There was traffic on the way home so it took longer than usual. It was a surreal experience for Darol to be with both of his daughters at the same time. He never imagined this would happen and the girls already had so much visible chemistry together. Galinda was carrying most of the conversation as usual and Elphie contributed every so often. Chloey was being kind of quiet at first but Galinda knew her twinnie well and was able to get her out of her shell.
xxx
They arrived at the house about the same time as Laura. She was absolutely thrilled to meet Chloey and welcomed her step-daughter very warmly and motherly. They agreed to get settled in and catch up at the dinner table since it was almost that time. The girls headed up stairs where they found Janina. She had been anticipating meeting the other Upland daughter who she, until recently, knew nothing about.
"We're so happy to have you here Chloey. Please make yourself at home and if you need anything don't hesitate to ask." Janina said. "Darol brought your bags up to the guest room that we set up for you. I can bring up a beverage or help you unpack you require it. I'll inform you girls when dinner is ready."
"Thank you." Chloey said, surprised at all the hospitality so far.
"Come on twinnie, Elphie and I will show you to your room." Galinda bubbled.
"Okay." Chloey said, following her sister's lead.
"Twinnie?" Janina asked, amused.
"Yeah...it's kinda our thing." Galinda giggled.
"That is so adorable." Janina chuckled. "You two could easily pass as twins."
xxx
"Here's your room Chlo. I'm gonna go to the bathroom then I'll take you to meet our cousin." Galinda said then left. They figured Chloey would be most comfortable in the bedroom closest to Galinda and Elphaba's rooms, so Triss voluntarily moved out and went to go stay in Lani's old room, which was one of the two guest rooms down the hallway with Laura and Darol.
"Everyone is so nice here." Chloey as she sat on the bed.
"Yeah it might be a little overwhelming at first, but you'll get used to it. The Uplands won't rest until they're positive that you feel more than welcome." Elphie chuckled. "It's only my second visit here and it's already a home to me"
"Wow." Chloey smiled but Elphie noticed that she wasn't quite her usual self.
"How are you holding up from...?" She didn't know exactly what to say but Chloey knew what she was asking.
"I'm okay. It's just hard and it hits me randomly sometimes."
"I understand." Elphie said gently.
"The funeral was tough but I got through it. Earlier this week me and my mom were helping Grandma Lynne clean out his closet and stuff. That made things feel so real. I miss him more than anything." Chloey sniffled and tried to blink the tears away. Elphie wasn't sure what to do and handed her some tissues that were on the dresser.
"Thanks." She said and blew her nose. Elphie gave her a hug and somehow was able to get the green eyed blonde smiling again before Galinda came back. They all made their way to Tristina's room.
"Trissy!" Galinda knocked obnoxiously. "Open up!"
"What do you want?" Triss said from inside.
"I'm trying to show you someone!"
"I just got out the shower Gally, I'm not decent!"
"Well hurry up!"
"Don't tell me what to do little girl!"
"Oh shut up you big meanie!"
"You shut up!"
"We'll be waiting for you in the rotunda." Galinda said.
"I hate you so much." Triss said playfully.
"Love you too." Galinda giggled.
"That's just how they are sometimes." Elphie said to Chloey who was very confused with the exchange.
"Ah." She chuckled. The rotunda was the circular area on the upper level of the house by the stairs that separated the different hallways. Triss came out about 5 minutes later. She had on loose sweatpants and a cropped t-shirt and her long hair was still wet from her shower.
"What was it you guys wanted…" she said, tying her hair up in ponytail as she was walking, then looked up. "Oh Oz, I didn't know Chloey was here already."
"Hello." Chloey said with her friendly grin.
"Hey. Sorry you had to hear all that. Galinda and I can be a little aggressive sometimes. But we love each other, I promise." Triss chuckled. "It's so nice to finally meet you. I'm Tristina, but everyone usually calls me Triss."
"It's so great to finally meet you! Galinda has told me so much about you." Chloey said.
"Oh really?" Triss said, looking at Galinda.
"All good things...mostly." the blue eyed blonde giggled.
"Well welcome to our family, cousin. We're a little crazy, but if you're friends with this one then you'll fit right in." Triss chuckled referring to Galinda. They all went to Chloey's room to talk, help her unpack and get settled. Janina came by soon to inform them that dinner would be on the table in 10 minutes, so they headed downstairs.
xxx
Everyone caught up with each other over dinner. Darol and Laura had so many questions for Chloey, but they approached their curiosity in a very casual manner to ensure that they weren't discomforting her.
"This meal is delicious." the green eyed blonde said. Cook had prepared her famous stew with rice and rolls on the side.
"Cook is the best cook." Galinda giggled.
"So is her name actually Cook?" Chloey asked.
"Her actual name is Helen. 'Cook' is what Galinda has been calling her since she was little. It stuck around and the whole family caught on." Darol chuckled.
"Oh I see." Chloey chuckled too. They talked a little more, taking their time getting to know their new addition to the family.
"So Chloey darling, will you be entering your sophomore or junior year at Shiz this fall?"
"I'm going to be a sophomore."
"How old are you again?" Triss asked.
"19. I'll be 20 later this year"
"Did you start school later or what? I'm just curious."
"Well I actually started out homeschooled. Then when I finally went to public school, I was placed a year below my actual grade level to make sure I wasn't behind on anything."
"I had no idea you were homeschooled, Chloey. So was I." Elphie said.
"Oh cool." Chloey smiled. "I feel like I missed out on a lot though. And when I actually started public school at age 10, I was extremely shy. But I've definitely opened up a lot since then."
"You have. I can't even imagine you being shy." Galinda said.
"Your sister Galinda here has always been the extroverted social butterfly that she is." Darol said.
"I bet she has." The green eyed blonde said, chuckling along with him.
"I just love having a sister." Galinda sighed happily. "I wish we grew up together. Imagine how much fun that would've been Chlo!"
"Personally, I don't think you could've handled growing up with a sibling, Gally. There's lots of sharing involved and you're not the center of attention 24/7." Triss said. Elphie and Chloey chuckled and agreed that having siblings was not always easy.
"Well Chlo and I would get along perfectly. We're basically the same person if you guys haven't noticed."
"We have." Elphie chuckled.
"You have siblings back at home?" Laura asked Chloey.
"Yes. I have a sister from my...stepdad's first marriage. And I have one little sister." She said, still getting used to the fact that Sebastian is here stepdad.
"How wonderful." Laura said.
"I miss Christa. We had so much fun with her." Galinda said.
"Yeah Chris is my little buddy. She's actually quite fond of you and Elphaba. I could tell she was jealous that I was coming to visit without her." Chloey chuckled.
"Awww you should have brought her along." the blue eyed blonde said. She thought of Christa as a sister too, even though they technically weren't related.
"She'll be fine. She's leaving for summer camp in couple days."
"I remember summer camp." Galinda said wistfully.
"Me too. We used to go every summer...until we got too old." Triss said.
"I had some fun and...interesting experiences there."
"Quite." Elphie chuckled. She remembered Galinda telling her that she had a crush on a girl at camp and that was also when she realized she likes the sight of naked girls. The blonde giggled and blushed slightly.
The conversations over dinner went in a lot of different directions. They lingered over dessert and even carried things over into the living room. The family spent the evening talking, laughing and telling stories until it was late. Everyone mentally agreed that Chloey fit in very well the Uplands.
xxx
"Hey twinnie." Galinda said knocking on the cracked door.
"Oh hey G."
"Oh my Oz, you're wearing your slumber party jammies! I should have wore mine." Galinda said, she just had on one of her regular summer nightgowns.
"It was just the first pair I came across." Chloey chuckled.
"I gotta show you this hilarious video on Oztube. Elphie didn't get it because we have a different sense of humor sometimes, but I know for sure that you'll laugh."
"Hold on, just let me send this text real quick." Chloey said, finishing up her text.
"Are you texting Dylan?"
"Actually no, I was talking to Nara." Chloey said when she sat her phone down. Galinda looked at her strangely.
"Nara? What are you doing talking to Nara?"
"Am I not allowed to talk to her?"
"I thought we weren't friends with her anymore."
"Well I'm cool with her now and we might actually end up rooming together next year."
"What?" Galinda said, feeling betrayed. "Chlo, how could you? She's just one of Feana's fake followers who was disrespectful towards Elphie and I."
"G, calm down. If Nara was still friends with Feana then trust me, I would want nothing to do with her. But they're not friends anymore."
"Really?"
"They had a huge fight and she finally saw Feana's true colors. Ashli even ditched her and took Feana's side. I was honestly never too fond of Ashli in the first place. But anyway, Nara had nobody so reached out to me. She sincerely apologized for anything that I might be holding against her. She also said that she wants to make amends with you and give Elphaba a chance." Chloey said. Galinda still wasn't buying it.
"How do you know that she's serious? How do you know this isn't just some twisted scheme? What if she's just using you to get dirt on us?"
"G, stop. It's not that deep." Chloey sighed. "I would not allow that to happen. Trust me, she's completely done with Feana. We've talked a lot within the past week. She was really there for me. Did you know her dad died around this time last year?"
"I had no idea. That's so sad."
"Yeah. She can really relate to what I'm going through right now."
"I'm just so shook that you two are just friends again all of a sudden." Galinda said, still trying to wrap her mind around this.
"Don't try to act like Nara wasn't our friend for most of the school year. She's not a bad person, but you know how controlling and manipulative Feana is." Chloey said and Galinda thought about it. Nara never directly did anything terrible to them. She was just always following Feana's lead.
"And you know me, I'm overly nice and I just wanted to be there for her. I had my own big fall out with Feana so I know exactly what it's like. I know Nara can be ignorant sometimes and she can be a follower, but I really believe that she can be a better person if she surrounds herself with less toxic people. That seems to be what she wants. Sometimes people deserve a second chance. Remember when you gave me a second chance?" Chloey asked.
"Yes. But that's because you gave me one too. It was mutual thing."
"That's my point. So if Nara is giving you a second chance, don't you think it's only fair to give her one?" Chloey asked and Galinda sighed but agreed.
"Okay I'm willing to give Nara a second chance."
"Thanks, sis. I would not be defending her so much if I assumed she was being fake. We really opened up to each other more than we have before."
"I believe you Chlo. I haven't talked to Nara in a long time. I still have her number, maybe I'll try to text her at some point."
"Cool." Chloey smiled. "Now how about that video?"
xxx
Elphie was alone in her room that night, writing in a little notebook that she had. Over the past week or so she had been secretly talking to Sylvie about how she wanted to write a song for Galinda as a birthday present. "Wings" was a beautiful song that the blonde adored but that was technically Jemma and Sylvie's song. Elphie thought it would be nice if she and Galinda had their own song special to them. Sylvie was gifted at poetry wich easily translated to lyrics, so Elphie went to her for advice. Sylvie encouraged her to try to come up with something on her own, then send it to her and she'll clean it up if necessary. Sylvie was also instrumentally talented, so she planned to dabble around with her guitar to come up with a melody for Elphie's lyrics. Hopefully if the girls came back to Settica before they went on vacation Galinda's birthday, then they could get the song recorded and Sam could put it on a CD for them.
Elphie spent a little time each day brainstorming, writing, and getting frustrated. She knew that she was capable of writing a song because she made a up song for Galinda on the spot that night when it was storming. She could just build off of that, but she wanted it to be something original that her Lindie had never heard before. There was still plenty of time and she knew that Galinda would love anything that she came up with, but she wanted it to be perfect. She thought back to one of their nights at Shiz. It was late on a Friday night but they couldn't sleep so they decided to take a walk. It was a beautiful breezy night and there were more stars in the sky than they had ever seen before. It was so beautiful. But Galinda was more beautiful to her than the stars. She was like a whole galaxy. That's what gave her the inspiration for the theme of her song. She looked through her notebook, so far she had the first verse along with the chorus and she was thinking she might actually stick with this one.
"Compared to everyone around me, they're just stars but you're the galaxy…" She sang one of the lines to herself with a potential melody. She was startled when she heard a knock on her door. She knew it wasn't Galinda because her girlfriend never knocked. It was Laura.
"Hi Elphaba darling, I was just coming to say goodnight." she said as she came in. "What are you up to?"
"Oh just writing a little."
"That's nice. I tend to journal every now and then as well." Laura said.
"I'm actually writing a song...sort of." the green girl said.
"Oh really?"
"Yes, I'm hoping to have it as a birthday surprise for Galinda. I'm still in the early stages of it." Elphie explained.
"Wow I think that's wonderful, dear." Laura said. "I won't interrupt you."
"Actually Laura...I was wondering if I could possibly get your opinion on what I have so far. I'm not very good at judging my own writing. I don't know if it's good or not."
"Of course, darling." Laura said as Elphie handed her the notebook. She read over the lyrics and smiled.
"Elphaba I'm really impressed. This is beautiful."
"It is?" Elphie said, blushing slightly.
"It really is. I can't wait to hear the finished product. I know Galinda is truly going to love it." Laura said sincerely.
"Thanks." Elphie said.
"Well I'm going to say goodnight now. I've had long day and don't tell Galinda this but we have a surprise in store for tomorrow." the woman winked.
"Alright, I can't wait. Goodnight Laura." Elphie smiled as she accepted the motherly goodnight hug and kiss that she was starting to get use to.
"Speaking of Galinda, is she in her room?"
"I believe she's in Chloey's room."
"Ah, thanks. This sister thing is definitely going to take some getting use to on my part. There's two of them now." Laura said and they both chuckled. "I'll see you tomorrow Elphaba. Love you." she said as she was leaving.
"Love you too." Elphie said without even thinking about it. As soon as the door closed, she realized what she had just said.
xxx
Darol decided to go say goodnight to Galinda while Laura was saying goodnight to Elphie, then they would switch as they usually did. He ended up finding her in Chloey's room.
"Hello my daughters." Darol said, knocking slightly on the opened door. He smiled at the sight of them lounged on the bed together, laughing at what appeared to be funny video on Galinda's phone. He liked the fact that the girls were already such close friends. It made everything easier.
"Hi Daddy!"
"Hi." Chloey smiled. Darol had told her to call him whatever she felt comfortable calling him, but the whole evening she avoided addressing him by any name. She called Sebastian "dad" back at home. She wondered if it would feel weird to call Darol dad too. Sebastian had reassured her that he'll always be a dad to her no matter what but she deserves to develop a fatherly relationship with her real dad as well.
"What are you two laughing about in here?" he asked.
"This funny video on Oztube." Galinda giggled, motioning for him to come closer. She replayed the video and Darol was laughing along with them. Chloey had another video in mind that made them laugh even harder.
"Well I originally came in here to say goodnight." He chuckled once they calmed down. "I love you princess." he said giving Galinda a hug and kiss.
"Goodnight Daddy!"
"You're my princess too Chloey and I love you as well. Goodnight." He said, offering her a hug, which she accepted.
"Goodnight...Dad." she said and it didn't even feel weird at all. Just like the first time she hugged him, it just felt natural. Darol smiled.
xxx
"Hi there, beautiful." Galinda said as she bubbled into Elphie's room without knocking. The green girl had put her notebook away at this point and was reading one of her books.
"Hey pretty girl. It's about time you showed up." Elphie said, looking at her bare wrist as if she was wearing a watch. Galinda laughed.
"You knew I planned on coming to cuddle with you and accidentally fall asleep in your bed with you tonight." the blonde giggled. She bounced onto Elphie's bed and into her arms and kissed her lips. "I missed you."
"It's only been an hour, but I missed you very much too my precious girl." Elphie smiled and kissed her back a couple times. Galinda got comfortable under the covers and slipped her legs in between Elphie's, which was something she did every so often when they were cuddling.
"Lindie, I need to talk to you about something." Elphie said once their kissing calmed down.
"Talk away my love." Galinda said, listening up.
"Your mom came in here earlier to tell me goodnight and she said 'I love you' and I said 'I love you too.'"
"Awww that's so sweet." Galinda gushed.
"So it's ok?" Elphie asked.
"Of course. Why wouldn't it be ok? I tell Mommy I love her everyday."
"I know but she's your mom." Elphie said. "Although, she kinda acts like my mom. I mean, she doesn't act like my mom. But she acts like a mother towards me and I like it. But I don't know if I'm overstepping or…"
"You're overthinking. That's what you're doing." the blonde said. "Elphie your mom is not in your life and quite honestly your dad is a-" Galinda stopped herself.
"You can say it."
"An asshole." she finished and Elphie agreed. "I hope that my parents can be there for you as much as you need. They love you and you love them too. We're very expressive of our love in this household, so there's nothing wrong with saying that you love her. I'm sure it made her smile."
"If you say so." Elphie said. "And I meant it. I love your mom and your dad. They're amazing people."
"And they love you." Galinda smiled. "I love them too...and you."
"I love you too and I'm glad to know that you love me back. It would be quite awkward if you didn't." Elphie chuckled.
"I love you sooooo much. Now can you kiss me so hard that my legs go weak and I have no choice but to accidentally fall asleep in here?" the blonde giggled and asked. Before she knew it, Elphie's lips were on hers.
xxx
The next morning all of the girls were downstairs for breakfast, along with Darol. Laura had an important phone call to make but told Darol that he could go ahead and reveal the surprise without her if he wanted.
"There's a surprise?" Galinda bubbled.
"Yes. I got us tickets…" Darol started.
"Tickets? Tickets to what?" Galinda asked excitedly.
"He's trying to tell us Gally." Triss chuckled.
"I got us tickets to see the tour production of The Lion Monarch tonight." he said.
"You did not!" Galinda dropped her fork.
"I did. All six of us are going tonight at 7." he said and as expected, his daughter jumped up and squealed with excitement
"Christa and I have been begging our parents to take us to see that as soon we found out they were touring Gillikin. It was sold out in Wittca, Settica and Frottica. How in Oz name did you get tickets?" Chloey asked, amazed.
"I have my ways." Darol chuckled.
"Don't ever underestimate Daddy's power. Last time he got us tickets to Wizomania. Orchestra seats on their opening night!" Galinda said. "Where are we sitting this time Daddy?"
"Front row." he said. Chloey and Triss gasped with excitement.
"You're kidding!" Galinda exclaimed.
"I'm not." Darol grinned and pulled out the tickets to show her. Galinda squealed again and got up to hug him super tight. Darol lived for these moments of surprising his girls and seeing the joy in their faces.
"Uncle D, this is so awesome! I have always wanted to see that show!" Triss said, just as thrilled as the other two. "The Lion Monarch is one of the most popular musical productions in the Emerald City. They toured Vinkus first and now they're in Gillikin. Also its based off a popular animated movie from our childhood." she explained to Elphie, who clearly wasn't understanding all the hype.
"Oh wow. I certainly can't wait to see it tonight." The green girl said.
"I can't wait either!" Galinda said still bubbling around. Laura came downstairs shortly and chuckled when she saw her daughter bouncing the dining room.
"I assume you told them the news?" she asked her husband, who nodded and chuckled with her.
"We're seeing The Lion Monarch!" She squealed again.
"I heard." Laura smiled. "But how about you finish your breakfast before it gets cold, baby doll."
"Oh yeah I forgot we were in the middle of breakfast." Galinda said, noticing that everyone else was sitting down eating except her. "I'm just so excited."
"We're all excited. Some of us are just a bit more expressive than others." Triss chuckled.
xxx
The family exited the theater that evening, happily chatting about how spectacular the show was as they headed back to the car. Darol had rented a van so that they would all be able to comfortably ride together. Laura had picked up a copy of the soundtrack at the gift shop and popped it in once they were back on the road. As soon as the first song started Galinda and Chloey were singing along very passionately and Triss joined in as well.
"Come on Elphie!" Galinda said, as she laced her fingers through her girlfriend's. Elphie chuckled and sang along with them. Her voice was the only one that was actually on key, but they were all just having fun.
"It's the ciiiiiircle of liiiiiiife and it moves us allllllll. Through despair and hope. Through faith and loooooooove. Til we find our place on the path unwinding. In the ciiiiiircle, the circle of life."
xxx
It was getting late but Laura and Darol had the idea to stop for frozen yogurt, which everyone was thrilled about. They stopped somewhere that was on the way home. They all sat a table with their cups of customized frozen yogurt and talked about the show.
"What did you think Elphaba darling?" Laura asked.
"I thought it was great. The cast was so talented. I really liked it." The green girl said.
"I knew you'd like it." the blue eyed blonde grinned. "I liked it too!"
"I swear Gally and Chloey were crying as soon as it started." Triss said and Elphie chuckled verifying that was true. The blondes were sitting in between her and Triss at the theater and they were quite emotional at most parts.
"We couldn't help it. It was so beautiful!" Galinda said.
"Right. I used watch The Lion Monarch all the time. That was my childhood right there." Chloey added.
"Well we're really glad you girls enjoyed the show." Darol said.
"We did! I'm enjoying the frozen yogurt too. I know I say this all the time but I just love you guys so much." Galinda said.
"We love you too baby doll. That's why we do things like this for you." Laura smiled.
"I had the best time tonight." Chloey said.
"Stick around with us if you like things like this. My parents are full of the best surprises. For example, we're going to Coastline Paradise for my birthday in August!"
"Coastline Paradise!" Chloey gasped. "That's amazing! I'm sure you all will have the best time."
"You're coming with us, silly!" Galinda said.
"I am?" Chloey asked, surprised and looking at Darol and Laura for confirmation.
"Of course darling, you're just as much apart of this family as anyone else." Laura said.
"Oh my Oz! I can't believe this!" Chloey grinned.
"Our reservation allows for up to eight guests. All of us plus Malani makes seven. It's Galinda's birthday so she gets to decide who the eight member is. But I was thinking that Nana might love to come along." Darol suggested.
"That's a great idea, Daddy! I'll tell Nana about it when we see her tomorrow." Galinda said. "Oh yeah! By the way you guys, we're going to Nana's house tomorrow. She wants us to stay for a couple nights."
"Were you going to tell us about these plans sooner?" Triss chuckled.
" I totally forgot." Galinda giggled.
"Well I look forward to seeing Nana again." Elphie said.
"Me too! You and Chloey have never spent the night at Nana's house. It'll be so much fun!" Galinda said. "Our Nana is the best. You'll love her and she'll love you." she said to Chloey.
xxx
After lunch the next day, all four girls packed up their overnight bags. They said goodbye to Laura and Darol then loaded up Galinda's car.
"I've never seen a pink car in real life before. I'm not surprised though." Chloey smiled.
"We refer to it as The Galindamobile." Galinda said with a dramatic gesture.
"We don't." Elphie said.
"Nobody calls it that." Triss added.
"Well I do!" the blue eyed blonde said and Chloey laughed as they got in the car. Triss sat upfront with Galinda while Elphie and Chloey were in the back. While they were on the road, Triss and Galinda told Chloey a little bit about what to expect at Nana's house.
xxx
"Come on in my girls. Give Nana some sugar." the old woman said happily when she answered the door. Sijo and Sady were bouncing around at her feet. After greeting Nana with a big hug, Galinda picked up Sady.
"Hi Sady!" she smiled. The poodle licked her cheek and Elphie patted her as well. After hugging Triss and Elphie, Nana stopped when she got to Chloey.
"Oh my Lurline...Chloey?"
"Hello Nana." the green eyed blonde smiled. Nana hugged her warmly.
"Look at you, you're so beautiful. And my, you are just a spitting image of your father." Nana said. "I've heard so much about you from your sister, I'm so happy to finally meet you."
"I'm so happy to meet you Nana. I've heard that you're the best." Chloey smiled and accepted another hug. Everyone made their way out of the foyer and into the main sitting area.
"Welcome to Nana's house, Chloey. This is basically the melting pot for all us grandkids." Galinda chuckled.
"Alright so there's four of you and two bedrooms. You can split up however you want and go put your bags and things down. I'll set up snacks in the living room so we can chit chat." Nana said and the girls headed up stairs.
"I assume Gally and Elphaba want to room together. So you can be my roommate, cousin." Triss said to Chloey.
"Awesome." The green eyed blonde smiled.
"We call the girls room!" Triss said, playfully sticking her tongue out at Galinda.
"Fine. We don't mind sleeping the boys room. Right Elphie? " Galinda said as turned on the light in the room right across from the girl's room.
"It doesn't matter to me." Elphie shrugged. The room had a similar set up with a bunk bed and everything, it just had a more boyish vibe. It was where her cousins Blake, Ethan, Oliver and Darius typically slept when they came to visit. Galinda closed the door then gave her girlfriend a nice long kiss.
"Top or bottom?" she asked and Elphie raised an eyebrow. "I mean the bunks!" Galinda giggled and Elphie laughed.
"I've actually never slept on a bunk bed before. I'll stick to the bottom."
"Wow this is the first time I haven't had to fight anyone for the top bunk." the blonde chuckled. They unpacked a little and kissed a lot more before meeting everyone back downstairs.
xxx
They all sat around in the living room talking and catching up. Almost all of the focus was on Chloey, which was understandable. It was Nana's first time meeting her granddaughter and she wanted to know everything about her such as her family in Wittica, her childhood, her life at Shiz, her hobbies, etc.
"Were you in any sports or activities, Chloey?" Nana asked. "Triss, Gally and Lani were very involved in dance."
"I did swimming and soccer for a while. I also modeled from middle school to high school."
"You were a model?" Triss asked, surprised.
"Yeah I was on the cover of Gillikin Girl Magazine when I was 13. I also did a lot of clothing catalogs, and I was even in a back to school commercial."
"How wonderful!" Nana said. "Do you still have any of the catalogs? I would love to see them."
"My mom kept copies of everything. They're back at home."
"You'll have to bring them over sometime to bring them over sometime." Nana said.
"I also tried dance at one point but I didn't stick with it though." Chloey added.
"Gally you had quite a talent for dance. I wish you had stayed with it longer." Nana said.
"Well I'm going to be dancing again at Shiz in the fall. I'm on the dance team." Galinda said proudly.
"Oh I remember you mentioning that. That's so wonderful." Nana smiled.
"I'm so excited. We'll get to perform at school events, go to competitions, and there's a big a showcase at the end of the year."
"I'm so excited for you. Hopefully I'll be able to come down and see you perform sometime."
"That would be awesome, Nana!"
They talked about some other things that the girls may potentially be getting involved in at school and other plans for the rest of the summer. They shared a lot of stories and Nana did as well. The conversation took a lot of different interesting turns. They didn't even realize how many hours had gone by. Triss asked what was for dinner and Nana ordered pizza, which everyone was enthusiastic about.
After dinner, Nana brought out the photo albums to help Chloey learn a little more about the family and who everyone was. Nana kept so many photo albums and they looked through almost all of them. There was some mild teasing when they got to the baby pictures of Galinda and Triss. Almost every embarrassing picture had an equally embarrassing story to go along with it. But all teasing aside, the girls were super adorable when they were little. Chloey wasn't even mildly surprised at how much she and Galinda still resembled each other as babies. By time they were done, Chloey felt as though she personally knew everyone of of her aunts, uncles and cousins even though they had never met.
xxx
Later on they planned to watch a movie. Galinda and Triss went into the kitchen to get the popcorn ready. They had a little recipe that they called "funcorn." It consisted of popcorn, sprinkles, white chocolate chips, peanut butter drops and mini pretzels.
"We haven't made this in a while." Galinda said.
"I know right. I'm feeling so nostalgic." Triss said and chuckled when Galinda put handful of peanut butter drops in her mouth.
"Yummy." She giggled. They joke around with each other while the second batch of popcorn was in the microwave. Galinda was simultaneously dancing around the kitchen.
"Trissy, do you know how to twerk?" she asked and Triss couldn't help but laugh at how random the question was.
"Sorta. Do you?"
"Yes. Jemma taught me." the blonde giggled. She bent her knees slightly as she gyrated her backside.
"Whoa get it gurl." Triss chuckled then leaned in and lowered her voice. "We're totally hitting up a club when we go to the Emerald City."
"I can't wait!" Galinda said. She had only been to college parties but never an actual bar or club so that would be a new experience.
"Nana wants to know what's the hold up on the popcorn." Elphie said popping into the kitchen.
"Your girlfriend is in here dirty dancing." Triss chuckled as she took the bag out of the microwave and Elphie raised an eyebrow.
"I was just twerking." The blonde giggled.
"What?"
"Twerking. Remember the dance move I showed you." she said then demstrated again.
"Oh that." Elphie said with a slight blush. Galinda already knew that the green girl found it slightly arousing.
The three of them fixed up the rest of the popcorn then headed back out with bowls for everyone. They watched a newer remake of an older movie. It was on one of Nana's favorites. Triss and Galinda has seen both versions many time before and they loved it. The other two enjoyed it as well. It was getting late when the movie was over so they decided to get ready to call it a night. Nana mentioned that there was a surprise for tomorrow and that intrigued everyone.
xxx
Triss and Chloey were taking turns washing up in the hall bathroom upstairs. There was another bathroom in the basement that had a bathtub and shower so Galinda and Elphie washed up down there. As far as everyone else knew, they were taking turns. But they were actually in there together.
"I miss this." Galinda said, while she was soaking in the bathtub. Elphie was across from her, washing her body with her oil that were sitting in the counter.
"Baths?" Elphie asked. "I'm pretty sure you took one last night back at home."
"No, silly." Galinda laughed. "I miss us washing up together. We did it everyday at school. But we do it less often now."
"Ah, I see. I do enjoy your company in the bathroom." Elphie chuckled. She washed between her legs, poured more oil onto the cloth, then raised her leg onto the closed toilet seat to wash it. This unintentionally gave Galinda the perfect view of her private region.
"Nice." Galinda giggled. Elphie looked up and blushed slightly but smiled.
"Thanks." she chuckled.
"I still think that your birthmark looks like a dolphin." Galinda said. There was a darker green mark on her inner thigh that had been there since she was born.
"It does not." Elphie said shaking her head.
"I swear it does." Galinda laughed. "Too bad it happens to be in such an intimate place so we can't get anyone else's opinion."
"I'm glad you're aware that I would prefer not to go around showing people the birthmark in between my legs to get their opinion on what animal it looks like." Elphie laughed and so did Galinda. The green girl finished her washing, then dried off and wrapped her towel around her. She sat down and watched Galinda wash her hair. That always fascinated her for some reason. The blonde lathered in her orange mango shampoo then held her breath and disappeared under the water to rise it out. Ephie handed her a face towel when she reemerged.
"Thank you." Galinda giggled and dried her face so she could see.
"It smells so good."
"I know right." Galinda said, then reached for her conditioner bottle to run some through her hair and hummed.
"Are you humming the song from the movie?" Elphie asked.
"Yes, I just love it." Galinda said then started to sing. "Did you ever know that you're my hero, and everything I would like to be?"
"I can fly higher than an eagle, for you are the wind beneath my wing." Elphie sang along. When Galinda was all done washing up, she stood up in the bath. That was a sight that never failed to mesmerize Elphie. The blonde pulled the bath plug to let the water drain and Elphie passed her a towel to dry off. They took turns at the sink cleaning their teeth and stuff.
"Elphie." Galinda said in an amused way after spitting out her tooth paste.
"Hm?"
"Why are we wearing towels?" she asked then lets hers fall to the floor.
"I don't know, perhaps so we can complete our tasks without getting distracted." Elphie said as her eyes unconsciously trailed downward.
"But getting distracted is part of the fun." The blonde giggled and undid her girlfriend's towel as well. "Whoops now you're naked."
"Ok then." Elphie chuckled. "Does this mean that I should touch your breasts?"
"Yes. Please feel free to touch my breasts, my bottom, or anywhere between my legs and I'll reciprocate your actions. We should also kiss."
"Okay." Elphie grinned. She cupped Galinda's breasts and brought their lips together.
"Lindie." Elphie breathed after they had been engaging in some adventurous hanky panky for a good while. "If we don't slow things down we might have to take another bath."
"I don't mind." the blonde said, as she rolled a green nipple between her fingers and kissed Elphie's neck.
"My sweet...ahh...I'm...ohh….pretty sure we've been in here an hour probably." she said between moans. Galinda reluctantly agreed and they shared one more deep kiss before changing in to their pajamas that they brought down with them. Eventually the two made their way back up stairs. Nana was headed to bed so they said goodnight to her along with Sijo and Sady. Then they popped into Triss and Chloey's room. Chloey was still taking her turn in the bathroom.
"Did you get the top bunk?" Galinda asked.
"No I gave it to Chloey."
"You used to literally tackle me for the top bunk and now you're just giving it away."
"I'm really not that pressed anymore." Triss chuckled. A few minutes later Chloey walked in only in her towel.
"Oh hey G and Elphaba." she said, not expecting to see everyone in there.
"Hey we were waiting for you to come out so we could say goodnight." Galinda said.
"Aw how sweet. Goodnight sister." she smiled, they loved referring to each other as sisters.
"Goodnight sissy." Galinda said, kissing her cheek.
"And goodnight big sissy Trissy." She giggled and kissed her cousins cheek as well. Elphie said goodnight to Triss with hug. Chloey was about to hug Elphie but Elphie realized that her shoulders and hair were still wet and she pulled back.
"Oh no, my bad Elphaba." Chloey said.
"It's okay." Elphie chuckled. They all ended up talking a little while longer before Elphie and Galinda went back to their room to call it a night.
xxx
"Elphie." Galinda said softly and poked her sleeping girlfriend's nose.
"Elphie." she did it a couple more times to no avail. She climbed in bed beside her and pressed her nose against hers. "Elphie!"
"Lindie!" she exclaimed, snapping awake. "How long have you been in my bed?"
"Not long, I just wanted you to wake up."
"What time is it?" Elphie yawned, about to reach for her phone.
"8:30." the blonde said.
"My sweet, it's uncharacteristically early for you to be awake. Are you alright?"
"Yes I'm fine." Galinda gigged. "I wanted to tell you about my dream."
"Tell me." Elphie said, propping up beside her.
"You and I woke up and made a five-star breakfast for everyone and they loved it. And there was fireworks and acrobatics. The Wizard showed up and gave us presents. I got a chinchilla and we named him Morty."
"Wow. That was an adventure." She always liked hearing about Galinda's vivid dreams.
"So now I have a great idea"
"What's your idea?"
"We should renanct my dream!"
"Um Lindie, I don't like to deny you but I don't think that's quite possible."
"Well yeah the fireworks, the acrobatics, the Wizard and Morty aren't possible. But we should totally make breakfast for everybody."
"Don't you have a reputation for setting kitchens on fire?" Ephie said.
"It was just a toaster and it was only one time. Oz, I'm never gonna live that down."
"I'm just teasing." Elphie chuckled. "I think making breakfast would be a good idea."
"Yay! If we're lucky Nana won't be up for a while so it will be a great surprise."
xxx
Making breakfast was quite an adventure for them. They were trying to be quiet because the whole house was still sleeping. But every now and then Galinda would do something silly or Elphie would make a sarcastic joke and they would have little giggling/chuckling fits that were hard to recover from.
Elphie knew how to scramble eggs because used to make it for siblings when they were young. Galinda knew how to make bacon in the oven. Ephie made the toast with some mild teasing towards Galinda, while she washed some grapes.
"My, it smells good down here." Nana said as she came into the kitchen just as they were finishing up. "Good morning my girls."
"Good morning Nana! Elphie and I made breakfast!" Galinda bubbled.
"I see. How thoughtful of you two to get up early and prepare breakfast. It looks delicious."
"Thanks! We have eggs, bacon, toast and fruit. You can go ahead and make yourself a plate if you want. We'll get this dishes and stuff washed." Galinda said.
"Wonderful, don't mind if I do." Nana said as she begin to make her plate. Galinda washed the items that they cooked with and Elphie put them away. Nana made herself some coffee while Galinda and Elphie their own plates and had apple juice instead. Nana filled up Sijo and Sady's bowls then sat down at the table to eat. Galinda and Elphie enjoyed some one on one time with Nana. It was about an hour later when the other girls made there way downstairs for breakfast.
After everyone ate, they went to get freshened up and dressed for the day. Nana was not dropping any hints about the surprise that she mentioned last night, despite how persistent Galinda was.
xxx
It was later in the afternoon and everyone was just relaxing when they heard the doorbell ring.
"Do you wanna get that Triss?" Nana asked. Triss nodded and went to answer the door and gasped at who she saw.
"Jasmine?!" She exclaimed, very surprised to see their oldest cousin outside with her two children. Jasmine was about Lani's height and didn't really resemble the other girls so much. She had brown eyes and her hair was naturally brown, but she added blonde highlights to lighten it up. Her husband had Vinkus roots and their kids were biracial. Mackenzie, the oldest, was 7 years old. She was an adorable little girl with a caramel complexion, hazel eyes and a full head of thick brown curls that she wore out and about. Her little brother, Wyatt was 2 years old and looked like a little boy version of his sister.
"And Darius! Oh my Oz what a surprise!" she said. Darius was Jasmine's youngest brother. He had light brown hair, grey eyes and glasses. He had recently turned 20. When Galinda heard Triss say those names and heard those familiar voices, she sprang out of her seat and ran to the foyer. Nana and the others followed behind her.
"Jazzy! Darius!" She squealed, hugging them both. Nana greeted them all warmly as well.
"Kenzie, you're such a big girl now. And Oz, look at all that hair!" Nana chuckled, giving her great-granddaughter a big hug along with Wyatt. Everyone made their way into the living room. It had been forever since they had seen Jasmine and any of the boys. They lived way out in Neverdale. Her husband Caleb had a job workshop in Frottica today so Jazzy thought it would be a good idea to bring the kids out to see their great-grandmother. Darius wanted to tag along because he hadn't been to Frottica in a long time and missed everyone.
They introduced Elphaba and Chloey. Nana had mentioned in advance that Galinda's girlfriend and sister would be over as well. There was some surprise regarding Elphaba's skin color and the fact that she was Galinda's girlfriend. But there was actually more surprise regarding Chloey. Jasmine and Darius had no idea she even existed.
"Long lost sisters. That's astounding." Jasmine said, still processing everything. Half-sibling weren't uncommon in their family. Her three youngest brothers had a different father than her.
"Right. It makes me wonder if we have anymore cousins that we don't know about." Darius.
"As far I'm concerned Chloey was the only one missing from the picture." Nana said.
"Gawinda?" Wyatt said tugging on Chloey's pant legs. It was obvious that he couldn't tell the difference between the two girls and it made everyone chuckle.
"Wyatt that's not Galinda that's Chloey." Kenzie said as she was currently sitting on Trisitina's lap.
"Yes, I'm Chloey. Can you say Chloey?" The green eyed blonde asked.
"Chwoey." he said and tried to climb on her lap.
"Good job." Chloey chuckled, helping him up.
"So how is Lani and her man doing? Where is she by the way?" Jasmine asked.
"Back in the EC. She's working two jobs and Jonah has summer courses. They're doing well though and actually expecting a baby." Triss explained.
"Oh my Oz, how wonderful! I'll have to text her. We've been out of touch for a while."
"How are the other boys doing Jazzy?" Nana asked.
"They're good. Blake and his wife have actually been trying to have a baby as well but they're also considering adoption. Ethan is getting settled in his new apartment. Oliver is still at home, but working full time now." Jasmine explained.
"And how's school going for you Darius?"
"It's not bad. I'm gonna do one more year at community college then try to transfer to a University." Darius said. He took a year off after graduating high school so he was now at the same academic level as Galinda.
"Sounds great. So now we have four upcoming sophomores and one upcoming senior. Oz, you all make Nana feel so old." Nana chuckled. They had a wonderful afternoon chatting and catching up. Nana made snacks and they played some games with the kids.
Caleb called Jasmine to let her know that his workshop was coming to an end. He was only about 15 minutes away from the house so she drove up the street to get him. They came back and suggested that it would be a good idea to go out to eat for dinner because nobody knew the next time they would all be together again and everyone enthusiastically agreed.
They freshened up and went to Golden Crown, which was a popular dinner buffet restaurant in the area. Dinner was a delicious, lighthearted affair. Afterwards, they all headed back to the house. Darius had planned to stay a couple nights and just catch a train back home whenever. But the rest of them had to get ready to hit the road. Jasmine and Caleb had work, Wyatt had daycare, and Mackenzie was leaving for summer camp the day after tomorrow. There was lots of hugs and goodbyes before they headed out.
xxx
They spent lots of time with Nana that night but it was getting late and things were starting to wind down. Chloey went to go take a shower in the upstairs bathroom and Elphie washing up in the downstairs bathroom. Triss, Darius and Galinda were chilling in the living room, having some cousin time, which was rare these days. They were the youngest three of the eight grandkids and they were really close when they were younger and all together.
"I miss you guys. It's been forever since were all up this late sitting on Nana's sofa." Galinda said.
"I know right." Darius agreed.
"Yeah I miss picking on both of you." Triss chuckled.
"I'm just glad I got to come by. My summer has been dry so far." Darius said.
"You should totally come back to my house with us tomorrow, you already know you're more than welcome there." Galinda said.
"Alright. Is that where all four of you are staying?" Darius asked.
"Yeah. Chloey will be in town for the rest of the week, then Elphie, Triss and I are going to the EC shortly after."
"Nice." he said.
"What do you think of Chloey and Elphaba by the way?" Galinda asked.
"I think they're cool. Chloey is a lot like you, social and bright. Elphie kinda reminds me of Triss with her sarcasm." He chuckled.
"True." Galinda giggled. "Except she's not as mean as Triss."
"I like how you guys just talk about me like I'm not here." Triss rolled her eyes but chuckled.
"I'm gonna be honest though Galinda, I never thought you would end up with a girl." Darius said.
"Me neither honestly, but here we are." Triss said.
"I never thought I would either, but I always secretly hoped I would." the blonde said.
"Hey, whatever floats your boat. I've met a lot of queer people since I started college. In fact, my friend's brother recently came out as gay. It's more common than you think."
"Yeah and I'm very happy with Elphie. I wouldn't have it any other way." Galinda said. The cousins talked in the living room for a while. When Elphie and Chloey were done in the bathrooms, Galinda and Triss took their turn then Darius went last. Nana had set up the pull out couch downstairs for him to sleep on since the girls were occupying all of the bedrooms.
xxx
Later the next afternoon, they all packed up and said goodbye to Nana. They loaded up in Galinda's car and made their way back to the Upland's house. Laura and Darol were thrilled have Darius over as they hadn't seen him in quite some time. He stayed for few days and they had a lot of fun that including checking out the new skating rink that had just opened up. Elphie had never been rollerskating, so that was a new experience for her that involved holding onto the Galinda the entire time. On Thursday the carnival was in town so they went to that and it was a blast. Darius's train back to Neverdale was booked for Friday evening. Cook prepared a special dinner that night before they went to the station to see him off.
xxx
Elphie was in her room that night, reading through the lyrics she had written down in her notebook. It seemed as though she had the whole song together at this point and she liked what she had. She looked forward to sending it to Sylvie to get her feedback, then the older girl would put together a melody for it. Galinda was going to love it.
"I adore you like the sand loves the sea…" She half read half sang to her herself. Suddenly her girlfriend burst into the room, causing her to jump and quickly hide her notebook under her pillow.
"Hi Elphie!" the blonde bubbled and bounced onto the bed, holding a bag behind her.
"Hello my sweet." Elphie smiled and accepted a kiss.
"Guess what." Galinda said.
"What?"
"The other day was our three month anniversary!" she said excitedly. Elphie was surprised because she had completely forgot.
"Oz, are we ever going to mutually remember this?" Elphie chuckled.
"It's okay." Galinda laughed.
"It looks like you have a present for me so I suppose I should work on planning our next date."
"Yay!" Galinda grinned. "And yes, this is for you." she hand Elphie the bag. The green girl looked inside and pulled out a jumbo bag of Rainbow chewy bears.
"I've been craving these recently." she chuckled.
"Me too. I miss binging on candy back at Shiz." Galinda giggled. Elphie looked to see what else was in the bag and pulled out a fairly large book.
"The Encyclopedia of Science." she read and started flipping through the pages, unable to contain her smile. "Wow Lindie this is so amazing. So many topics. So intriguing. I could spend hours reading this."
"I'm glad you like it sweetheart." Galinda said, grinning at the unusual excitement in her girlfriend's voice.
"I love it! Thank you so much." Elphie said, giving her a big hug and kiss. "I love you so very much my sweet and these past three months I've spent with you have honestly been the best three months of my life."
"Mine too. I love you to the moon and back then to the moon again and back again." Galinda said and Elphie chuckled and kissed her again. This time it was more deep and passionate. They kissed and cuddled for a while along with some mild hanky panky. They both knew that Galinda planned on 'accidently' falling asleep in Elphie's room tonight.
"The Lion Monarch" is obviously my parody of "The Lion King"
The movie they watch at Nana's house is "Beaches" and the song Elphie and Galinda sing in the bathroom is "Wind Beneath My Wing" (Idina Menzel's version is my favorite).
Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for reading :)
