"I won."

Elphaba frowned. "No you didn't."

"Yes I did."

"How did you come to that conclusion?"

"I kissed you last." Glinda pointed out.

"Which means I'm it." Elphaba countered. "Not that you win."

"It does if I say the game if over."

"And who gave you the power to say when the game is over and when it's not?"

"As the official creator of Smooch You're It I make the rules." Glinda nodded matter of factly.

Elphaba wrinkled her nose. "Smooch you're it?"

"Yes. Smooch is a much cuter way of saying kiss."

"OK."

"And according to the rules you have to engage your opponent in a full fledged lip lock to make them 'it.'"

"Uh huh."

"Hence Smooch You're It."

"It sounds kind of kinky to me." Elphaba looked doubtful.

"That's half the fun." Glinda waggled her eyebrows.

"I see." Elphaba waded toward her. "So if I do this…" She grabbed the blonde, pulling her into a drawn out kiss that left them both breathless. "You're still going to say the game if over."

"Once it's called, it's called. But we can always practice for next time." Glinda put their lips together again.

Elphaba grinned. "Practice does make perfect." She leaned in for another kiss but found herself with a face full of water instead.

"Cool off Thropp!" Glinda giggled.

"Why you…" Elphaba sputtered. "Now you're going to pay!" She retaliated with a good sized splash of her own.

"I…" Glinda wiped water out of her eyes. "I can't believe you did that!"

"Paybacks are a bitch."

"We'll see about that."

They both started splashing for all they were worth, their laughter bouncing around the chamber. Elphaba finally managed to corral Glinda in her arms.

"Give up?"

"Never." Glinda could hardly breathe for giggling.

"Then I guess I'll have to do this." Elphaba started kissing her neck. "Or this." She nipped Glinda's earlobe before sucking on it seductively. "Or this." She moved her mouth to the blonde's breast.

"Oh my!" Glinda gasped. "Is this what I get if I give up?"

"To the victor go the spoils."

"Then I retract my never and give up completely." Glinda grabbed a handful of black hair and took Elphaba's mouth prisoner, letting her tongue explore as they bodies melded together.

"Oz." Elphaba sighed as they parted, quickly recapturing Glinda's lips after they both took a much needed breath.

They continued to kiss, their bodies drifting until Elphaba's back slammed into the side of the spring, causing her to grunt in pain.

Glinda was quick to pull back. "Are you all right, Elphie?"

"I'm fine." She started to kiss her again.

"Let me see." The blonde evaded her, putting her hand on her shoulder to turn her around instead. "Oh look what we did." She ran her finger along a scrape on Elphie's back.

"It's nothing."

"It's not nothing." Glinda pouted. "You're hurt."

"Glinda, it's just a…" She looked over her shoulder and saw how concerned the blonde really was. "Kiss me and I'll forget all about it."

Glinda complied, gently touching her lips to the inflamed skin.

Elphaba shivered at the sensation. "You can be my doctor anytime."

"I think we should get out."

She frowned as she watched her lover climb out of the water and grab a towel. "Glinda?" She was quick to follow, wondering what had caused the sudden mood change.

"Here." Glinda's voice was flat as she handed her the towel, avoiding her gaze.

"Hey." Elphaba caught her hand as she reached for another towel. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing."

"Glinda…" Her heart sank when she saw tears on her love's cheeks. "Come here." She held her close. "What's going on?"

"I…" Glinda's voice cracked. "I almost lost you Elphie." She drew in a shaky breath. "When Boq stabbed you I thought you were going to… You nearly… You were hurt and I couldn't do anything about it." She sobbed. "I thought I was going to watch you die without getting the chance to tell you how I felt."

"Shh." Elphaba soothed. "I'm fine."

She somehow managed to say, "Now. But you almost weren't."

"We can't live our lives by almosts or maybes. If we did we'd never experience anything." She kissed her on top of the head. "I'm right here."

Glinda buried her head against the green chest, her ear coming to rest on the spot where Elphaba had been stabbed. The beat of her love's heart, steady and strong just like her Elphie, started to calm her. "Promise you'll never leave me again," she whispered.

"I can't do that."

Fresh tears spilled from Glinda's eyes as she pushed back to look at her. "What?!"

"A promise is something I take very seriously, Glinda. You know that. I can't be sure of what will happen tomorrow, let alone for the rest of our lives."

"But…"

"I can and do promise you this though." Elphaba stared into her eyes. "I'm yours Glinda Upland. Heart, mind, spirit, body… My very being is yours. And I will never willingly leave you again."

"Oh Elphie." She returned to her previous position. "I love you so much."

"I love you too." Elphaba held her for a moment before wrapped the towel in her hand around the blonde, finishing with a kiss.

Glinda quickly picked up another towel from the ledge, not trusting her voice to speak as she returned the favor. Once she was through she put her arms around Elphie and held her close.

"I'm not ready to rejoin the others yet, are you?" Elphie asked.

She shook her head.

"Then come on." Elphaba led her to a flat rock overlooking the spring. She let go of the blonde long enough to get herself situated against the rough hewn wall behind them before pulling her back into her arms. "Better."

Glinda leaned against her, snuggling into her shoulder as she draped an arm across her waist. "Much."

Elphaba laid her cheek against damp curls, relishing the feel of having the love of her life so close. "Glinda, can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"Why didn't you come with me? After we met the Wizard, at the palace, why didn't you leave with me when I asked you to?" She mentally kicked herself when she felt Glinda tense up. What the hell was she doing, asking something like that at a time like this? "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up. It's just… This is so perfect. I can't help but think that we could have been together all along."

There she went again! She swallowed hard when her comments were met with silence. "I changed my mind. Maybe it is time to head back."

"No." Glinda held her in place. "It was a fair question, Elphie. Just not one that's easy to answer."

"Then forget I asked."

"I can't."

"Great." Elphaba sighed. "I've upset you and ruined this whole experience for both of us. Way to go Elphaba." She growled at herself as she started to get up again.

"Would you stop?" Glinda scolded her. "I said it wasn't easy to answer, not that I wouldn't." She took a deep breath. "To be honest with you, I was terrified."

"Of me?"

"Of you. Of us." It was Glinda's turn to sigh. "I was raised to believe girls were meant to be with boys and vice versa. Then you came along and turned my world upside down. I had never been so drawn to someone before in my life. I had all these strange feelings for you that I couldn't explain."

Elphaba nodded. "I know how that goes."

"That's why I went after Fiyero. I hoped being with someone else would make those feelings go away. Then everything finally fell into place for me in our room that night after the Ozdust." She shook her head. "Fiyero started acting strange and I thought it was because he picked up on how I felt about you, but he was nursing a crush on you too." She ran the back of her hand down Elphie's cheek. "And who could blame him?"

Elphaba blushed.

"By the time you asked me to go to the Emerald City I thought I was going to go crazy. I almost said no because I was afraid being alone with you would be too much, but something told me I couldn't. That if I let you go alone I would never see you again." She half heartedly grinned. "It turned out to be one of the best days of my life."

"Mine too. Until we went to see the Wizard and I had to be so…"

"Admirable." Glinda finished for her before she could say something derogatory about herself. "I was so incredibly proud of you for standing up for what you believed in. But that pride couldn't overshadow my fears. When you asked me to leave with you I…" She took a deep breath. "It came down to you or everything I'd ever known." She avoided Elphie's eyes. "So I let you go."

"It's all right, Glinda. I was scared too."

She looked up, surprised. "You were?"

Elphie nodded. "Absolutely petrified. I had no idea where I was going or what I was going to do. All I had were the clothes on my back, my broom, the Grimmerie and the hat you gave me."

Glinda pressed herself against her lover. "I never thought of it that way. You just seemed so brave. So sure of yourself."

"Looks can be deceiving." Elphaba scoffed. "But fate must have known what it was doing." She started playing with Glinda's hair. "I ended up at Breena's."

"She mentioned you two being together after you left the palace."

"I crash landed in her garden."

"What?!"

Elphie chuckled. "That damn broom can be pretty hard to control sometimes. It did a nosedive and I ended up face first in her tomatoes."

Glinda giggled. "What did she do?"

"What do you think? She laughed. Then she took me in, cleaned me up and let me rant and rave about how unfair life was for a few days. When she finally had enough she sat me down and told me I could either stay made or do something about how I was feeling. We started training the next day."

"Training?"

"She helped me with my magic. Told me if the Wizard wanted everyone to believe I was a witch I should be able to perform like one." Elphaba got a far away look in her eye. "She jumped right in and started teaching me what she knows. It was the first time in my life someone accepted the powers I possess without having an ulterior motive. Madame Morrible used me to get away from Shiz. The Wizard wanted to use me against Animals. And my father…" She shook her head. "He punished me if he suspected I was even thinking about magic."

Glinda held her close, hating the thought of her being in pain.

"That's why I never tried to use it. But sometimes, like that first day at Shiz, I didn't have any control. I struggled to suppress it, to keep it hidden. But Bree was encouraged to explore what she could do. My aunt didn't have a magical bone in her body, but she read up on it and asked around and nurtured Bree's ability."

"She wanted to do the same for you."

Elphaba frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"Your aunt Leandra."

"What about her?"

"She wanted to do the same thing for you. She wanted to raise you with Breena."

"Glinda, how is that possible? I never even met her."

"I know, but Betak told me all about it. She said Leandra offered to raise you right after your mother died but Frex wouldn't let her have you. She kept trying to change his mind right up until she died."

"She did?" Elphaba was blown away. "I… I can't believe this."

"Elphie…"

"Someone actually wanted me?" She continued as if she hadn't heard the blonde. "I could have been raised somewhere where I would have been accepted?"

Glinda sat up just in time for Elphaba to shoot to her feet and start to pace.

"But no. He had to keep me so he could parade me around as some sick prop when he preached. The green skinned demon to show people what happened when they didn't abide by his teachings." Her words dripped with venom. "I was ridiculed and stared at and insulted over and over and over again when I could have been with my aunt." Tears filled her eyes. "I could have been away from that bastard and his beliefs."

Glinda's heart broke as she listened. Elphie had been through so much at the hands of a man she wasn't even related to. She thought about telling her love the other secret she harbored but quickly decided against it. Too much at one time was never a good thing with Elphaba. Finding out the Wizard was her real father right now might push her over an edge Glinda wasn't sure she could save her from.

"Why didn't he let me go?" She shook her head. "Why couldn't he let me lead a normal life?" Her tears started to fall. "It's not like he loved me."

"Oh Elphie." Glinda couldn't take it any more and went to her, taking her in her arms.

"Things could have been so different." Elphaba's voice was muffled against her shoulder.

"I know." Glinda rubbed circles on her back for several minutes before pulling back a little to look at her. "Do you want to know what I think?"

Elphaba nodded.

"I think you were right about fate. It brought you and Breena together when you were supposed to be together."

"Maybe you're right." Elphie sighed.

"Maybe." Glinda dried her tears. "And do you really think the world could have handled the two of you growing up together?"

That earned her a grin. "Probably not."

"I didn't tell you this to upset you, Elphie."

"I know." Elphaba cupped her cheek. "But I think I need to have a talk with Betak."

"Yes, you should." Glinda leaned into her hand. "She knows a lot about Leandra."

"She sounds like an amazing woman."

"You can see that when you look at Breena." Her blue eyes shone. "But I'm kind of partial to Thropps."

"That's good." Elphaba pulled her closer. "Because I'm completely head over heels for an Upland."

"You know what you said earlier, about somebody wanting you? I want you. Now and forever."

They started kissing, pouring out the emotions they had been feeling since leaving the spring. Before long the towels were off and they were laying on the rock, Glinda stretched out on top of Elphaba as they explored each others bodies.

Elphaba suddenly stopped. "Did you hear that?"

"The only thing I want to hear is you moaning." Glinda continued to ravish Elphie's neck.

"Glinda, I'm serious."

"So am I." She caressed a green breast. "Less talking, more action."

Elphaba started to kiss her only to stop again.

"Elphie." Glinda whined. "You're starting to make me think you don't want me."

"That's not it at all. I could have sworn I heard…"

"You don't really want to go in there."

They both froze when they heard Lion's voice.

"Yes I do."

They scrambled for their towels when they heard Fiyero.

"But Breena…"

"Breena's not anyone's boss, Lion. If I want to explore this cavern, I'm going to…" Fiyero's voice trailed off as he came through the opening and spotted them.

"You're going to get in trouble, that's what you're going to do." Lion spoke as he followed him in. "And then Breena is going to… Oh!" He put his paw over his eyes when he saw them.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Elphaba, already wrapped in her towel, put herself between them and Glinda as the blonde finished with her own towel.

"I…" Fiyero swallowed hard. "We…"

"Were just leaving." Lion finished for him, trying to grab him to drag him away but failing miserably because he still had his eyes covered. "Stand still, will you?"

"I'm not going anywhere." Fiyero frowned as his initial shock wore off. "Not until you two explain what you were doing!"

"What Glinda and I do is none of your business, Fiyero!" Elphaba was livid.

"It is when…"

"No!" Elphaba cut him off. "It's not! It never has been and it never will be! Am I making myself clear?!"

"I got it." Lion nodded.

"I know this can't be easy for your Fiyero, but you have to stop." Elphaba's voice softened. "Glinda and I are together now." She grabbed the blonde's hand, pulling her around so they were standing side by side. "And that's not going to change no matter how much you brood or pout or act like a jerk."

"I love her." Glinda gave him a sympathetic look.

"And I love her." Elphaba added.

"I think it's sweet."

Glinda grinned at Lion's comment. "You can put your paw down now. We're decent." She looked at her towel. "Well, decent enough."

"No, that's all right." Lion kept his paw firmly where it was.

"What's going on in here?" Breena suddenly appeared behind them. "What the hell are you two doing?!"

"Just leaving." Fiyero pushed past her.

"I'm sorry, Breena. I really am." Lion pranced where he stood. "He got away from me as soon as you went to get Betak water from the stream."

"Don't worry about it." Elphaba reassured him before looking at her cousin. "I handled it."

"Even?" Breena pointed in the direction Fiyero had gone.

Elphaba nodded. "I think so."

"All right." Breena's face split in a grin. "Did you two have fun?"

"Fun doesn't even begin to describe it." Glinda returned her grin.

"Guys!" Elphaba looked back and forth between them. "Bree, would you mind getting Lion out of here so we can get dressed?"

"Not at all." Breena took Lion by his free arm, tossing a, "You two could stay longer if you'd like," over her shoulder as she led him away.

"Wow." Glinda raised her eyebrows. "Talk about a mood killer."

"I can't believe him!" Elphaba turned toward the blonde. "I'm sorry, Glinda. He…"

She put her finger over green lips to silence her. "You're not responsible for him, Elphie."

"I know, but…"

"No buts. He'll either accept us or he won't."

"And you're all right with that?"

"As long as I have you I'm OK with anything."

"I meant what I said." Elphaba grinned. "I love you."

"I bet I love you more."

"Not possible."

They indulged themselves in a kiss.

"Do we really have to get dressed already?" Glinda stuck out her bottom lip as they parted.

"Well, Breena did say we could stay longer if we wanted to." Elphaba shrugged. "I say we go back to what we were doing before we were so rudely interrupted."

"Yea!" Glinda cheered as she threw her arms around her love.

"I'll take that as a yes."

Their lips came together in a sweet embrace as the towels came off again.