Chapter 5

When Elphaba returned from her last class of the day, she found Glinda locked in the bathroom, loudly sobbing. She went to the closed door and gently tried the knob, but it was locked. "Glinda?" Elphaba's voice was soft.

The crying seemed to cease momentarily. "Go away." A meek voice called from inside the bathroom.

"But, Glinda…" Elphaba had no idea why she was trying. Her heart told her to break down the door and throw her arms around the sad girl, but reason told her to leave it. And so she retreated back to her bed. Slipping out of her outfit of the day and in to her nightgown, she sat on her bed and pulled out her book. But she couldn't read, not with gorgeous Glinda crying helplessly in the bathroom. "Oh, Glinda." Elphie whispered to herself. She placed her book back down and went to the bathroom door once again. Knocking this time, she heard the girl stop crying.

"What do you want?" She cried, rather angrily.

"I want you to come out of there so that we can talk." Elphaba called back.

She heard the rustle of a skirt and then a few footsteps and then the bathroom door was thrown open in her face and out paraded a teary eyed blonde who looked as if she had been crying for hours, which was quite possible. Glinda stalked to her bed and plopped down, not acknowledging Elphaba. She was in fact rather embarrassed to have the green girl see her in such a distorted state, not to mention she was still mortified about the kiss she had stolen.

Elphaba stood, staring at the girl, who looked so vulnerable and so attractive as the mess she was. "Glinda what's wrong?" Elphaba began walking towards Glinda.

Glinda shook her head, her eyes clamped tightly shut. "I didn't…I like…I'm sorry I…" She muttered, unable to form an entire sentence.

"Shh." Elphaba reached the side of the bed and gently sat down, taking the blonde's limp body in to her arms and hugging her. It was rather awkward for both, because Elphaba did not do the whole comforting thing. The blonde curls she could not resist were now sprawled out across her lap and she found her green hand tangled in them.

Glinda turned to look at Elphaba, a questioning look playing in her eyes. Elphaba leaned down, answering those unspoken questions with her lips pressed against Glinda's.

"Why didn't you stop me?" Glinda spoke as they parted her eyes still closed.

Elphaba opened her own eyes and looked down at the beautiful Gillikin who was closer to her than she had ever been before. "I…I…didn't think you meant it."

"Oh, but Elphie I did! I've wanted to do that for weeks now." Glinda cried.

"You-you have?" Elphaba seemed rather taken aback by this sudden revelation.

"Yes." Glinda nodded, but her eyes fell. "But you obviously don't care."

Elphaba's eyes fell as well. "I didn't think someone like you would care for someone like me, is more like it." Glinda looked up at her. "I do care."

"Oh, Elphie, but you're the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my life. Of course I care for you."

Elphaba blushed, hard and dark. No one had ever said she was beautiful, except for her mother who had loved her unconditionally in her own drunk way. Glinda's hand found its way up to Elphaba's cheek and she gently stroked it, pulling Elphaba down so that their lips would meet again.

Glinda never wanted to loose this contact. It was so new to her, to feel another girls lips against her own. She loved how soft they were and she never wanted to release them from her own.

But both heard the rattle of the lock as Nessa and Nanny attempted to get in to the room. Elphaba quickly bolted up and went to her bed, grabbing her book before Nessa was rolled in with Nanny tagging along behind. Glinda was still in a state of shock and could hardly move, but she tried to quickly recover so that nothing would seem wrong or to make Nessa or Nanny suspicious as to what had been going on.

"Evening girls." Nanny smiled and then noticed Glinda's tear stained face. "Are you all right dear?" She inquired.

Glinda nodded, unable to speak.

"Well, sweet thing, I hope everything is okay. I'm going to put Nessa to sleep." She smiled and then both she and Nessa disappeared in to their own part of the room.

Elphaba watched them until they were out of sight and then sat her book down, turning to face Glinda. Glinda nervously looked after Nessa and Nanny, afraid to move for fear that Nessa might hear, or Nanny might come strolling back in to the room and catch them doing something they shouldn't be.

When she turned around, however, she found Elphaba at her side. Her worried expression turned to that of deep sincerity and she found the green girl pressing her lips to hers. "We can't." Glinda whispered, her voice hardly audible, but Elphaba understood. Yet neither seemed to be able to part. They were lip locked and loving it.

Once they could tell Nessa's light was off, Elphaba slipped in to bed beside Glinda and wrapped her hands lovingly around the blonde, kissing her neck. How many nights had Glinda waited for this, and now it was happening. Elphaba was finally lying beside her with no hesitations, no longer playing the friend. But there would be no connection besides lying beside one another, for neither were sure they were ready for that sort of connection, nor did either know what they had to do. Plus, Nessa could hear perfectly fine and Elphaba sensed that Glinda would get rather loud. Even her breathing seemed to get louder as Elphaba gently ran her fingers down Glinda's side.

Glinda turned, wanting to see her beautiful green Elphie, and they kissed, holding on to one another as if they might not ever let go.

The next morning Glinda awoke alone in her bed. It had gotten colder over the course of the night and so she pulled the blankets closer to herself. When she happened to glance up she noticed Elphaba pacing back and fourth across the dorm room. She seemed to be intently thinking about something. Glinda sat up in her bed and rubbed her eyes, wondering if the night before had all been a dream.

To her delight it had not, for when Elphaba realized Glinda was awake she graced her with a good morning kiss. However, the kiss did little to soften her hard demeanor. "What's wrong?" Glinda sleepily asked, smiling as they parted.

"Morrible came this morning." Elphaba sat down on Glinda's bed and took her hands in her own. "She wants you to go to the infirmary, your Ama's about to go."

"Oh dear." Glinda looked down. She seemed to be fine with this revelation, only maybe slightly distraught. "It's all my fault."

"No, no it's not." Elphaba kissed Glinda's hand. "Come on, we'd better go."

Glinda nodded. She seemed to take longer than usual to get ready. She was dragging her feet, not wanting to confront the woman who had raised her and whom she had betrayed by claiming she had an illness which she did not have.

"I was thinking," Elphie's voice came from the room, "you could use your magic to straighten her out and then we could find out what really happened."

"But Morrible will probably be in the room." Glinda replied, applying a thick layer, thicker than usual, of mascara.

"I'll get Nessa and Nanny to distract her." Elphaba appeared in the bathroom doorway.

"I don't know if I can." Glinda tossed the mascara wand down, angry with herself for being so stupid.

"Yes, you can. I know you can." Elphaba snaked behind Glinda, kissing her neck. She had faith in the blonde, faith that she could use her sorcery classes to her advantage and override Madame Morrible's spell she had obviously cast over Ama Clutch. If only for a few minutes, that was all Elphaba needed to question Ama about that night.

"I don't want to." Glinda shook her head, her curls brushing against Elphie's chin.

"But you have to, please, do it for me." Elphie pleaded, taking Glinda's hands in to her own.

Glinda couldn't refuse a chance to work her charm. She had been waiting for a moment like this, to prove she had just as much power as Elphaba. So of course she relented, and off to the infirmary they went.

"I knew it." Elphaba had been in an enraged mood ever since they had left the infirmary. "There's something strange going on." Elphaba muttered to herself. It made her so angry that she could not just piece together exactly what was wrong, or pinpoint it. She heard the news of the Animals being silenced and she hated that. But now she was beginning to believe that Madame Morrible might just be linked to this banning of Animals. Morrible did have control over that Grommetik thing which had killed Dillamond and had but Ama in to that strange stupor and she most likely had used it to cover up actions she would have otherwise taken. Yes, something was wrong.

Now she was frightened, those notes she had taken from Dillamond were more than likely valuable and if anyone knew she had them, she would be in trouble, as would Glinda. Oh, no. She hadn't thought about Glinda. She'd put Glinda in to danger without even knowing it. Her damn emotions had gotten in the way and had blurred her better judgment.

"What is it Elphie?" Glinda pulled Elphaba to the side and sat her down on a bench. Nessa and Nanny had continued on, vowed to silence about the whole incident which they had just witnessed.

"I don't know." Elphaba shook her head, unable to look at Glinda. But when she finally did, her heart melted. She couldn't bring herself to tell Glinda that they might be in danger.

"Are you sure?" Glinda was still floating; proud that she had been able to pull off the spell which brought her Ama back around before she had died. It had been a nasty sight, but she tried to push it to the back of her mind.

Elphaba nodded. Glancing around to make sure no one was looking, she kissed Glinda, wanting to satisfy herself, ease the worries that were on her mind. Glinda's lips did just that.

Elphaba's mind was still elsewhere throughout the funeral and she became even more perplexed when Morrible called Glinda, Nessa, and herself in to her private office.

Though Elphaba did not clearly remember the incident, she knew that Morrible had promised her something. She had somehow sat her on a pedestal, made her believe she was special, even though deep down Elphaba knew that this was not right. Something strange was going on. Glinda also seemed to have trouble remembering just what Morrible had told her.

As they walked, with Nessa and Nanny right behind, to the Peach and Kidney's where the group had convened after the funeral, Glinda seemed to get tipsy, light headed. Somehow Morrible had placed images of some strong man seducing her…had she caught wind of Glinda and Elphaba's secret love? Was she trying to straighten her out? When she found herself thinking of the man's tongue between her thighs she swooned, luckily Elphaba was there to catch her. "…I love you too much…" Was all Glinda caught of whatever Elphaba was trying to say.

Somehow Elphaba seemed less phased by what had just occurred. She seemed, if at all possible, more angry. At the Peach and Kidney's Elphaba sat in a stupor, sipping her glass of wine and formulating her next move. By the time the gang had grown tired of the wine, and were ready to go do something else, Elphaba had a plan.

The group wanted to go to the Philosophy Club, but Elphaba shook her head. She would not go there; she would not stoop that low. Nor would she allow Glinda to either. Though Glinda could sure throw a protest when she wanted to.

"But I want to go!" She whined.

"No, you're better than that, dear." Elphaba whispered against her ear, and it roused her to stop complaining. "You're not going either, Nessa." Elphaba held firm.

The four of them went back to the dorm, Elphaba seeming to know that that was the last time the gang would be together. Nanny took a disappointed Nessa to get a cup of tea, for Nessa was feeling a bit woozy from all that drinking. Elphaba grabbed Glinda's hand and led her up to their room. "We're going to the Emerald City."

"What?" Glinda, who was slightly intoxicated stumbled out of her heels and stared at Elphie. Glinda watched as Elphaba started throwing her few belongings in to her bag.

"I'm going to see the Wizard." Elphaba said as she tossed a few of her books on top of her clothes. "Start packing."

"But Elphie, isn't this just a little ridiculous?" Glinda laughed, walking towards Elphaba and wrapping her arms around the tall, lanky girl. This caused Elphaba to pause for a moment.

"No." Elphaba shook her head. "Go pack, I'm not leaving you." Elphaba turned and looked at Glinda, taking her lips in to her own and kissing her hard and long, not wanting to ever leave the gorgeous blondes side.

Glinda nodded as she pulled away and quickly followed suit, tossing as much clothing as she could in to her bags. She knew the journey would take at least two weeks. This required a lot of nightgowns, dresses, gowns, undergarments, make-up, rollers…well she had to look nice for the Wizard, if they ever got audience with him.

As soon as they were packed and ready, Nanny and Nessa entered, both stopping dead in their tracks.

"Elphaba, where are you going?" Nessarose frowned.

"I'm going to the Emerald City, and don't try to stop me. You have Nanny to care for you, that's enough. I'm sure father will send you some extra care if need be." Elphaba added sarcastically. Grabbing Glinda, the two exited in a flourish of color and suitcases.

Nessarose was left with Nanny, both disoriented and confused. Nessa began to cry.

TBC...