FaerieTales4ever: Just because Maddy did it doesn't mean that I can't do it!

Indy's Green Hat: You call shenanigans? I'm very curious to see how this turns out *Smirk*

Ozian-in-Australia: Maddy and I have decided to call off the cliffy-off. Maybe some other time. And yes… get your feels ready. *Cackle*


"According to these test," the doctor said, glancing down at the papers in his hands through his glasses, "her lung scarring has gotten much worse. It's causing her to have a harder time breathing."

"I've noticed," Nessa nodded. "Is there nothing else we can do?"

The doctor licked his lips. "I could prescribe another medicine that can slow future scarring. And I can give her a potion that will make her more comfortable so she's not in any more pain."

The brunette clenched her fist. "I meant to save her."

"I'm sorry, Miss Nessarose, but there's really nothing else we can do now. All we can do is make your sister comfortable."

"There has to be something!" Nessa argued. "Something we can do!"

"Miss Nessarose…"

"You can't just let her die! You're not supposed to just let her die!"

"Miss Nessarose, I have done everything I can for your sister. But I am not a miracle worker."

Nessa bit back a response and looked down at her lap.

"May I go up and see her?"

Nessa made an empty gesture, still looking down at her lap as the doctor rose and went up to Elphaba's room. He heard a faint, "Come in" when he knocked and slowly opened the door.

"Doctor…?" Elphaba blinked, looking up.

"Hello, Miss Elphaba," the doctor said as he pulled up a chair next to her bed and sat down. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay," the green girl whispered as she struggled to push herself up.

The doctor helped her sit up and lean against the headboard.

"Did Nessa call you here?"

"No, I was actually here to speak with your father, but I didn't know he was out."

"Talk to my father about what?" Elphaba questioned, looking at the folder in the doctor's hand. "What's that?" she asked before he could answer her first question.

"The test results from your last visit."

A cold feeling came over the green girl. "How long do I have?"

"Wh-What?" the doctor blinked.

"How long do I have?"

"What are you…"

"I'm not a doctor, but I'm pretty sure that me getting weaker couldn't mean anything good."

The doctor could only blink at the green girl. "Miss Elphaba, I…"'

"Please," the green girl interrupted him softly. "Just tell me."

"I would say… around six weeks. If you continue to take the medication, maybe longer. I can give you a special potion to make you comfortable, but it will do nothing to prolong your life."

Elphaba looked down at her hands. "There's nothing else we can do?"

"I'm so, so sorry, Elphaba." He reached for her hand, but the green girl pulled away. "Would you like me to get your sister?"

Elphaba shook her head and laid back down. The doctor whispered another apology before turning and leaving, softly closing the door behind him. The green girl stared up at her ceiling, which soon became blurred with tears. She didn't even try to stop her tears, knowing that it would be pointless.


Fiyero wasn't surprised to see Governor Thropp after the funeral. What did surprise him, however, was that a certain green girl wasn't with him. A laundry list of scenarios flashed through his mind. Was Elphaba alright? Did she have another attack?

"Governor Thropp," the prince said when the governor approached him.

"Prince Fiyero," Frex bowed. "My condolences for your loss."

"Thank you," Fiyero nodded.

A brief, yet very awkward pause passed between the two men. "Is… Is Elphaba alright?"

The governor's expression changed and Fiyero began to fear the worst. "She's… fine," he said after a while, but Fiyero wasn't convinced. He simply watched as the governor pulled an envelope from his pocket and gave it to him. "She asked me to give you this."

The prince gingerly took the letter from the governor. "Thank you."

Frex nodded and excused himself, leaving the prince alone with the envelope. The prince quickly tore it open and scanned the paper. He felt like crying all over again, but he had cried out all his tears. Elphaba would not be coming to the Vinkus for his birthday. And she wouldn't be because she was dying. Sure, she didn't outright say it, but what other option was there?

I'm sorry, Fae, he thought to himself, putting the letter away as a relative approached him.

"Yero? Are you alright?" his Aunt Sophala asked.

"Yes, I'm fine, Aunt Sophala," the prince said, forcing a small smile. "Well… despite everything."

The old woman looked at her grandnephew. "This has nothing to do with your grandmother's death. I can see it. Please tell me what's wrong."

"It's nothing. It's just something Elphaba wrote me. I'll be fine." He knew his aunt still didn't fully approve of the green girl, and didn't want to make her any more upset.

But Sophala didn't seem upset. In fact, she seemed empathetic. "Is she alright?"

"Yes… no… I don't know," the prince sighed, running his hand through his hair. "She's not coming back here for my birthday."

"Why not?"

"Because she can't."

"Why can't she?"

"Because she's dying."

The old woman blinked. She remembered the conversation she and the other elders of the family had with the green girl. Looking back, she felt bad about what she had said, but she had good reasons. She didn't want Fiyero getting involved with a girl that would hurt him like this. Of course, it's not her fault, intentionally, but still.

"Yero, you can always find another girl," Sophala said.

Fiyero knew his aunt's true feelings, and didn't feel like discussing the health of the woman he loved with someone who clearly still didn't like her, so he simply agreed and excused himself.

"Fiyero," Amalie said as her son walked past her. "What's wrong?"

"It's Elphaba," the prince said after a pause. "She's not coming for my birthday."

"Why not?" Raal asked, overhearing what his son had said.

"She's too sick."

"Will she be alright?"

"I… I don't know. I don't think so." Fiyero read her letter again. "She's getting weaker. Who knows how weak she is by now? I don't even think I'll see her at Shiz this semester."

"Fiyero," Amalie said gently, "Elphaba is a very strong girl. She will be alright. She'll get through this."

"I hope so," the prince said, looking at the letter again.


When Nessa knocked on her sister's door and didn't get an answer, she suspected her sister to be asleep and slowly opened the door. What she wasn't expecting was for the room to be completely empty. "Elphaba?" she called, wheeling into the room. "Elphaba!" Panicked, she wheeled out of the room and called a servant to help her downstairs. She checked the parlor, library, and the kitchen, but her sister was nowhere to be found.

"Miss Nessarose, is everything alright?" one of the maids asked when she saw the frazzled younger Thropp.

"Where's… Elphaba?" she asked, slightly breathless.

"She's out in the gardens."

The gardens? "Thank you," Nessa nodded, wheeling towards the back door that lead to the gardens. She found her sister sitting on an old swing hanging from an oak tree near their mother's flower garden. "Fabala!"

The green girl looked up and smiled slightly at the sight of her sister. "Hi, Nessie."

"What are you doing out here?" Nessa asked, still a bit breathless.

"I was feeling strong enough today to come outside," Elphaba said, looking out at the garden. "I wanted to come out here and get some fresh air."

"You should be resting in bed," the brunette said, gently tugging on her sister's hand.

"Nessie," Elphaba sad, tugging her hand away. "I don't want to spend the rest of my numbered days confined to my bed."

Nessa bit her lip. Numbered days.

"I… I like it out here," the green girl continued, brushing her feet against the ground.

"Elphaba, you have to get back to bed now."

"I'm enjoying the fresh air."

"Fabala –"

"Please, Nessa," Elphaba pleaded, gripping her sister's hands. "Stay with me."

"I want you to stay with me."

"I know. I want to stay with you more than anything in the world, Nessie, but..."

"Then you should go back to bed and rest."

"Nessa, I don't want to fight. Please just stay out here with me. Please?"

Nessa looked torn, but ultimately gave in and sat outside with her sister. She didn't look happy at first, but softened when she saw the happy, peaceful look on her sister's face.

"Remember when we were little and Father took us out here for a picnic?" Elphaba asked.

"It was right after you got home from the hospital and Father wanted to take your mind off of everything," Nessa smiled.

"He did, and it worked. I loved being out here with you and Father, just the three of us."

"Do you… do you miss Mama?" Nessa asked in a soft voice.

"Yes," Elphaba said after a short pause.

"Can you tell me about her?"

"Again?"

"Please?"

"Well… she was tall, curvy, and elegant. She had beautiful brown hair, soft eyes, and a beautiful smile, just like you," the green girl smiled, reaching over and tickling her sister.

"Fabala!" Nessa giggled, trying to get away.

Elphaba smiled and stopped tickling her sister. "She would have loved you with all her heart."

"I know she loved you, too, Fabala," the younger girl said, smiling at her sister.

Elphaba smiled and kissed her sister's forehead. "Thank you, Nessie."

"Tell me the story about how you and Mama came up with my name, again."

"Mama took me out to play in the gardens and we were picking roses. Well... she was picking the roses because she didn't want me to get pricked by a thorn. Apparently, I had pointed to the rose in her hand and then pointed to her swollen stomach. She had wanted to just name you 'Nessa', after her favorite aunt, but we compromised and came up with Nessarose."

Nessa smiled at her older sister, who, of course, smiled back. The two of them sat in silence for a moment, until Elphaba broke it and asked her sister if she wanted to swing.

"What?" the brunette asked, blinking.

Elphaba got up and moved to help her sister out of her chair. Nessa blinked as Elphaba helped her up and sat her down on the swing. She looked up at her and softened when she saw her sister's expression. She wanted to do this. She needed to feel like the big sister and push her little sister on the swing.

"Ready?" Elphaba asked, her hands on the ropes.

"Ready," Nessa nodded and her sister pushed her into the air.

The brunette let out a laugh as she felt the wind whip through her hair. She enjoyed feeling like she was defying gravity. It was a very freeing experience for her, pretending that she wasn't stuck in the hideous chair with wheels.

A few clock-ticks later, Elphaba began to get tired and Nessa immediately told her to stop. Elphaba stopped the swing and helped her sister back into her chair before sitting down on the swing again.

Nessa immediately gripped her hand, hoping that she didn't accidentally give her sister an attack. The green girl slowly caught her breath and looked at her sister.

"I'm sorry," Nessa said softly.

"You have nothing to apologize for, Nessa. I wanted to push you on the swing. And I'm fine."

Nessa didn't look convinced, but nodded nonetheless when a voice calling them grabbed her attention. "Father!" she smiled when she found the source of the voice. She hurriedly wheeled over to her and hugged him tightly.

"Nessa, I've missed you so much," Frex said as he knelt down to engulf his youngest daughter in a hug.

"I've miss you, too, Father."

The governor kissed her forehead before looking up at the green girl. Elphaba gave her father a reassuring smile before pushing herself up and slowly walking towards him. Frex slowly released Nessa and rose to his full height.

"Fabala," he whispered, pulling Elphaba into a hug, the relief that she was still alive evident in his voice.

"Hello, Father," Elphaba said, resting her head against her father's shoulder.

"Are you alright?" the governor asked.

"I'm fine, Father."

The governor gently pulled away to look at his daughter. The green girl smiled softly and nodded slightly, trying to reassure her father that she was fine.

"Did anything happen while I was gone?" he asked.

"The doctor came by," Nessa said when Elphaba remained silent.

"What did he say?"

"He said that he wanted to talk to you, and that he would come back later this week."

The governor looked at Elphaba, who was looking at Nessa. The green girl turned back to her father and nodded. Frex wordlessly looked at both of his daughters before taking Elphaba's arm and helping her back into the house.

Nessa stayed outside for a bit longer, watching the swing more because of the momentum. She stayed alone with her thoughts before deciding to back inside and spend some more time with her sister, wanting to take advantage of every last second they had together.


#NiaStillHasNoChill Yes?