A/N: Here we go, the last chapter of a series that has taken up the past 2.5 years of my life. As always, thank you so much to everyone who has favorited, reviewed, shared, talked to me on tumblr, etc. It means so much3

Enjoy!

Glinda sat on a fallen tree near the edge of the forest. Her skirt flowed lightly over her crossed knees, waving in the gentle breeze. Around her, the knee-high grass danced and flashed gold in the late afternoon sun. She sighed and flipped the sketchbook in her lap shut, tucking her pen inside it.

Behind her, the forest rustled. Glinda turned, lifting a leg onto the tree and resting her chin on her knee, and waited. Sure enough, just a few moments later, Elphaba came into view. She seemed to materialize out of the trees, barely making a sound. Next to her, just as silent, was a Deer.

The two were talking quietly. Elphaba made quick, small gestures with her hands, and Glinda could tell she was nervous about something, but then she caught sight of Glinda, and the worry faded from her face.

The Deer paused, hesitating where the trees were still thick. "I should be getting back," she told Elphaba. "It was nice to meet you, Fae." She looked at Glinda and nodded. "Your Goodness."

Glinda blinked, surprised, but she managed a smile before the Deer turned and bounded off, disappearing back into the forest.

Elphaba walked forward and sat on the log behind Glinda, who automatically leaned into her.

"New friend?" she asked.

"Neighbor, actually," Elphaba said. "The Gillikin forest has been a refuge for Animals ever since the Wizard's bans started taking place."

"And they know who we are?"

"Some of them." Elphaba rubbed her arm. "I wouldn't be worried. No one here is loyal to the Wizard."

Glinda hummed. "So did you find anything interesting?"

"Not personally, but I learned a lot." Elphaba nodded in the direction the Deer had left. "She has a cousin near Tenniken who likes to keep an ear out for Emerald City news."

"Anything good?"

"Define good," Elphaba said, and Glinda didn't have to turn to see the face she was making. "We've guessed most of it."

"The hunt for the Witch continues," Glinda guessed. "She and the traitorous Glinda the Good were last seen a month ago, flying away from the palace."

"Traitorous?" She could hear the smirk in Elphaba's voice. "There are some who think I brainwashed you."

Glinda giggled. "Fools. All of them."

"Anything to avoid believing you've turned against them. The entire city adored you."

"I know. Morrible hated it."

Elphaba shifted a little. She opened her mouth, then closed it again and looked away. Glinda twisted to see her better and tapped her leg.

"What is it?"

"Just a rumor," Elphaba said, a little too casually. "It's not—"

"Elphaba." Glinda grabbed her hand and met her eyes. "You don't have to protect me."

There was a long, quiet pause. Finally, Elphaba shook her head and gave a little smile. "You're right. I don't. It's just…instinct."

"I'm okay with that," Glinda said. "But no hiding things."

Elphaba nodded and pulled her close again. Glinda turned back around and settled into the embrace.

"So?" she prompted after a moment. Elphaba chuckled, but then grew serious.

"Morrible has been in the news lately, too," she said softly. "Apparently her legs are healing well, and she's returning to her work again."

"Shiz?" Glinda asked, but Elphaba shook her head.

"No. The Wizard has appointed her as head of a new task force. They'll be investigating across Oz, following the trails of any dangerous persons who have escaped the Wizard's grasp."

Glinda tensed, gripping Elphaba's arm tight. "She's coming after us."

Elphaba rested her forehead against Glinda's back and nodded. "We knew it would happen someday," she reasoned, though her voice shook a little. "That's why we came here."

Glinda nodded, numbly, and looked ahead of them at the hills that lay beyond the forest. Elphaba raised her head and shifted to follow her gaze. "Did you get any work done while I was gone?" she asked, clearly eager to change the subject. Not that Glinda minded.

They looked at the closest hill, where a hole had been dug and the beginning structures of a house were set up. The bedrock was cut and carved into most of a frame, and a few wooden beams were in place along the back and left walls. Glinda eyed it critically, then reached for her sketchbook.

"I worked a little more on the design," she said, opening to the right page and holding it up. Elphaba set her chin on Glinda's shoulder, looking between the drawing and the hill. Glinda sighed a little. "We have a long way to go."

"We've only been here three weeks."

"True." Glinda lowered the sketch to her lap and ran her fingers over the page. The first week after they escaped from the city was spent moving around, trying to find the best place to hide from the Wizard and Morrible's reach. It was stressful and tedious. Elphaba would keep going, pushing herself against Glinda's protests, until she was nearly unconscious on the broom and Glinda had to guide them down to a safe place. They would spend the next half day on the ground, Glinda tending to Elphaba, until they both got nervous and decided to fly off again.

They had eventually settled at the edge of the Great Gillikin Forest, near the hills that made up most of the Gillikin-Munchkinland border. Glinda had remembered a building she had sketched into one of her notebooks months ago—a little house set into a hill—and in between taking care of them and nursing Elphaba back to health, she had decided to give it a try. The last three weeks had passed quickly, and they lived off little more than whatever food they could gather, Glinda's magic, and each other.

It was more than enough.

"I need more materials," Glinda said, not for the first time. "There are enough fallen trees around here, but…"

"The railway isn't too far north of here," Elphaba said. "It's abandoned. We could check it out, try our luck."

"Or we could go down to Lake Chorge again."

Lake Chorge wasn't too far south. The week before they had flown down for the day to buy some desperately needed clothes. The trip made Elphaba nervous, because while she could travel with Glinda, she couldn't possibly go into town without being noticed. Glinda was nervous, too, but without all the dresses and makeup of the Emerald City, she was fairly unrecognizable. Besides, it wasn't quite summer, so the town was empty of the vacationing aristocrats who would have recognized her.

"I like the railway idea better," said Elphaba, holding her closer.

"Of course you do." There was fondness in Glinda's voice, covering up most of the exasperation. She gazed at the horizon where, across Munchkinland, the sun was setting. "It'll be dark soon. Shall we?"

Elphaba held her for a moment longer, breathing deeply, then untangled herself and stood. She held her hand out to Glinda, who took it and led the way further into the trees. There was a little abandoned house—no larger than a shack—where they were staying temporarily. It was shabby and the wood was rotting when they found it, but together they had cleaned it up and reinforced it with magic, and it was cozy enough for them.

Glinda went inside first and waved her fingers at the lantern on the wall. It flickered to life, glowing warmly in the tiny room. Elphaba walked in behind her and wandered over to the pile of blankets and pillows that served as their bed.

Glinda went to the table in the corner and touched the folded paper that lay on top. Two weeks ago, a Robin had approached Elphaba and given her a letter from Munchkinland. She and Elphaba had recognized Boq's handwriting and eagerly tore open the letter. It didn't say much—just that he had heard they escaped the palace, and he was anxious to know if they were okay. Glinda quickly wrote a response, giving it and a letter for Fiyero to the Robin, who said he was glad to deliver messages for anyone who opposed the Wizard.

"Oh." There was a rustle as Elphaba dug through her bag, then she came over, setting an envelope on the table in front of Glinda. "He found me again today."

"And you're just now telling me?" Glinda snatched the envelope and quickly opened it. It was another letter from Boq, and this time the entire page was crammed with his handwriting. Elphaba wrapped her arms around Glinda's waist and read over her shoulder.

Glinda,

Thank Oz both of you are okay. When we heard about the uproar in the city, I didn't know what to think. You better tell Fiyero, if you haven't already. He's been worried sick.

It's been pretty crazy here. We're all pretty sure that once the Wizard realizes he's not going to find you easily, he'll take his anger out on Munchkinland.

"Nessa is ready for something like that," Elphaba said, tapping the page. "She's been preparing for an attack ever since our grandfather died."

Glinda read on a little further. "Whoa. Look at this."

There's not much we can do in terms of fighting, but things around here are changing. It took a while, but I somehow managed to convince a few of the farms to work together and combine resources. It was a last ditch effort, but with everyone sharing workers, supplies, products, etc., we were no longer in danger of losing our land. The idea caught on, and the rest of Rush Margins united with a speed and efficiency I couldn't even have dreamed of. It's worked so well, in fact, that the farms' owners are even allowing me to implement a few of the ideas I got from you.

Elphaba raised an eyebrow and looked at Glinda. She explained, distractedly, about the book of Munchkinland architecture she had bought. "But look," she said, pointing at the next paragraph.

Of course, it doesn't hurt that the Eminent Thropp has granted us yearly funding and is encouraging our tentative efforts to expand to the rest of Wend Hardings. Apparently, when she heard my name behind all of this, she became eager to hear our plans. A few folks in town have started the rumor that she has a soft spot for me.

Elphaba laughed out loud at that, but then she read on.

It's strange, though. When I met her, she appeared to be guilty more than anything.

"Guilty?" Elphaba asked. "Nessarose Thropp?"

"I don't know." Glinda shrugged. "But apparently she's been making all sorts of connections across Oz. Look."

She pointed a little further down the page. Elphaba scanned the lines, reading bits of it out loud. "'Lots of rumors about the Eminent these days…say she's forging an alliance with an Arjiki prince…'"

"'And at least a couple rising business connections in the Emerald City,'" Glinda finished. "Did I mention Crope and Tibbett have been planning to open a bar in the city?"

Elphaba grinned. Glinda ran her hands up and down Elphie's arms, then laced their fingers together.

"Your sister is making friends," she noted. "And they all seem to be connected by Shiz."

"That's strange. She never knew anyone at Shiz."

Glinda shrugged. "Boq did say she seemed guilty."

"Ridiculous," Elphaba scoffed, though her eyes were bright. "She's just making friends who will help her resist the Wizard."

"Maybe," said Glinda. "But maybe there's a bit of remorse there, too, hidden underneath it all. From the looks of it, you could even say she's trying to make amends."

Elphaba was quiet for a moment. She turned her face into Glinda's neck, breathing in. "Maybe Munchkinland is in good hands, after all," she murmured.

"I think so," Glinda agreed.

They were quiet for a while as they finished reading Boq's letter. Glinda tore a page from her sketchbook and started to write a response, but she only scribbled down a greeting before deciding that now wasn't the time. They ate a small dinner, then moved over to the nest of blankets and pillows.

Elphaba winced a little as she lay down, pressing a hand to her side. Glinda looked at her with concern.

"Old wounds," Elphaba said quietly, looking down and away. Glinda covered Elphaba's hand with her own.

They had summarized the events of the past year for each other. For the first time, they were able to be completely honest, yet their stories were told in quiet, broken sentences, stopping and starting, over the course of the entire month. There were a few tears, a couple of arguments, and plenty of apologies, but somehow every night ended like this: curled up in the blankets next to each other, intertwined and not willing to let go for anything.

Still, there were a few things that were left unsaid, and while Glinda felt peaceful here, she couldn't quite bring herself to be happy. Not yet. Not really. She was too afraid.

Elphaba must have sensed her thoughts, because she tucked a strand of Glinda's hair back and cupped her cheek.

"What is it?"

Glinda started to shake her head, but then she sighed and leaned into the touch, gathering her courage.

"Do you ever think about going back?" The words left her in a rush, and she ducked to hide her face against Elphaba's arm. Her voice was muffled when she added, "To the Resistance, I mean."

Elphaba rolled to her side and pulled Glinda closer. Glinda let herself be held, but she refused to look up. Elphaba took her time before answering.

"I wonder about them," she admitted softly. "I don't think I could have gone back, though. Not without Peric."

Glinda was quiet for a moment. When she spoke again, her voice was small. "Do you ever miss it?" She looked up, meeting Elphaba's eyes. "I know…you made a home there, with them. Do you regret not being able to go back? Do you…do you regret…" Glinda pressed her lips together and looked down again. Do you regret me?

Elphaba drew her close and kissed the corner of her eyes before the tears could fall. "Glinda," she murmured. "Whatever home I made with them was nothing compared to us."

The words gave her just enough courage to look up again. Elphaba's gaze was sincere, even if it was a little sad.

"I miss Malky. I miss Peric, of course." Her breath caught, and she had to pause for a moment before continuing. "But I don't regret a single day I've spent with you."

Glinda let out a shaky laugh. "Not even the day I stole your mother's bottle?"

Elphaba grinned. "No. Not even that." Her eyes grew serious. "Are you worried I'm going to leave you?"

"Again," Glinda muttered without meaning to. She glanced up just in time to see the pain flicker across Elphaba's face. "I'm sorry. I didn't—"

"No." Elphaba's voice was soft, but firm. "No, you're right."

"I just…" Glinda felt like crying. She squirmed, but Elphaba held her tighter and she fell still, exhaling. "So much has happened," she whispered. "I don't know what I can trust."

Elphaba cupped Glinda's face, stroking her thumb over her cheekbone. "If I said you can trust me, would you believe me?"

"I've always trusted you," Glinda whispered. "But I…" She trailed off and looked down, but Elphaba tilted her face up again.

"It's okay. We'll be okay. And maybe there's nothing I can say to convince you, but…" Elphaba bit her lip, scanning Glinda's face. She leaned forward so their noses brushed against each other. Her lips hovered over Glinda's, but she glanced up again, meeting her eyes. When she saw no resistance, she closed the space between them.

She kissed Glinda lightly, barely touching, until Glinda sighed softly and parted her lips. Elphaba pulled back just far enough to look at her, taking in Glinda's fluttering lashes and flushed cheeks. She smiled and slid her fingers into Glinda's hair, tilting her head back further and kissing her again, deeper. Their tongues met, sending heat rushing through them. Elphaba moved slowly, but that didn't stop her heart from pounding. She wrapped her arm around Glinda, pressing their bodies together, wondering if there was a way to somehow drown in each other.

They were both breathless when Elphaba pulled back. She combed her fingers through Glinda's hair, waiting for her to look up again.

"I love you," Glinda whispered. She leaned forward and kissed her again, lightly. "I think…we'll be okay?"

"We will," said Elphaba. "And I love you, too."

Glinda reached for one of the blankets and pulled it over them. They both shifted, snuggling close, and when they had settled Glinda waved her fingers at the lantern on the wall, causing the light to flicker out.

It was too dark, and Glinda's eyes weren't adjusting fast enough. She screwed them shut and took a shaky breath, pressing her face into Elphaba's neck.

"Elphie," she whispered. "I'm still scared."

Because maybe they had escaped, but they were still in danger. Because maybe they were safe here, but the rest of Oz wasn't. Because the Wizard was still in control. Because their friends were scattered across the world, fighting a cause that was so much bigger than all of them. Because they had both suffered so much. Because Elphaba had been attacked, tortured, nearly killed. Because Glinda had been pushed to her breaking point over and over again, and had come out of it with a power beyond anything she had ever imagined. Because Morrible was out there, trying to hunt them down. Because even after all this time, they still couldn't escape her. Maybe they never would.

There was a soft rustle, and then Elphaba's lips brushed against her forehead. She kissed Glinda's temple. She kissed the base of her ear, then her cheek, then across the bridge of her nose to the other side. She kissed just beneath her eyes and along her jaw and at the corners of her mouth, and then she paused.

Glinda opened her eyes, expecting it to be too dark to see Elphaba. She was wrong. The stars shone through the window, bright and dazzling, casting Elphaba in soft, silvery light.

Elphaba pressed her forehead to Glinda's. "Me too," she breathed.

This time, Glinda kissed her. It was still soft, and she was still scared, but she thought that maybe, just maybe, she was happy, too.