"I just did." Glinda mimicked her lover's last words to her as she continued to drag Addena toward the house. "Who does she think she is?"

"Linny, slow down."

"Like she's the boss of anyone."

"Linny..."

"How would she like it if I started telling her what to do?"

"Glinda!" Addena finally yelled.

"Sweet Oz!" Glinda came to a screeching halt, her free hand going to her chest. "Dena, you scared the life out of me!"

"Well you were pulling my arm out of its socket, so we're even." Addena pulled away, massaging the shoulder in question. "When did you get so strong?"

"Sorry." She looked at her sister sheepishly. "Did I hurt you?"

"I'll live," was the curt reply. "What did Elphaba do to make you so angry?"

"I'll tell you if you tell me."

Addena frowned. "What?"

"I'll tell you why I'm mad at Elphie if you tell me what happened between you and Breena." Glinda raised her eyebrows when she didn't respond. "Well?"

"All right." Addena agreed. "But you go first."

"Morrible." She said the name like it left a bad taste in her mouth. "I don't even know how we got on the subject. One minute we were rubbing oil on each other..."

"Oil? Why were you... Never mind. I don't want to know."

"But..."

"I said I don't want to know." Addena interrupted her.

"It's not kinky or anything." Glinda rolled her eyes. "We're not into that. At least not yet. But it's still early in our relationship."

"Linny!"

"What?" She tried to look innocent but ended up grinning. "You should see the look on your face."

"You're not funny." Addena's voice was clipped as she started walking again.

"I'm sorry." Glinda followed. "I should know better than to mess with you when you're in a bad mood."

"I'm not..."

"Elphie baths with scented oils." She cut her off before she could continue. "I wanted to see how she did it, so we practiced on each other."

"Oh yeah, the whole water allergy thing."

"Actually, she's not allergic to water after all. That was just a rumor that started at Shiz."

"Then why does she use oils?"

"She grew up in Quadling Country." Glinda explained. "She said the water there wasn't even fit to bathe in so her father made them use the oils. And I got completely off track." She mentally reprimanded herself. "Anyway, we were doing just fine and the next thing I know she's telling me I'm not allowed to help her get the rest of the Grimmerie back. Can you believe that?"

Addena nodded. "Yes."

"I..." Glinda stopped to frown at her. "What did you say?"

"I said yes, I can see why she would say that."

"Whose side are you on?"

"Hers when it comes to Morrible. She's obviously deranged, Glinda. And she hurt you. I don't think you should go anywhere near here." She held up her hand to silence her sister's protests. "But I don't think Elphaba should either. Chalk the rest of the book up as a lost cause and move on."

Glinda looked at her like she was crazy. "We can't do that!"

"Why not?" Addena challenged. "Can she read it? Obviously not or she would have used it against us already." She answered her own question. "So let her keep it until you come up with a way to get rid of her."

"It's not that Elphie wants to get it back. It's that she's telling me I can't help. She said she wouldn't be able to survive losing me."

"What would you say if they tables were turned?"

Glinda wrinkled her nose. "Huh?"

"If you felt you needed to do something that might put Elphaba in danger, what would you say to her? If you wanted to go after Boq for stabbing her but you didn't want her to go, what would you do? Would you tell her she couldn't help you?"

"Of course I would. He almost killed her."

"I rest my case." Addena gestured with her hand. "For all intents and purposes, Morrible did kill you, Linny. It was only for a few minutes, but you didn't see Elphaba. She was a wreck. She even threw Breena across the room to keep her from touching you."

"She did?!"

"Yep."

Glinda sighed. "This whole relationship thing is harder than it looks, isn't it?"

"It sure is." Addena kicked at a rock on the path.

"What happened between you and Breena? And don't you dare tell me nothing." Glinda pointed at her as they started walking again. "You said you would share."

"All right." Addena paused. "We kind or sort of... kissed." Her voice trailed off on the last word.

"Did you say kissed or kicked?"

"Kissed."

Glinda's eyes got big. "Really?"

Addena nodded.

"And?" She gestured for her to keep going.

"And it was great. I've never felt this way about someone before."

"Then what's the problem?"

"I have those extenuating circumstances, remember?" Addena spoke as she opened the back door.

"Are you kidding?" Glinda turned her head to look at her as she walked into the house. "Just tell Mom and Dad..."

"There you are." Betak interrupted her. "We were wondering where you were off to."

"She did." Yackle corrected her. "I really didn't care."

"Can you two please keep it down?" Fiyero growled, his elbows on the table and his head cradled in his hands.

Yackle glared at him. "You're the one being loud."

"Here." Betak sat a mug down in front of him. "Drink this. It'll help."

Fiyero dropped his hands, making a face when he leaned down to sniff the contents of the mug. "What in Oz is that?"

"My hangover cure." Betak put another mug down in front of Yackle before returning her attention to the sisters. "I see the two of you faired better than us as far as last nights wine drinking went."

"That's because Breena and Addena are spoil sports and Glinda faked being sick so she could have Elphaba all to herself." Fiyero made an even worse face as he took a sip of the concoction. "Gross! What's in this?"

"Sorry, it's a family secret."

"More like a family poison." He pushed the mug away.

Betak winked at the girls. "So where are Elphaba and Breena?"

"Who knows." Glinda shrugged.

"Who cares." Addena griped.

Yackle raised her eyebrows. "Trouble in paradise for our young couples?"

"Young couples? Don't you mean young couple? Unless..." Fiyero looked at Addena. "You're kidding me, right? You and Breena are... You're a..."

"We're not an anything." Addena voice let him know she didn't want to talk about it.

"All right, geez." He held his hands up in a 'don't shoot' gesture. "What about you, Glinda? Did you and Fae have a tiff?"

"You could say that." She sat down next to him. "She told me I couldn't help her get the rest of the Grimmerie back from Morrible and I told her not to tell me what to do."

"That a girl." Yackle clapped her on the shoulder.

"Let me guess," Betak rejoined the conversation. "She and Breena stormed off together."

Glinda nodded. "They went one direction, Dena and I went the other."

"Wait a minute." Fiyero frowned. "You argued over getting the Grimmerie back and then let her walk off in a huff?"

"What was I supposed to do, beg her to stay?" Addena blushed when she realized what she'd said. "I meant she. What was she supposed to do, beg Elphaba to stay?"

"Did you at least try to calm her down?" Fiyero groaned when he saw the expression on Glinda's face. "I really didn't need this this morning." He pushed away from the table and stood on unsteady legs. "I'll go after them."

"What?" Addena looked confused. "Why?"

"They're going to go after the Grimmerie." Yackle's tone was matter of fact.

"No they won't." Glinda scoffed until she saw the way Fiyero and Betak were looking at her. "Would they?"

Fiyero nodded. "This is Elphaba we're talking about. Hot headed, has to have everything her way Elphaba."

"Impetuous." Betak added. "Just like Breena. Was she in as bad a mood as her?" She inclined her head toward Addena, sighing when Glinda swallowed hard. "We'd better find them."

Yackle waved away their concern. "Let them be. They can handle Morrible."

"You weren't there last time." Glinda stood too.

"They're more capable now." The crone pointed at the former scarecrow. "Anyone who can do that can take care of a bag of wind like her."

"I agree." Addena nodded.

"What?" Glinda walked over to where she was leaning against the counter. "What if something happens to them, Dena? Do you really want to leave things the way they are with Breena?"

"Why not? She's the one who walked away from me."

"That doesn't mean you have to let her go off half cocked without showing her you care enough to try to stop her from doing something stupid. And neither do the extenuating circumstances you mentioned earlier. Not if you really feel something for her." Glinda shook her head when her sister didn't respond. "Fine. Stay here. I'm going with Fiyero and Betak."

Addena clinched her jaw, watching them until they were almost out the door. "Wait!" She hurried after them.

"Ah, young love." Yackle cackled.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"What was that all about?" Breena, who had stopped to wait for her sister when she realized she was going to follow her, asked as they started to walk away together.

Elphaba gave her a sideways glance. "I'll tell you if you tell me."

"There's nothing much to tell." Breena shrugged. "Like an idiot I thought there might be something between Addena and I. But I was wrong."

"You're not an idiot." Elphaba put her hand on her sister's shoulder. "I thought I sensed something between the two of you too."

"Must be faulty Thropp wiring where a certain Upland is concerned." Breena sighed. "I'll just go back to thinking I'll never meet someone. It's safer that way."

"Don't give up so easily. If I had I wouldn't be with Glinda right now."

"You're not with Glinda right now."

"You knew what I meant." Elphaba gave her shoulder a squeeze. "If it's the real thing it's worth fighting for."

Breena locked eyes with her. "How am I supposed to know if it's the real thing?"

"You'll know."

"Now you sound like my mom."

"She must have been a very smart woman."

The corner of Breena's mouth turned up. "Cheeky much?"

Elphaba returned her grin. "It cheered you up a little didn't it?"

"More like has me thinking, which we both know is never a good thing. So let's change the subject. What happened with you and Glinda?"

"We fought over Morrible."

Breena furrowed her brow. "I thought you two went upstairs to have a little fun."

Elphaba nodded. "We did."

"Then why were you talking about her? She's got to be a major mood killer."

"You have no idea. And I'm not quite sure how we got on the subject. Glinda said something about getting the rest of the Grimmerie back and I told her she wasn't getting anywhere near Morrible again."

Breena flinched. "I bet that went over well."

"Yeah." Elphaba's voice dripped with sarcasm. "We were, to use the word lightly, discussing it when Lion came to tell us he found you and Addena under a tree." She noticed that her sister suddenly averted her gaze. "Glinda mentioned it again after we knew the two of you were all right and rather than argue more, I put my foot down."

"No, you said 'end of discussion' and walked away."

Elphaba shrugged. "Same difference. Glinda would be mad at me either way. But what was I supposed to do, Bree? I can't stand the thought of something else happening to her. I..."

"You don't have to explain yourself to me." It was Breena's turn to grip her shoulder. "I understand completely. I mean, I see why Glinda would want to be with you too considering everything you've been through, but I don't blame you for wanting to keep her safe."

"At least I know you'll always be on my side."

"I wouldn't go quite that far. We're too much alike for us to see eye to eye on everything. But if you're thinking about going to get the Grimmerie, I'm game."

"You mean now?" Elphaba looked shocked.

"Don't pretend you weren't thinking about it. Didn't I just say we were a lot alike?" She looked around. "And Glinda's not here to stop you."

"And Addena's not here to stop you."

"Don't start."

Elphaba chuckled. "Well we need to come up with some kind of game plan. We can't just walk into the palace and demand the book back."

"You're right." Breena nodded. "We're going to have to come up with some way to distract her. Or better yet, knock her out."

"Count me in."

They both turned when they heard the new voice to find the Wizard behind them.

"Where did you come from?" Elphaba frowned.

"Your grandmother." He smiled.

Breena gave him a look. "Was that some kind of joke?"

The Wizard pursed his lips. "Obviously not."

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "What do you want?"

"To offer the two of you my services."

"Sorry, but we're not buying." Breena turned her back to him, pulling Elphaba with her. "Maybe if we ignore him he'll go away."

"That's not very likely." Elphaba whispered.

"Not likely." He said as he walked around them.

"See." Elphaba sighed.

Breena ran her hand through her hair. "Can't you just leave us alone? We were having a private discussion."

"Out in the open."

"Where you eavesdropped."

"I happened by."

"It's the same thing."

"No, there's a difference."

"I'll show you a..."

"Enough!" Elphaba looked back and forth between them, stopping on the Wizard. "Thanks for the offer, but we really don't need your help."

He rocked on his feet. "I beg to differ."

"You don't have to beg."

"Bree." Elphaba raised her eyebrows at her.

"Sorry." Breena was quick to apologize.

"You two want to get the rest of the Grimmerie back, right?" The Wizard pulled on the lapels of his jacket. "I'm the perfect distraction."

"You're something all right but I don't know if it's a distraction. Ow!" Breena rubbed her arm where Elphaba elbowed her. "Sorry. They just slip out."

"All I'm saying is, if you want someone to distract Morrible, who better than me?" He ignored the interruption.

"She's on a major power trip." Breena pointed out. "She might see you as a threat."

"I don't plan on staying now do I? And if she sees me as too much of a threat and tries to do something unspeakable to me, the two of you will be there to protect me."

"What makes you think we'll protect you?" Elphaba regretted the words the second they left her mouth.

Breena grinned. "Looks like I'm not the only one."

"I know you two don't like me very much but how am I supposed to change that if you don't give me the chance? Let me do this." He was practically begging. "Let me distract Morrible so you can get the book. Let me prove myself to you."

"How do we know it's not a trap?" Breena eyed him.

The Wizard sighed. "You don't still believe I'm working with her do you? That was a load of rubbish that old woman..."

"A word to the wise, watch what you say about Betak." Elphaba warned him. "Unlike you, we trust her."

"Because she doesn't appear out of nowhere all the time." Breena added. "Oh yeah, she didn't abandon our mothers either."

"I've apologized for that. And I've told you countless times that I've had no contact with Morrible. She was in Southstairs and I..." He paused for a moment. "Breena, just before you took five years off my life by passing out the other day, you asked me how it felt to know I almost killed my own daughter. I'll tell you, it was awful. I kept wondering how I could be alive when such a vibrant young woman like Elphaba was gone. And that made me think of you and I knew I would have ruined your life too. When my balloon started to crash I was hoping it would all end, but it didn't. So rather than go back to the life I had before, I lived as a hermit in the hopes of gaining some insight into why I did the things I did." Tears swam in his eyes as he looked at his daughters again. "And now I've been given a second chance with both of you. I don't intend to squander it like I did the first time around."

An uneasy silence fell between them.

"Do you really mean what you said?" Elphaba finally spoke.

"Yes." The Wizard nodded. "I regret the things I did before. All I'm asking for is a chance to make it up to you. Helping you get the Grimmerie back seems like a good starting place."

"More like a convenient one." Breena felt her sister looking at her. "I had to get one more in, didn't I? We can go to Colwen Grounds. The place is chalk full of mirrors."

The Wizard frowned. "Mirrors?"

Elphaba grinned. "You'll see."

Breena grabbed the Wizard's arm as Elphaba started to walk away. "If anything happens to her." She clinched her jaw. "Just don't let us down."

"I wouldn't dream of it." He used his free hand to cover hers.

Breena stared at him for a second before pulling free. "Let's go."

The Wizard couldn't stop himself from smiling as he fell into step next to her. He was finally getting the chance to spend some time with his daughters. Yes they were doing something incredibly dangerous, but they would be together.

And maybe, just maybe, they would finally realize he wasn't the enemy.

AN: HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE :)