1Disclaimer: Alright, this is chapter thirteen. So why not make it about the most unfortunate event in the play? Nessa's death! Don't see why it's such a big deal, she's just the wicked witch of the east. Right, disclaimer. I don't own anything. There, happy?

Chapter 13: Tragedy? Death

Elphaba hugged Fiyero. Mm, it was so good to know he was finally hers. Her mind drifted back to Galinda (it would always be Galinda for Elphaba), and she sighed, drawing back.

"What is it?" Fiyero asked, stroking her hair.

"It's just," Elphaba smiled, dropping her head. "For the first time, I feel- wicked." She noticed the contrast of her green hands in his normal ones. "I just wish I could be beautiful for you." Placing a hand over his mouth, she stopped him from speaking. "And don't say I am. I know I'm not."

"It depends on your definition of beautiful is all." Fiyero stood and brushed himself off. "Listen, my family has a castle in the west that you can stay in. There are only a few guards there, easily dealt with, and it's full of secret passages and tall towers. It would be perfect for you to stay in."

Elphaba frowned. "Where does your family live?"

"In the other castle."

Deeply shallow. Elphaba grinned. "Oh, of course. I- Oh!" She stepped back. In front of her was a tall, raging funnel of wind. There was a house in it, and just beneath was Nessa! "Oh, Nessa!"

Fiyero took her arm. "What's wrong?"

"Nessa look out!" Elphaba shrieked, pointing. "Don't you see it? There's a house! It's in the air, and Nessa! I've got to go help her!"

Fiyero took her arm. "Wait-"

"Fiyero, I know. Maybe someday-"

"No! You can see houses flying through the air, can't you see that we'll end up together?" He smiled and kissed her gently.

Elphaba smiled back, allowing herself a little nod, then leapt onto her broom after snatching her hat and took off.

.-.

She zipped through the sky, looking around crazily. Where- this was the place! No, it couldn't be. Nessa! She stared at the striped socks with the glittering shoes poking out from underneath the house. Flying behind a tree, she watched with horror as a girl stepped out of the house and looked around, muttering something about not being in Kansas anymore.

Something shiny and colorful caught Elphaba's eye. Oh great. Galinda. A giant bubble landed in front of the girl, and Glinda the good stepped out in a gorgeous pink dress. Still not green, Elphaba observed. Of course. Did Galinda ever wear green? No, it was always blue and pink and other colors.

Elphaba watched with disgust as the munchkins praised the death of the wicked witch of the east. She could hardly keep the tears from her eyes through the entire thing, when to her shock Glinda showed Dorothy her sister's feet, still wearing the ruby slippers. "There she is, and there's all that's left."

That was it! Elphaba went poof into the middle of everything in a huge cloud of red smoke. It was a dramatic entrance that made everyone gasp. "Who killed my sister?" She shrieked, glaring at everyone wildly. "Was it you?" She pointed wildly at the little girl, though she already knew it was her fault. She just wanted a confession.

"Have you forgotten about the ruby slippers?" Glinda asked, with a little smirk.

"Glinda! I should have known you would be here." Elphaba saw right through her. She was shaking on the inside, with resentfulness and anger, combined with fear and longing. Longing for the friendship that was now buried deep. And how could she forget the ruby slippers? "Ah, yes," she said sarcastically, then went to claim them and leave dramatically again. Before she could even touch them though, they vanished, and to Elphaba's horror Nessa's striped sock clad feet shriveled up and were pulled beneath the house. "Where-are-they?" She roared with fury, combining the three words as one.

"Look!" Glinda pointed her wand at the little girls' feet. She gasped, pulling up her simple blue frock and admired them. "There they are, and there they will remain."

Elphaba felt hatred burning in her chest. She would have those shoes! "No! You don't know how to use them! Give 'em to me."

Glinda leaned towards the girl. "They must be very powerful, or she wouldn't want them so bad. Don't let them out of your sight for a moment!" The simple girl nodded, her already annoyingly large eyes huge.

"Very well, but I'll be back." She whirled on the little girl, glaring hatred at her simple, honest face and silly black dog. "I'll get you my pretty, and you're little dog too! Mark my words." With a scream of laughing emotion, she marched into a clear space and vanished in her puff of smoke, going right back to where she had been hiding behind her tree.

Glinda instructed the little girl to follow the yellow brick road, waving her good-bye. As soon as she and everyone else was gone she began pacing, saying, "oh I hope I gave them right directions. I do, I do, I do."

Elphaba stalked to where she was standing. Stupid Galinda! Was this some sort of revenge? Giving her shoes to that stupid girl?

Glinda observed her icily. "Miss Elphaba?"

"All I wanted were my sisters shoes," Elphaba's voice was a nearly desperate rasp, then became a wicked scream, "and you just let that stupid barn brat walk off with them! Now, if you don't mind!" She scowled at Glinda. "I would like to say good-bye to my sister."

She watched Glinda go off to the side. When she figured she was far away enough she bowed before the house, touching her forehead to the dirt. "Oh Nessa, I'm sorry."

Glinda marched back into the opening. "Elphaba! Stop beating yourself up. It's not your fault!"

"Oh really?" Elphaba snarled, looking ready to pounce on her ex-friend. "How often to cyclones like that appear out of the blue?"

"Well, still-"

"It's not a coincidence Galinda!" Elphaba shrieked.

Glinda shook her head. "Elphaba! Everything doesn't happen because of you! Oz doesn't revolve around insignificant you!"

"Is this about Fiyero?" Elphaba shook her head. "Don't you know Galinda? He doesn't love you. He never loved you- he loves me!"

Glinda swelled, then smacked Elphaba across the cheek as hard as she could. Elphaba gasped, then burst into maniacal laughter. "Feel better?" she asked with a smirk.

"Yes." Glinda held her head up self-righteously, then gasped as Elphaba hit her back.

"Good, 'cause so do I!"

The two girls got in a fighting stance at once. They circled fully, then Glinda began twirling her wand like some crazy ninja. Elphaba could only stare at the ridiculous display before they charged at each other, yelling loudly and beating their weapons against the other. Broom against wand. Then they just threw them away and started a cat fight. Elphaba seized Glinda's long, springy hair (which had always driven her mad) and yanked on it, making Glinda shriek, snatch her hat and try to hit her with it.

Then guards poured into the field, dragging the two girls off each other. "Lemme go! I almost had her!" Glinda yelled.

"Ha!" Elphaba barked a humorless laugh, then fell silent when she saw Fiyero dash into the fray with another gun. He pointed it at her for a second, making her heart stop, then turned it on Glinda, making her heart pound.

"Let the green girl go!" he commanded, earning a frosty look from Elphaba. Green girl indeed! He shrugged, then jerked the gun at Glinda again. "Do it! Or you'll tell tales to your children how Glinda the good was slain."

The guards released Elphaba immediately. She went to Fiyero, but he shook his head. "No, get out of here Elphaba."

She snatched her hat and broom away from the guards, then, after a despairing glance at Fiyero, ran to go cast a spell she knew would have to be cast, no matter what happened. She clamped her hands over her ears as she heard Galinda shout Fiyero's name.

"Fiyero!"

.-.

That was fun, I guess. It's way off, I'm sorry.