Glinda woke to the feeling of warmth—encasing her, protecting her. A strong arm was wrapped securely around her, holding her against a thin body. Fingers stroked through her hair and soft, even breath tickled her ear.

She opened her eyes. The lamp between the beds was on, bathing the left side of her vision in dim, flickering light. The right side of her vision was green.

She turned to face Elphaba. The green girl tried to smile, but it ended up as a grimace.

"Please tell me fainting hasn't become a past time of yours."

Glinda brought a hand up to rub her eyes. "N-no. That was the only time, I promise."

Elphaba continued playing with her hair, saying nothing. Glinda shivered and felt herself being hugged closer.

"How long was I…?"

"Only a few minutes."

"What are you doing here?" Glinda's voice was soft. She reached up and traced the side of Elphaba's face. "Where have you been?"

Elphaba's eyes hardened. "I…"

"You're shutting me out." She let her hand fall.

"Glinda…"

"No. We've been through too much for this. You can't just come here and not tell me where in Oz you've been all this time." Her voice was hard, even if it never rose much above a whisper.

Elphaba shifted, moving back, though her arm stayed wrapped around Glinda. "I can't. Please, my sweet, you have to—"

"Trust you." Glinda pulled away and sat up, facing the other side of the room. "I know."

Elphaba sat up next to her. "I'm sorry."

"Do you have any idea how furious I am with you?" Glinda didn't wait for an answer. "Do you realize how much it hurt, to just come back one day and find out that you decided to leave? You leftme. You didn't give me a choice. Oz, you didn't even give me a warning, you just left."

"I'm so sorry."

"Do you know how much that hurt? Do you have any clue how much I've missed you?" The words were still hushed, but her voice was shaking now. She was surprised Elphaba could even understand her.

"Yes." Elphaba swallowed hard. "I do. Oz, I swear I do."

Glinda turned to face her. "Damn you, Elphaba."

And then she was kissing her. Elphaba breathed in sharply, but Glinda didn't stop. She pressed her back against the wall and wrapped her arms around her possessively.

Elphaba bit back a whimper and held Glinda closer. "I'm so sorry," she breathed between kisses. "I love you. I'm so sorry."

Glinda pulled back, holding Elphaba's face in her hands. "Are you okay?" she asked. Every trace of anger had faded from her voice. "You're not hurt or anything, are you?"

Elphaba's cheeks flushed a darker green. "I'm fine. I—" Before she could even finish, Glinda was kissing her again.

She sat up taller and pulled Glinda onto her lap. Slowly, her fingers pulled at the bottom of Glinda's sweater. She paused, suddenly unsure of…well, everything. Glinda reached down and covered one of her hands.

"I love you," Glinda whispered, bumping their foreheads together.

Elphaba swallowed. "I love you. I never wanted to hurt you. I just want you to be safe. I—"

"I know." Glinda kissed her lightly. "Elphie, please. I've missed you so much." Her fingers drifted down to Elphaba's neck. Ever so gently, she untied the worn black scarf. Glinda ran the material between her fingers and looked up at her. "You still wear it," she whispered.

It was the smile that got Elphaba—the affection shining in her eyes, the sweetness that was almost too painful to bear. She took Glinda's sweater and lifted it quickly over her head, tossing it to the side even as she lowered her to the bed.

Glinda let herself fall back. For a moment, she paused to wonder about what was happening. Should they talk? She wanted to talk. She wanted to know every little thing that had happened to Elphaba in the last few months. But she also wanted to be as close to Elphaba as possible, to lose herself completely in the sight, the sound, the feel, the smell of her. And since Elphaba clearly wasn't going to tell her anything…

She ran her hands over Elphie, trying to undo her frock and pull her closer at the same time. She wasn't too successful, though, and after a minute or so Elphaba pulled back to do it herself. Glinda pouted at the loss of contact, but Elphie just chuckled.

"Oz, I missed that look," she said, slipping out of her clothes and tossing them to the side.

"Is that all you missed?" Glinda asked innocently.

Elphaba lowered herself once more. "No," she breathed, threading a hand through Glinda's hair. "Not even close."

Glinda arched her back and whispered her name. Elphaba felt heat pulse through her. She tilted her head, looking for just the right angle, then kissed Glinda, hard, pressing her into the mattress. Glinda moaned, but it was swallowed by the kiss. Elphaba pulled back with a smirk that made her heart swell. She reached up and traced her hand over Elphaba's face, letting it rest on her cheek.

"Elphie…"

Elphaba stared at her, eyes smoldering. Her hands moved carefully up her body, and soon Glinda's eyes fluttered shut as she was lost to the sensation. Elphaba ran her fingers over Glinda, slow and purposeful, her lips tracing almost desperately over every piece of skin she could reach. The care, the tenderness, the intensity—it all made Glinda's head spin.

I can't stay.

Glinda gasped, her fingers tensing against Elphaba's cheek. Swallowing down the lump in her throat, she sucked in a breath and forced herself to ask what she already knew the answer to.

"This…doesn't last, does it? This is all we get."

Elphaba froze, her breath catching in her throat. She couldn't meet Glinda's eyes, but she lowered her head until it rested over her heart.

"I love you," she whispered. "Please, never doubt that."

"I don't," Glinda breathed back. "But…that doesn't change anything."

Elphaba's fingers gripped her tighter, and Glinda could have sworn she heard a tiny sob.

If there was anything left unbroken inside her before, it was now shattered. She wrapped her arms around her and gently flipped them over so she was on top, her body covering Elphaba's.

"I love you, too," she said, kissing across her face. "It doesn't matter what happens tomorrow. You're here now."

Neither of them really believed it, but Glinda ran her lips over Elphaba's jaw, working her way down, and her hand crept to the inside of her thighs, and the sound of Elphie's gasp made it easy to forget about everything else. So Glinda held her and kissed her and touched her, drawing out as many of those precious sounds as she could, and for a while she could believe that the night would never end.

Eventually they ended up curled together beneath the blanket. Glinda tangled their legs together and scooted forward so she was pressed into Elphie's chest, making it impossible to slip away. Elphaba wrapped an arm around her and hummed a little, content. Glinda smiled softly and rubbed her eyes.

Elphaba pressed her lips to Glinda's forehead. "It's late," she murmured.

"I'm not tired."

"You're exhausted."

Glinda grinned sheepishly up at her, but then she sighed and burrowed her face into Elphaba's shoulder. "I don't want to sleep."

"Why not?" Elphaba cradled the back of her head.

"I'm afraid if I close my eyes, you'll disappear again."

"Oh, my sweet." Elphaba pulled her closer, holding her so tight her arm shook. "Sleep now. I promise, I'll be here in the morning."

Glinda nodded as best as she could. She breathed in, noticing the smell of pinewood and parchment—not faded and stale, like it had been for months now, but fresh, straight from Elphaba herself.

She smiled and closed her eyes. Finally, she was home.

Elphaba woke to the sound of rain. It was only rain, and a quick glance at her watch on the table told her it was just before dawn, so Glinda was still curled peacefully beside her. Elphaba lifted her head a little and stared outside. She wondered how anyone could find the gentle patter of water against the window calming. To her, it was just unnerving.

"Elphie?" Glinda's voice was sleepy.

She continued to look at the window, but she brushed a lock of Glinda's hair back. "I'm here."

Something in her voice must have been off, because Glinda blinked awake and looked up. "What is it?" She turned to follow her gaze out the window. Elphaba scooted forward, closing the gap between Glinda's back and her chest.

"The rain," she said softly. "It's just…awfully convenient."

Glinda rubbed Elphaba's arm. "It's not her. It's been storming all week."

"I don't like it."

"It's not her. Trust me, Elphie."

There was a brief, tense silence, and then Elphaba sighed and relaxed into Glinda. "I do. I trust you."

Glinda wrapped her fingers around Elphaba's. "You're thinking about leaving."

"Not yet," Elphaba said slowly.

"But you'll have to eventually."

"Yeah."

Glinda's grip on her hand tightened. "Stay the weekend," she whispered.

"Glinda, I don't know if—"

"Elphie. Please."

Elphaba hesitated, thinking. Take your time, Peric had told her. "Okay," she said finally. "But, what about you? You can't stay holed up in the room all weekend. People will wonder where you are."

"Well…"

Elphaba raised an eyebrow. Glinda swallowed, feeling her cheeks heat up. "It might not actually be, um, that unusual, if I stay in the room. I mean…"

Elphaba sat up a little, frowning down at her. "Glinda? What have you been doing this semester?"

"Classes." Glinda was beginning to squirm, but Elphaba held her tighter and waited. "Sometimes I study with Boq, or hang out with the boys."

"That's all?" Elphaba grabbed her shoulder, turning Glinda back around so they were facing each other.

"I've been better lately," she argued, looking away. "Over the summer I almost never—" She cut off, biting her lip.

Elphaba grabbed her chin and tilted her face back up so their eyes met. "You've been going to classes? Taking care of yourself? You're still getting enough sleep, you're eating enough?" Glinda nodded, but her eyes darted down. "Glinda. Don't lie to me."

"I have been," she argued, pushing Elphaba's hand away. "Mostly. I just—"

"Glinda."

"I'm getting better!"

"You never leave the room!"

"It's hard." Glinda finally met her gaze and held it, and this time there was a flash of anger in her eyes. Elphaba shut up. "It's hard to wake up and remember that half the room is empty. It's hard walking around campus and going to my classes like nothing ever happened. Facing Morrible every day, remembering that she's the reason why everything bad last year happened. And Nikidik, and Pfannee and her gang—seeing them, listening to their taunts, because they won, and they know it! It hurts to go to class or the library or anywhere without you by my side, because Shiz was a nightmare last year but at least it brought us together! But now you're gone so sometimes it's just easier to stay here. Yes, it's probably unhealthy and yes, the boys have tried to drag me back out, but you're not out there. You're not in here, either, but here you're not entirely gone and sometimes it still smells like you and—"

Glinda clapped her hand over her mouth, suddenly aware of how much she had said. Her cheeks burned and already her eyes stung. She sat up, turning her back on Elphaba, and tried to stop her shoulders from shaking.

For a moment, all Elphaba could do was stare. She blinked hard, then forced herself to sit up, pulling the blanket around her shoulders as she did so. "Glinda," she breathed. "Oh Oz, Glinda, what have I done to you?"

Glinda took a shaky breath. "You made me fall in love with you, you terrible mean thing."

Elphaba scooted forward and wrapped her arms around Glinda. After a moment of reluctance Glinda gave in, letting Elphaba pull her onto her lap and wrap the blanket around both of them. Elphaba wiped Glinda's eyes with a corner of the blanket, then tucked her head into her shoulder.

"I thought I was doing the right thing," Elphaba said softly. She rubbed circles across Glinda's back, warm and slow. "If I had any idea how much you were going to suffer…"

You don't know the half of it, Glinda thought, thinking of her magic and her sessions with Morrible. Instead, she said, "There was no way you could have known. Even if you had, you would have done the same thing."

Elphaba tensed, and Glinda didn't have to look up to see the hurt flash, ever so briefly, across her face. "No," she whispered. "I only wanted to protect you."

"You want to protect Oz." Glinda pulled back just far enough to look up at her. "You left so you could continue what you started and fight against the Wizard. Protecting me—and Boq and Fiyero and Crope and Tibbett—was part of it, sure, but there was more to it than that. There was always more."

Elphaba searched her face, helpless. "I never imagined it would hurt you this much."

"It's not your fault." Glinda looked down. She leaned her head against Elphaba's shoulder and fiddled with a corner of the blanket.

"I knew it would tear me apart," Elphaba said, almost to herself. "I was terrified. I knew that leaving Shiz—leaving you—would be the hardest thing I ever had to do. I missed you every moment. I thought of you every single day. I couldn't sleep. I would have…well, not dreams, really, but I would see you. I would hear you call my name and jolt awake, certain that you were in the room. That's why P—my friend, told me to go see you, but I was afraid. I didn't want to put you in any more danger than I already had. And I didn't know that you…that any of this…"

"But you're here now," Glinda breathed.

Suddenly Elphaba was back in the Emerald City, on the bank's rooftop, listening to the Wizard and his threats. She shivered, pulling Glinda closer. "I'm here now."

Glinda took a deep breath. "You know what the difference is, don't you?" Her voice was quiet, almost dangerously so. "You had a choice. You made the decision to leave, and everything that happened after was a product of that."

"I know."

"I didn't get that choice. You made it for me."

"I couldn't stay here," she whispered, desperate. "I couldn't keep putting you in danger. If something happened to you—"

"A lot happened to me." Glinda's voice was hard. She sighed and looked up at Elphaba, softening. "I would have gone with you. If you had asked, I would have said yes in a heartbeat."

When she had first started Dillamond's research, Elphaba had wondered—agonized over it, even—what Glinda would do if she found out about everything. She had spent so many nights staring across the room at Glinda's sleeping form, silently asking. Would she run away from it all? Or would she, by some miracle, choose to stay at Elphaba's side?

Now, a year later, the question was answered, and all Elphaba could do was shake her head.

"No," she said. "I never would have let you."

Glinda opened her mouth, but whatever she was going to say died on her lips. Elphaba shifted, nudging Glinda up until their heights were almost even. Glinda continued looking off to the side, but Elphaba tilted her head down until their foreheads bumped against each other.

"I know I've hurt you, and I—I am so sorry. I don't know if I can ever…" She trailed off, took a breath, tried again. "I'm sorry. But you're right. I want to fight the Wizard. I want to protect Oz, to make it a better place—not just for the Animals or the Munchkins or whoever, but for you, too. So you never have to live like you did last spring. And this is something…I don't think I could stop fighting for this, even if I wanted to."

"I know you couldn't." Glinda cupped her cheek and met her eyes. "It's part of why I love you."

"But it hurts you. It hurts us."

"Why did you come back?" Glinda asked.

"To protect you. To make sure you were alright." Elphaba's brow furrowed. Those reasons weren't wrong, but they weren't right either. "Because I miss you. Because…because I still love you."

That was right. Apparently Glinda thought so too, because she tilted Elphaba's head back and kissed her deeply. Elphaba held her waist. She stroked her thumb gently, soothingly, across Glinda's skin.

"It's still early," Elphie whispered when they broke apart. "Come back to sleep?"

Glinda brushed her hair back and kissed her lightly. "Okay."

They shifted and lay down on the bed, facing each other. Glinda traced her fingers over Elphaba's cheeks, her jaw, her neck, her collarbone. Elphaba drew small, soft swirls across Glinda's shoulders and back. Outside, the rain sighed softly against the window. Elphaba wondered when, if, they would ever be like this again.

"It's okay," Glinda whispered, capturing her attention again. She kissed her cheek, the corner of her mouth, her lips. "Whatever you're thinking, it's okay. We're okay."

Elphaba met her eyes and did her best to memorize their color. "I love you."

"I love you," said Glinda. "Sleep, Elphie."

"You too, okay?" She kissed Glinda's forehead, both of their eyes fluttering shut. Glinda groped for her hand beneath the blanket and intertwined their fingers. Almost subconsciously, both girls curled even closer. They were asleep within the minute.

They woke again around noon, and this time the rain had cleared, leaving the bright winter sun to shine through their window. Glinda sighed and snuggled closer to Elphaba, but she kept her eyes closed, pretending to be asleep. Elphaba gladly let her, and she spent the next half hour simply watching her, gently brushing her hair back, caressing her cheek or her hip.

"I can feel that, you know," Glinda mumbled eventually.

Elphaba grinned. "That's kind of the point."

"Are you trying to wake me up?"

"You're already awake."

"Shh. No I'm not."

Elphaba leaned forward and pressed her lips to Glinda's temple. "Okay. You're not."

Her eyes stayed closed, but Glinda smiled and leaned into the touch. "It's been a long time since I've woken up feeling this good."

"Me too," Elphie murmured. "Of course, it's past midday. So that might be part of it."

Glinda laughed quietly. "If sleeping half the day away was part of it, this semester would have been a lot easier."

Elphaba frowned a little and ran her fingers through Glinda's hair. "So, tell me about Shiz," she said after a moment or two. "How are the boys?"

"Alright." Glinda thought about it. "They miss you. They worry about me. They worry about Boq, too."

"Boq?"

"He's been so stressed lately. He's afraid he'll have to leave Shiz."

Elphaba scowled. "Because of the bans the Wizard is passing."

"Yes."

"I was at Colwen Grounds, toward the end of summer. My grandfather is furious with the Wizard."

"Is there nothing he can do?"

"I don't know." Elphaba sighed. "He's trying, but… When I left, he told me there was a lot the Eminent Thropp couldn't do. He knew what I was doing, what I am doing. I think he was trying to tell me how limited he was, and how much he couldn't do, legally."

"What about Nessa?" Glinda asked. "How does she play into all of this?"

"She's training to be the next Eminent. Our grandfather will teach her as much as he can, but..." She trailed off, and Glinda rubbed between her shoulder blades, encouraging her. "We're not sure he has a lot of time left," Elphaba said. "He's getting old. His health is failing. If he dies, then Nessa gets stuck with all of this."

"You're worried about her."

"She's so young. The Wizard could easily take advantage of that fact. She won't stand a chance."

Glinda looked thoughtful for a moment. "She's related to you. I think she stands a chance."

"But for how long?" Elphaba shook her head. "Anyway. Boq. He might have to leave?"

Glinda didn't know if she should press the subject or not. "His family's farm is struggling," she said finally. "He still works at the library and sends money home, and he's been researching agriculture and finances, in case he does have to leave. He keeps putting off declaring his specialty, too."

Elphaba's brow furrowed. "I thought he'd study history, or life science."

"He wants to study both, but he's afraid. If he does have to go home, he wants to study something useful. And even if he doesn't, with all the bans, it's becoming harder and harder for a Munchkin to get jobs. What would he do, if he's not allowed to teach or conduct research?"

"You're worried about him."

"Of course I am," Glinda said. "I don't want to lose him, too."

Elphaba looked down, flushing a little. Glinda sighed and hugged her tighter. "Boq was devastated when you left. I mean, they all were, but…"

"Will they be worried if they don't see you all weekend?"

"Maybe, but they won't do anything. With finals getting closer, they'll probably just think I'm studying."

Elphaba shifted a little. "They can't know I'm here."

"Ever?" Glinda leaned back, studying her. "Even when I see them next week?" When Elphaba didn't respond, she shook her head. "No. No way. They miss you, Elphie. You can't just do that to them."

She flinched a little. "I can't see them. I can't risk Morrible seeing me, and they're not allowed in the dorm."

"It wouldn't be the first time," Glinda mumbled. Her cheeks heated up as Elphaba stared at her. "It's nothing, they've just…once or twice, when I…"

Elphaba sighed. "If Morrible ever finds out I was here, it'll be you she hurts."

Glinda was silent for a while. "She taunts me. Sometimes it's about you. She told me you were going to end up as a traitor of Oz."

"I probably already am."

"Elphie. What have you been doing?"

"You know I can't tell you that."

"Then at least tell me where you are." Elphaba stayed silent, but Glinda wasn't about to give up. "The Emerald City, right? And you're not alone. Not if your friend kept telling you to come see me."

"Please. Don't make me lie to you."

Glinda studied her for a long moment. She was right. It wasn't much, but at least now she knew where Elphaba was. "Okay," she said finally. "But at least tell me one thing."

"What?" Elphaba asked, wary.

"Where in Oz did that broom come from?"

Elphie laughed—that same, wild cackle that Glinda loved so much. She pulled Glinda closer and kissed her hard. And when Glinda pulled back and insisted on hearing the story, Elphie told her, in between hot, urgent kisses and with as little detail as possible.

"Magic? Really? And it's kept its properties all this time?" Glinda's eyes were bright with interest. As much as Elphaba loved her scholarly side, she had other things in mind. She raised an eyebrow and smirked, watching Glinda look between her and the broom, torn.

"Oh, fine then," Glinda sighed, wrapping her hand around Elphaba's neck.

"You don't seem to be complaining."

"Shut up and kiss me."

They didn't leave the bed until a few hours later, when Elphaba's stomach grumbled and Glinda laughed so much she nearly fell onto the floor. Glinda refused to leave the room, so they sat on the floor, blankets draped around their shoulders, and split up some of the food Elphaba had packed.

"The bread's probably stale," Elphie said, watching Glinda pull food out of the bag. "The apples probably got bruised on the way here, and—"

Glinda tossed her an apple and bit into her own. "Relax, Elphie. Your rebel food tastes fine."

Elphaba snorted. "More like slum food. It's a long way down from Frottican cuisine."

"You really think that bothers me?" Glinda asked, raising an eyebrow. Elphaba seemed to struggle for a moment, and she settled for a shrug.

"Dig in, then, I guess." Elphaba bit into her own apple as Glinda rolled her eyes. "So, you never told me much about your semester."

Glinda rolled the fruit between her hands, inspecting it. "It's okay. My grades are fine, at least. Though that's probably thanks to Boq."

"You sell yourself short."

"Old habit, I suppose." Glinda smiled. "But Boq is a big part of it. If I wasn't copying his history notes, Nikidik probably would have kicked me out of his class by now."

Elphaba waved her hand. "That's Nikidik. You can hardly call his lessons a class anyway. What about a specialty? Have you decided what you're going to study?"

"I'm…still thinking about it." Glinda took another bite of her apple and took her time before continuing. "I want to study architecture, but I'm not sure."

She forced herself to look up and meet Elphaba's gaze. The green girl tilted her head. "What are you not sure about? You're so good at it."

Glinda shrugged and looked back down at the fruit. "I don't know. Morrible keeps getting onto me."

Elphaba tensed. "She wants you to specialize in sorcery?"

"Yes."

"Glinda—"

"It's okay," Glinda said quickly. "I've gotten pretty good at avoiding her over the past year or so."

She tried for a smile and was rewarded with a small one in return. Glinda set her apple aside and scooted forward so her knees brushed against Elphaba's. She took her hand and looked down at their fingers.

It shouldn't be so easy, lying to Elphie, but she just didn't want her to worry. If Glinda told her the truth—about Morrible forcing her to specialize in sorcery, about the private sessions, about how she no longer had control over her magic—then she would only blame herself. Elphaba left because she wanted to protect Glinda from Morrible. Maybe it didn't work the way she wanted it to, but she didn't need to know that. And if Glinda could manage without involving Elphie, then maybe her leaving wouldn't be in vain.

Elphaba twisted her hand to stroke her thumb across Glinda's knuckles. "So, you're okay?"

Glinda stared at their fingers, pale and green, twisted around each other, until the colors seemed to blur together. She blinked a few times. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay."

"Good, 'cause I'm moving back to the bed." Elphie climbed to her feet, blushing when she saw the look Glinda was giving her. "Not for that. The floor is uncomfortable, that's all."

"Oh, is that all?"

Elphaba pulled her to her feet and starting backing up toward the bed. "Yes, that's all. I was actually going to ask you if you're still kicking butt in mathematics."

"You know I am." Glinda grabbed Elphie's shoulders and pushed her down onto the mattress. She let the blanket fall from her shoulders, then climbed up to straddle Elphaba's waist. "And I was going to ask you where you got that ridiculous hat."

"It's a funny story, actually. It involves a black market, a rescued Rabbit, and a tiny blonde acting as my conscience, scolding me for my poor fashion choices."

"Poor fashion choice indeed," Glinda murmured. Elphie looked like she was going to argue, but Glinda's hand was making its way down her stomach, rendering her all but speechless. In fact, it was a while before either girl said much of anything.

A storm rolled into Shiz that night, complete with thunder and lightning and wind that made the window rattle. Elphaba wrapped the blanket tightly around them and held Glinda close, rubbing her back and whispering quiet affections into her ear.

Lightning lit up the room, accompanied by a particularly violent peal of thunder, and Glinda whimpered as the room shook.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Elphaba pulled her closer, pressing their bodies together. "There's nothing to apologize for."

"With everything we've been through, you'd think a little storm wouldn't bother me anymore."

More lightning. Glinda winced, covering her ears, as the thunder crashed. Elphaba kissed her hairline.

"This isn't what I'd call a little storm, my sweet."

Glinda looked up at her, and Elphaba couldn't tell if she was scowling or pouting. "You're allergic to water. Why am I more afraid than you?"

She resisted the urge to chuckle. "We're inside. Even if the window broke, the rain couldn't reach me here. I'm safe from my fear. You, on the other hand, are afraid of the memory, not the actual storm. And no building can keep that out."

"Helpful," Glinda grumbled. Elphaba grabbed her head and tucked her back into her shoulder as thunder shook the room once again.

"Helpful or not, you're still the bravest girl I know."

"You're just lying to make me feel better."

Now Elphaba really did laugh. It was soft and gentle, and Glinda melted at the sound. "Oh, my sweet. If you only knew how I see you."

"It works both ways, you know," Glinda said, relaxing ever so slightly into her embrace.

"So I've heard." Elphaba pressed her lips to her forehead again. "You think you can sleep?"

"Will you be here when I wake up?"

"Hm. Stay in bed with you, or fly through a thunderstorm? It's a tough decision, really." She yelped as Glinda pinched her hip. "Now that was just unnecessary."

Glinda smiled and tilted her head up to kiss her jaw. "Good night, Elphie."

"Fresh dreams, Glinda."

It took a while for the storm to pass into the distance, and neither girl fell asleep for another hour or so, but Glinda simply snuggled into Elphie's embrace and closed her eyes. If she only focused on this moment—Elphaba holding her, protecting her—then she could almost pretend nothing had changed. She could almost believe the entire semester had been one big nightmare, and now she was back in the real world. Elphaba was still at Shiz, Morrible had never hurt them, and the only thing she had to fear was the thunder shaking their window.

Almost, of course, was the key word. But for right now, with Elphaba pressed against her and wrapped around her, almost was enough.