn around and look hard into her lover's eyes. There was an unfamiliar kind of sharpness in them that Elphaba has never seen before and it unnerved the green witch to no end.

"No, Elphaba," the blonde hissed. "I am not satisfied at all. And you can just leave me here unsatisfied to do whatever the hell you please. After all, it must be better than making love to me."

"Glinda," groaned Elphaba. "Why are you making this so damn difficult for me?"

"I can ask you the same question." Glinda stared chillingly at her obviously frustrated lover, daring her to respond. "I have already told you that I feel strong enough to do this, Elphaba. Why can't you trust me to know my own body?"

Elphaba leveled her glare as she said, "Because it has already happened once, Glinda. I don't want it to happen again. Ever."

Glinda let out an irritated sigh and sat up, wrapping the bed sheets around her naked body. She suddenly looked as if she was several years older than she actually was. "Elphie," she whispered and looked up into Elphaba's brown eyes. "I've just missed you so much."

Elphaba quickly went over to sit by Glinda and took her pale hands into her green ones. "And I've missed you too, my sweet, but you have to trust me when I say you're not quite ready for this."

"I am too," the blonde argued.

"Glinda," Elphaba warned her, casting a knowing look her direction. "I said—"

"Who knows if you're going to be gone the next moment I open my eyes, Elphaba?" Glinda suddenly blurted out, causing the green witch to startle momentarily. "It has already happened too much for me to possibly handle. Elphaba, I need you here. With me. Right now."

Elphaba let out a sigh at her lover's pleading tone. She then gazed deep into those entrancing blue eyes and said as steadily as she could muster, "But I am here now, Glinda. I won't leave you."

"Promise?" asked the blonde, her voice small.

Elphaba's face darkened. "You know I can't do that anymore. Glinda, there is danger lurking all around this strange land and you know it. I can't afford to make promises I can't keep."

"But Elphie…"

"But I can make this one," Elphaba whispered and leaned close to Glinda until she could feel her lover's hot breath on her face. "Glinda Upland, I promise that I will love you forever and ever."

Glinda gave a nervous giggle and cupped Elphaba's cheek, feeling happy tears start to well up in her eyes. "That's a hefty promise," she softly told the beautiful green woman. She felt Elphaba give a chuckle as a green hand wrapped itself around her pale one.

"And one I intend to keep until the day I die," Elphaba said truthfully.

Glinda sniffed, her emotions running haywire. She wished she could stay in this moment forever. The pure adoration she saw in Elphaba's eyes moved her to such a degree that she couldn't formulate a coherent sentence without blubbering all over herself like the lovesick fool she was.

"Can I kiss you now?" Glinda asked her love softly, wanting so bad to throw herself around Elphaba and overwhelm her with affection.

Elphaba raised a brow, but nodded. "Of course."

In the only way a lover could, Glinda brought Elphaba's face closer to hers, capturing those green lips in a fierce embrace. The kiss deepened considerably and Glinda slowly leaned backwards unto the bed, bringing Elphaba down with her.

"Glinda," moaned Elphaba as Glinda pressed herself against her, sending sparks of arousal coursing throughout her body. "Glinda, I thought we have made it clear—"

Glinda looked pleadingly at her lover, her bottom lip sticking out in a pout. "Baby, please."

Elphaba stared at her for a second. She then gave her a small smile, her brown eyes glinting. "Your wish is my command, my sweet."

Glinda's eyes then sparkled with the surprise turnaround of events. She hurriedly went to nip under Elphaba's ear, using her tongue to carefully tease her lover's arousal spot. Hearing her love's soft moan in response; Glinda continued her trail of kisses down Elphaba's jaw line then around her neck, not giving a second thought to the increasing weariness she was feeling all over her body.

"Oh Oz, Glinda," Elphaba moaned heavily, gritting her teeth.

"Yes, Elphie," the blonde murmured, breathing hotly on her lover's green neck. "That's what I like to hear."

Unfortunately, what Glinda didn't hear was Elphaba's hushed whispers of magic as the green woman traced her hands all over the blonde's taut stomach, making patterns on the pale skin. She knew it was wrong to trick her love like this, but the green witch knew there was no other way. The Sleeping Spell came easily out of her moving lips and she briefly wondered why she hadn't used magic in the first place.

Glinda suddenly felt very tired and she let out a yawn. "E-Elphie," she slurred against Elphaba's skin. She felt her lover's light touch on her collarbone and she stretched her neck to allow further access. She nearly cried out in ecstasy as Elphaba ran her tongue sensually around the sensitive area on her neck.

"Mm, Elphie," breathed Glinda, feeling the familiar onslaught of sensations all throughout her body. She reached out to take Elphaba's hand, which had been shyly kept out of sight. She gently placed it on her breast, all the while capturing her love's lips in a heated kiss.

Elphaba opened an eye to look at her own green hand that Glinda had placed so conspicuously on her breast. Her mind whirled as she felt the blonde's tongue most nearly slide down her own throat. Shouldn't the Sleeping Spell have been working by now?

"My sweet," Elphaba whispered into Glinda's ear as the pair shifted around on the bed. To Elphaba's immediate dismay, Glinda happened to be in a more dominant position, having pinned her green lover to the bed by her hands and waist. The blonde straddled Elphaba almost at once, reveling in the fact that this new position gave a whole new level to her already heightened state of arousal.

"I've got you now, my love," Glinda purred teasingly, delighted in the fact that she had her usually dominant lover subordinated. She bent down and began to kiss her, allowing herself to lie against every inch of that green skin. She felt Elphaba take a sharp intake of breath and the blonde smiled at herself, knowing she had brought Elphaba to her knees…well, figuratively of course.

Elphaba knew she couldn't hold her resolve for much longer. She was frustrated that her magic didn't seem to work against Glinda, but at the same time she was glad she didn't have to betray her love like this.

Maybe it's for the best, she thought as Glinda's hands roamed all over their green-skinned territory that was Elphaba's body. Maybe Glinda isn't as frail as I had originally thought—

Just as she was thinking that, she felt Glinda's weight start to shift forwards into her chest and before she knew it, Glinda had fallen asleep right on top of her. Her soft snores tickled in Elphaba's ear and the green woman could not help but give a sigh of relief. However, she was still quite sexually aroused and the warm weight on her was just adding to her dilemma.

Great, now you fall asleep, Elphaba thought bitterly, but then her mouth curved up into a small smile. She reached up to stroke Glinda's hair, feeling the blonde curls twirl perfectly around her slender, green fingers as if they were sized just for her.

"I'm sorry, my sweet, but I had to do what I had to do," Elphaba whispered softly into her lover's ear, which was pressed close to her breast. Glinda's hand twitched at the sound of the smooth voice in her ear, but the Sleeping Spell had done its job and knocked her out, as it should for another three hours or so.

Carefully Elphaba pushed Glinda off her, quite sad that she had to remove herself out of her sleeping lover's grasp. Glinda let out a series of incoherent mumblings at this, but she was soon quieted down as Elphaba crudely bunched up a bunch of bed sheets and placed them in the blonde's arms. She knew they couldn't replace the warmth of a body for long, but it had to do…for now.

Elphaba let out a heavy sigh and watched her love sleep for a few minutes, gently tracing her fingers over the pale arms that grasped the bed sheets as if the blonde's life depended on them. The green witch spotted the goose bumps that her fingers left behind and she heard the soft giggles that accompanied them.

"Oh, Elphie," Glinda mumbled into the bed sheets, her pale face breaking out into an adorable smile that made Elphaba swoon. The green woman held fast, however, as she gently tucked her love into the bed and lightly kissed her forehead.

"Fresh dreams, my sweet," Elphaba whispered in her ear. "I shall see you when you are fully rested and ready for round two." She smiled despite herself. It seemed the arousal she had been feeling had a strange, lingering effect and for once Elphaba was glad it was there. It helped keep her wicked sense of humor despite having just lied to the one person she should never have to lie to in the first place.

Reluctantly she left the bedside and looked around for her clothes, which had been hastily discarded to the side in her throes of passion with Glinda. Quickly she spotted them near the nightstand, which still held the two, discarded bowls of stew. Hers was half empty and she admitted to herself that it had not tasted quite like Glinda had portrayed it to be.

She gathered up her black clothes in her arms as she contemplated the past few minutes with her lover. Sure it had been a rather nice few minutes, but she could not help but feel that something had been altered…that something had been added to the mix that should not have been there in the first place.

As if by instinct, she reached out to take Glinda's empty bowl. She placed it under her nose and took a few sniffs. She raised a brow and then smelled her own bowl, quickly noticing the difference between the two.

These two smell different, Elphaba growled to herself. Smelling Glinda's bowl again, she crinkled her nose in disgust. Glinda's stew had been tampered with, she thought angrily.

"Damn it," Elphaba cursed under her breath. She slammed the bowl down on the nightstand, her nostrils flaring in her obvious rage. She had half a mind to march downstairs and confront Zafryna about this, but something held her back.

She looked back at the bed where she could see Glinda shift around in her sleep. It seemed whatever she was dreaming about was quite physical. In the brief year she had shared a bed with the blonde, Elphaba only knew too well what her love was dreaming about.

I can't believe Zafryna let this happen to her, Elphaba thought, shifting her focus back to the current problem. Inett, that stupid girl, must have slipped something in there when Zafryna wasn't looking, or worse…Zafryna did it herself.

Elphaba shivered, not wanting to think of her usually placid yellow-skinned sister doing such a heinous crime.

She decided she will at least try to ask Zafryna as to why this happened, but she knew she wouldn't get too far with words. However, Elphaba, being the overprotective woman that she was, would only let her temper get the best of her and if she was angry enough, Zafryna wouldn't last too long.

"Just calm down, Elphaba," the green woman told herself, trying to quell the rising anger welling in the pit of her stomach. "Zafryna couldn't have deliberately wanted to poison your girlfriend. Calm down."

Elphaba then let out an animalistic snarl, wanting to throw something out of pure frustration. "How can I calm down?!" she told herself. "My girlfriend is drugged, and quite possibly poisoned!"

She didn't know who did it, but she knew that somebody had to pay.

And pay dearly.

After hastily throwing her clothes on, Elphaba ran her fingers through her long, black hair. She looked at herself in the mirror by the bed and she groaned at the sight. Despite her attempt to appear at least halfway decent, she still looked like she hadn't bothered to use proper hygiene in weeks.

Furrowing her brows, she saw her reflection smirk back at her. Her eyes were alight with the fire of anger and she couldn't help but think of her appearance as one of a mad woman.

I might as well be a mad woman, she thought. It's not like I have nothing to be happy about right now.

Without further hesitation, she headed for the door of the room. As she reached for the handle on the door, she stopped. The green woman looked over her shoulder at the bed. Glinda was still sleeping, her face now in that goofy grin she could only recognize as one of pure content.

"Goodbye, my sweet," Elphaba whispered to her. "I will see you soon."

She left, closing the door behind her. Clenching her fists at her sides, she stalked down the hall to where she could hear Zafryna's voice float from downstairs. The sound of her sister's smooth voice enraged her even more and when she practically flew down the stairs, she was totally unprepared for the sight that greeted her.

It seemed Frynda was back…

…and she didn't come alone.