Chapter 3

One evening the gang decided to meet up at Peach and Kidneys. The day had been spent working busily in classes and they were all tired and for the most part brain dead. Fiyero and Boq had taken to a game off in a corner. Avaric and Crope were seated on either side of Glinda, both trying to wow her with their charm. Boq tried to cut in every now and again, despite the fact he was not as enamored by Glinda as he had once been. Nessa chatted to Pfannee and the other girls about their classes. They had become closer than Glinda and the girls ever had. Nanny had wondered off to flirt with some of the local men, using this as her free time.

Elphaba hung back, gingerly sipping her wine. She watched her friend's merriment and just couldn't bring herself to join in the happiness. She found her eyes wondering to Glinda who sat blushing in between Avaric and Crope, who seemed to be whispering dirty things in her innocent ears. Elphaba tried not to watch, or care about what was happening to Glinda. Why should she, she was just a silly girl anyway.

But she was so beautiful. The Gillikin girl sat like a princess, her blonde curls falling softly around her face. She looked worn out, and tired from that day. Elphaba could tell she was a bit tipsy from the wine the boys kept pouring for her. She wanted to tell them to stop, to get away, but would that seem strange?

After a third or so glass of wine, Elphaba pushed back her chair and announced that she would be retiring for the night. She had a bit more studying to do before she went to bed, but that wasn't the only reason she was fleeing. She was beginning to feel something she had never felt before and it frightened her. She couldn't look at Glinda as she acknowledged the group before heading out to her room.

What Elphie didn't know, was that Glinda had been carefully watching Elphaba as intently as she had been watching her. She just hadn't let on. She tried to advert her eyes every time Elphaba turned to examine her. She felt herself blushing harder, not from what Avaric was slurring in to her ear (something about his hand trailing down her cheek) but from the fact she could feel Elphie's eyes on her face.

When Elphaba left, Glinda had watched her as she walked out of the room, wondering why she had avoided her eyes as she had gone. She decided to let it go and enjoy the company of her friends. The only problem was that she couldn't enjoy herself, not without Elphie.

"What are you thinking about?" Boq whispered in her ear, seeming to sense that she wasn't thinking about the mischievous things the boys were whispering to her.

"Oh," She turned to face him, "nothing, Biq- Boq." She quickly corrected herself, seemingly occupied at the moment.

Boq took this as her not being interested and poured her another drink before going to sit down by Shenshen to bug her.

Glinda, without much thought, took the drink and sipped it. How many had that been? Five-six-nine? She'd lost count. She was beginning to feel woozy and the room around her was beginning to blur. She could hardly hear what the boys were saying anymore. She knew she needed to go, she needed to leave. How many hours had passed since Elphie had left, she wondered?

Elphie, the green goddess.

How funny. Glinda giggled to herself. To think of Elphie as a green goddess, how romantic it seemed. Romantic and silly, yet charming and elegant.

She found herself pushing at Avaric to allow her to get up. He asked if he could accompany her, but she declined, saying she could make it back to the room on her own accord. Nessa refused to go, despite Nanny's urging. Frankly Glinda didn't care. She wanted to be alone with her goddess. No, not her goddess. No, Elphaba was above that sort of foolishness. Elphie could never love Glinda in the way Glinda so adored and loved her.

Glinda stumbled out the door of the Peaches and Kidney, pulling her cloak, which she had somehow managed to drape around her shoulders, tighter to her. She could feel a light mist begin to descend from above and she hoped that Elphaba had gone straight back to the room. She knew what water did to her and she didn't want that lovely skin being harmed.

She walked unsteadily, becoming afraid of the dark roads she had to travel to get back to the university. She prayed to Lurline that she would not be harmed on her journey to the dorms. Whether Lurline was watching or not, Glinda felt oddly comforted, knowing she was almost back to Elphie, her protector.

She thought of the warm bed waiting for her, and the warm body she had to look forward to…those warm green hands touching her cheek, her neck…no that never happened. Glinda felt a little queasy, as if she might faint, but she pressed on. She had to get back to the dorm. She could feel the soft, black hair against her skin. How lovely her hair was…Glinda had to stop, these drunken thoughts had to stop.

Once she got back to the university, she clanged up the stairs to her dorm, very noisily, waking some girls who shouted unheard obscenities at her. She reached for the doorknob of her room, their room, and easily opened it. Elphaba had left it unlocked. Glinda practically fell in to the room, but steadied herself by leaning up against the wall beside the door.

Elphaba looked up from the book she was buried in and gazed at Glinda. She noticed the beautiful girl was very intoxicated and needed to sit down. She slowly sat her book down and went to Glinda. She was afraid to touch her, for her cloak was covered with moisture from the outside. "Are you cold?" Elphaba inquired, noticing that Glinda was shaking.

The blonde's eyes flew around the room, unable to connect with Elphaba's. She nodded; finally stealing a glance at Elphaba's concerned face. She noticed that Elphaba was afraid to touch her because she was wet, so demurely she dropped her cloak around her feet.

Elphaba, not sure what this was suggesting, or meant for that matter, helped the girl to her bed and began undressing her so she could get her in to warmer, dryer clothes. Glinda allowed her to, staring blankly off at the opposite wall. She tried to suppress her rising excitement. Elphaba had only ever shown this motherly concern for Nessa, and now it was her turn to receive the care.

Elphaba kept her emotions hidden. As she stripped Glinda down to her under garments, she tried not to notice the Gillikin's fair porcelain skin that stretched taut across her perfect stomach. Or how the undergarments clung smugly around her perfectly round breasts, more so perfectly than Elphaba's almost non-existent breasts.

Glinda had become a bit handsy and had reached out and gently touched Elphaba's beautiful green cheek. She looked deep in to Elphaba's eyes, which met hers, trying to find something. What? She was not sure. It had been the first time she had touched Elphie's skin and she wanted to remember the touch.

Elphaba had to lower her face to keep her blush from showing. She figured this was only occurring because Glinda was drunk, it meant nothing. She swatted her hand away, having finished buttoning up Glinda's nightgown. She pressed her gently back on to the bed and covered her with blankets.

Glinda reached out, grabbing on to her arm, not allowing Elphaba to return to her own bed.

"No, Glinda. Nessa and Nanny will be back soon." Elphaba shook her head, but Glinda held firm.

"But, Elphie, Elphie my green goddess…" She giggled. Had she said that out loud?

Yes, she was half out of it, Elphaba concluded.

"Elphie, I want you to…to stay with me…" Glinda hiccupped, surprised at her own instability.

"But I can't." Elphaba hated this. Glinda had no idea what she was doing to her.

Glinda began shouting, "Yes, yes you can!" And she began pulling at Elphie, who pushed back. Without warning the Gillikin pressed her lips to Elphaba's cheek, the moisture burning. Elphaba forced her way up and glared at the girl, who seemed to shrivel before her.

Oh how could she chastise such a beautiful girl? Instead of yelling at the frightened thing, she walked to the bathroom to put oil on the wet spot. When she returned, Glinda still had a frightful look on her face. Elphaba wondered if in the morning Glinda would remember this night. She doubted it, but she knew she would remember it. She would remember that kiss, even if it was on accident and not meant for her. Whatever those boys had been whispering to Glinda, must have gotten to her, for she seemed rather corporeal.

Elphaba walked to Glinda's bed, rearranged her blanket, and then bent over, pressing her lips to Glinda's forehead. The Gillikin girl smiled, half asleep by that point, and in no time she was passed out, sound asleep.

Elphaba returned to her bed, but instead of sleeping, she lay, watching Glinda as she slept. It wasn't until Nessa and Nanny returned that Elphaba tried to go to sleep. However, the scene which had just occurred kept playing itself over and over in her head. There would hardly be any sleep that night.

TBC...thanks for the reviews. I appreciate lots of feedback :D. Tell me if you like it.