Thank you again to sweet saturn for beta reading my chapters. Without you I would probably be stoned for my sometimes lax grammar and entence structure. lol Happy reading!

The night was as still as a pond. The moon shone brightly, illuminating the two figures that walked slowly beneath her. Then, a stone disturbed the water.

"Can I ask you something, Glinda?"

"Sure. What's on your mind?"

"Well, we've been living together for quite some time now, and I was just wondering where we stand."

Glinda stopped walking and furrowed her brow. "What do you mean?"

"Are we just good friends or does it go deeper than that?" Boq searched her face for an answer.

Glinda's worst fears were suddenly realized. She always knew this moment would come. She thought she would be ready with a poetic response. She would be poised and graceful. The harsh reality was she didn't have an answer. Instead of feeling graceful and poised, Glinda felt clumsy and inarticulate. She looked into Boq's expectant face, where she saw the sweet, innocent Boq whom she had grown very close to. How could she explain her mixed feelings?

"I-I don't know," she began. She crossed her arms over her chest, which served as a barricade.

"I care about you deeply, but I don't know if I love you."

Boq's face fell even though he tried to hide his disappointment. Glinda felt sick to her stomach. She didn't want to hurt Boq, but she had to be honest no matter what.

"This is because of Shell isn't it?" Boq asked.

"Well…yes. Shell does have something to do with my indecision," Glinda admitted.

Boq rubbed his hand down his face. "I should just give up now," he sighed.

"What are you talking about? Give up on what?"

"Give up on a future together. I have tried for years to win your heart. I have played the lovesick puppy. I have tried being aloof. Nothing seems to work!" Boq ran a trembling hand through his mousy brown hair. "Why can't you love me?

Glinda stared at the ground, unable to look at Boq's dejected face. She bit her lip to hold back the flood of tears that threatened to spill. Boq sighed and pulled Glinda into his arms. He kissed her blond curls while hugging her tightly.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "It wasn't fair of me to put you on the spot. You shouldn't feel badly. I can't change the way you feel." He wiped Glinda's tears away. "Let's just get some sleep and talk about this in the morning."

Glinda nodded her agreement. She took Boq's hand in hers, and they walked the rest of the way in silence.

Chistery watched them from his perch in a nearby tree. "Mistress," he whispered before soaring into the night.

Elphaba squinted at the page in front of her. The words began swirling and jumbling again, making the Grimmerie useless for now. She slammed the book shut and cursed under her breath. Fiyero stirred beside her.

"Is everything ok?" he asked, his voice raspy from sleeping.

"Yes. Everything is fine. Go back to sleep, my love."

She kissed him tenderly. Fiyero smiled and went back to sleep.

"Leaving him is going to be the hardest thing I've ever done, but it will be harder for him if I stay," she thought.

Liir remained silent as he watched his mother and father. He wanted to ask them about their past. His parents were like a mysterious shadow in his life. He could see them, but he knew nothing about them. He gathered all his courage and approached Elphaba.

"Mom, can I ask you something?" he asked tentatively.

"Sure. What's on your mind?"

Liir sat down, suddenly uncomfortable with standing. He wanted to be able to see her eyes.

"I want to know more about you and Dad. How did you meet?"

Elphaba was only mildly surprised. She had expected Liir to start asking questions. "Your father and I met back in college. We both studied Life Sciences and had most of our classes together. We got along well, so I guess you could say we were friends. I was only at Shiz for a year due to reasons that I won't get into right now. I went underground for a while, cutting off my family and the few friends I had. I remained hidden for three years until your father found me. I tried to lose him. When that didn't work I tried to warn him that seeing me was dangerous. I was involved in a plot to end the Wizard's reign. If he were found with me, we would both be killed. Your father, being your father, refused to listen. I finally relented because I didn't want to be alone anymore. His company cheered me up. He brought me news of our friends and of the outside world."

Here she stopped, unsure how to continue. Liir looked at her expectantly. He was beginning to understand her a little more.

"I don't when or how it happened, but I found myself falling in love with your father. He was married, and he had told me about his wife the first night we met. He didn't seem to love her though. It was never an issue until now. It bothered me at the time, but I was too focused on my mission to deal with it. Anyway, to make a long story short, your father was eventually found at my hideout and taken away. I thought he had been killed. After failing to take my own life, I spent the next seven years in the mauntery trying to deal with my grief. When you were old enough we came to Kiamo Ko. I received a letter from your father a month before my 'death'. We worked out a plan to fool Oz into thinking I was dead. It worked until the Wizard discovered the Grimmerie I had left behind was a fake."

Elphaba flourished her hands to encompass the cell. "And here we are." Liir tried to absorb all that he had heard.

"Does that satisfy your curiosity?" asked Elphaba.

"I think so," Liir replied.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps was heard on the stairs. Elphaba stood in front of Liir and Fiyero protectively. Every muscle in her body tensed. A furry head peered into the cell.

"Chistery?" said Elphaba.

The monkey chattered happily, pleased that he had found his mistress. Elphaba had an idea.

"Chistery, can you open the lock?" The monkey nodded and brandished a ring of keys. "You sneaky little devil!" she laughed.

Chistery tried several keys before he found the right one. Once the cell was open, Elphaba ran to Chistery.

"I missed you," she said as she hugged him tightly. Chistery nearly purred with delight.

"We can go home now!" Liir shouted. Elphaba's face fell. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"I'm not going home."

"What are you talking about? Of course you are."

"No. It's better this way. The Vinkus will be safer without me there." She turned to leave, satchel in hand. "Tell your father I love him." She kissed Liir on the forehead. "I'm sorry things had to be this way." Elphaba mounted the stairs.

"Wait!" Liir shouted.

If she heard him, she showed no sign. She continued to walk up the stairs and out of their lives.