"I've changed my mind. You can't go."
Under different circumstances Elphaba might have grinned at Glinda's pouting. After all, she was absolutely adorable with those blue eyes and her bottom lip sticking out. It wasn't any wonder she was spoiled rotten as a child. It almost made her forget what was going on.
"You know what happens when someone tells me I can't do something."
"Elphie, now is hardly the time for jokes."
"Who's joking?"
Glinda sighed. "You still haven't given me a good reason why Dena and I can't go."
"Linny, we've been over this." Elphaba gripped her lover's hand. "It's too dangerous. The thought of that woman being anywhere near you makes me want to..."
"Don't call me Linny." Glinda interrupted her rant. "Not now. Not like this."
"All right," Elphaba switched gears, not wanting to upset her any more than she already was. "I'll save it for when we celebrate Oz finally being rid of Morrible."
Breena grinned at Addy. "I've got something better than a nickname in mind for our celebration."
"I'm sure Elphaba does too." Addena ran her hand up Bree's arm. "I don't think I want you to go either."
"Sorry, it has to be done." Breena pulled her into her arms. "But I promise to make it up to you."
"I'd rather you promise to come back in one piece."
"That too."
Addena wrapped her arms around her.
"I love you, Addy."
Her heart clinched when Bree's breath brushed against her ear as she whispered the words. "Promise me."
"What?"
She tightened her grip, holding her closer. "Promise me you'll come back in one piece."
"Addy..."
"Fine. I'll settle for relatively unscathed."
"I'm coming back." Breena rubbed gentle circles on her back. "I promise."
"Did you hear her?" Glinda looked into Elphaba's eyes. "If she can do that, so can you."
"Glinda..."
"No." She shook her head. "Don't pull that 'I don't make promises I can't keep' crap right now, Elphaba Thropp. You will come back to me. Now promise or I'll never speak to you again."
"She promises. Ow!" Breena yelped when Addena smacked her arm. "What? I was just trying to help."
Addena pulled back to give her a look. "Well don't."
"But she used her full name." Breena defended her actions.
Glinda was too busy staring at Elphaba to hear them. "I'm waiting for an answer."
"To what?" Yackle asked as she walked into the room.
"Stay out of it." Addena was quick to warn her.
Elphaba put her hands on Glinda's shoulder. "I already told you once that I would always come back to you."
"That's not the same as promising."
"I know." Elphaba pulled her into a hug. "But it's the best I can do."
"Are we all set to..." The Wizard's voice trailed off when he saw the girls. "Sorry. I thought you would be done with your goodbyes by now."
"They're not saying goodbye." Glinda's voice was muffled against Elphaba's shoulder.
Yackle frowned. "What did she say?"
"Never mind." Breena smirked at Addena. "Are we OK?"
"I'll be better when you get back." Tears swam in Addena's eyes. "Bree..."
"No more mushy stuff, all right?" Breena cut her off before bringing their mouths together. "That's to tide you over until we get back."
"I'm greedy." Addena closed the gap between them for another, more passionate kiss.
"I didn't mean it, Elphie." Glinda pulled back to look at her sadly. "I would have spoken to you again."
"I know, my love." Elphaba brushed her lips against the blonde's, deepening her effort when she felt her responding.
"I love you." Glinda breathed against her lips as they parted. "Now get out of here before I change my mind and tie you up."
"Don't be getting any ideas for later," Elphaba quipped as she turned away from the blonde to face the mirror on the wall of their bedroom.
"That's my cue." Breena untangled herself from Addena, following her sister's lead and not looking back as she went to join her.
"Here's hoping we have better luck with this mirror than the one in Breena's room." The Wizard mentally kicked himself as soon as the words left his mouth. "I'm sorry. I say stupid things when I'm nervous."
"You say stupid things all the time." Yackle was more than happy to correct him. "Do you have the root?"
The Wizard patted his jacket pocket. "Yes."
"Good. Remember to keep it safe." The old woman looked at the girls. "And you two have your copies of the spell?"
"We're good to go." Breena answered.
Yackle nodded. "Then I wish you a safe and successful journey."
"Ready sis?" Elphaba spoke as she took her father's right hand in her left one.
Breena grinned at her use of the term as she gripped the Wizard's other hand. "Ready."
They said the all too familiar spell and walked toward the mirror, Breena in the lead. Elphaba looked over her shoulder as she was about to pass through, locking eyes with Glinda. "I promise."
"Oh Elphie." Glinda took a step forward as the green witch disappeared.
"At least you got your promise." Yackle furrowed her brow when she noticed Addena frowning at her. "What?" She held the younger woman's gaze for a moment before looking away. "I'll just be going back downstairs now."
"Good idea." Addena waited until she was out of the room to turn to her sister. "Linny?"
"They're gone Dena." The tears Glinda had so bravely been holding back finally spilled down her cheeks.
"Come here." Addena pulled her into an embrace, holding her close. "They're going to be fine. We have to keep telling ourselves that."
"I'm trying, it's just..." Glinda sniffled. "I can't stand being in the dark. Especially where Elphie is concerned. What if something happens? What if she needs me and I'm not there?"
"I know exactly how you feel."
"You do?"
Addena nodded. "Bree has a bad habit of getting hurt when she's around Morrible. What if I'm not there to take care of her?"
The corner of Glinda's mouth turned up. "Are we turning into those moony eyed women we used to make fun of at Mom and Dad's parties?"
"No, we joined the ranks of those moony eyed women the instant we gave our hearts to the Thropp sisters."
"So we're not pathetic?"
"No. We're in love."
They both jumped when a loud bang sounded downstairs.
"What was that?" Glinda asked.
"I'm not sure." Addena looked toward the door.
They both jumped again when the house erupted in a cacophony of noise. There was shouting and growling and an odd sort of clanging noise.
"Let's go." Glinda grabbed her sister's hand as they hurried out of the room and down the stairs. She stopped at the bottom, her eyes wide in disbelief. "Gale Force."
Addena swallowed hard. "How did they find us here?"
"I..." Glinda shook her head. "I don't know."
"Get out!"
They both looked when they heard Betak's voice, spying the Munchkinlander at the fringe of the Gale Force group. She didn't seem to notice them as she used a cast iron skillet to crack one of the guards in the knee.
"Ouch!" The man looked at her like she was crazy as he bent over to clutch his leg. "You hit me!"
"And I'm going to hit you again." She took another swing, this time connecting with the side of his head. A hint of a smile played across her lips as he slumped to the floor.
"She's one tough cookie, isn't she?" Addena's tone was full of admiration.
"Girls." Betak seemed relieved to see them. "I wasn't sure if they got to you yet. The two of you should..." The rest of what she was going to say was lost as a guard grabbed her from behind, knocking the skillet out of her hand in the process.
"Gotcha!" He smiled triumphantly.
"Let her go!" Glinda started after them as the guard drug Betak toward the living room.
"Linny, wait. We should get our wands!" Addena tried to grab her arm but missed, growling as Glinda continued toward the living room. She hated to leave her, but there was no way they would be able to hold off all these guards without a magical assist. And since Breena and Elphaba weren't there to help they would have to do it themselves. She was going to have to go get their wands.
She turned toward the stairs only to find a group of Gale Force disappearing into the upstairs hallway. So much for that idea. All she could do was follow her sister.
"Did you hear me?" Glinda was frowning at the guard. "I told you to let her go!"
"Glinda!" Fiyero spotted her as he ducked a punch. "Get out of here!"
"But..."
"Just do it!" He managed to take out the guard swinging at him but another immediately took the first one's place, punching him in the jaw before he could react. He didn't even have a chance to hit the floor before two other guards grabbed his arms, keeping him upright.
"How in Oz are we supposed to subdue a lion?"
The Uplands turned again when they heard the question to find Lion snarling at the guards who had him backed into a corner of the room.
One of the other guards shrugged, "Shoot him."
"No!" Addena beat her sister to protesting the idea.
The man who posed the question pulled his sidearm out of its holster and pointed it at the feline.
"Stop!!!" Glinda bellowed as his finger tightened on the trigger. She seemed shocked when everyone in the room turned to look at her.
Someone in the crowd said, "It's Glinda."
Another bowed to her. "Your Goodness."
Glinda paused for a moment before saying, "What do you think you're doing?"
Addena raised her eyebrows at the change in her sister. There wasn't a trace of the fear that had been in her voice a moment ago. Just authority. She wasn't little Linny anymore, she was Glinda the Good... ruler of Oz.
The guard who bowed started to answer but someone else said, "They're following my orders."
Glinda's breath caught in her throat when she heard the voice. She and Addena turned at the same time to find themselves face to face with Morrible.
"It's wonderful to see the two of you again." She gave them a sickeningly sweet smile.
"They're not here." A guard breathlessly stated as he ran up to her.
"What do you mean they're not here?"
The man put his hands on his knees. "We've searched the whole house. The witches aren't here."
Morrible clinched her jaw but somehow managed not to look angry when she turned her attention back to the girls. "Would one of you mind telling me where they are?"
"Don't tell her a damn thing!" Betak spat.
"No one asked you." Morrible answered with just as much venom. "This is between me and them."
The Munchkin snarled, "Anything concerning them concerns me."
"Yeah." Lion agreed. "Me too."
"You?" Morrible scoffed. "Mr. Cowardly himself?" She laughed outright. "What are you going to do, hit me with your tail?"
"No, I'll sic Elphaba and Breena on you. They're not going to be very happy if you hurt their girlfriends."
"Girlfriends?" You could almost see the light bulb forming over her head as she echoed what he said.
"Lion!" Fiyero shook his head in disbelief.
"What?" Lion looked confused. "All I said was..." His face fell. "Oh."
"Oh indeed." Morrible smiled. "I always knew there was something unnatural about your relationship with Thropp."
"There's nothing unnatural about us!" Glinda hissed.
"Whatever you think my dear." The weather witch looked down her nose. "So none of you are going to tell me where I can find them?" She waited for an answer. "Fine. Make sure those three get back to the Emerald City safely," she gestured toward Lion, Fiyero and Betak.
"As you wish." The bower bowed again.
Fiyero struggled against the guards holding his arms. "What about Glinda and Addena?"
"Don't worry about them." Morrible assured him. "They'll be with me."
"You?" Lion's voice quaked.
"But of course. I can't have the girlfriends being manhandled by mere guards can I?"
"You're a bitch," Betak sneered.
Morrible smirked at her. "Says the woman barely tall enough to kick me in the shin. Take them!" Her voice boomed through the house as she walked to Glinda and Addena, putting one of her hands on each of their shoulders. "Prepare yourselves. This could be a bumpy ride."
With that the three of them disappeared in a tornado.
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
"We're all straight on the plan, right? We take care of Morrible and Nevin and, if everything goes smoothly, we meet up in the throne room where you," Elphaba glanced at the Wizard, "can have Morrible thrown back in Southstairs as your first act as the newly restored ruler of Oz."
"Don't you mean when."
Elphaba frowned at Breena. "What?"
"You said 'if everything goes smoothly.'" Breena gestured with her hand. "Don't you mean when?" She grinned at the look she got. "Just trying to think positively here sis."
"I'm glad someone is." Elphaba switched her attention to their father. "Are you ready?"
The Wizard's mind reeled as he looked into her brown eyes. He wanted to say 'hell no' and run in the opposite direction, but he couldn't. His girls were counting on him to hold up his end of the deal and he was going to do it... Even if he was terrified. Because he knew deep down inside they were just as scared as him.
"Yes." He kept his voice even, not wanting them to pick up on his inner turmoil.
"Do you remember how to get to the private suites from here?"
He looked at Breena when she spoke. "Are we even sure Nevin is in one of the suites?" He closed his eyes and shook his head. "You don't have to say it. How in Oz are you supposed to know where he is?" He sighed. "Refer back to my statement about saying stupid things when I'm nervous."
"We're all flying blind here." Breena patted him on the arm. "Don't be so hard on yourself."
He wanted to laugh in her face. How could he not be hard on himself? Didn't she realize where they were? What they were about to do? What if this was it? What if they couldn't get the upper hand on Morrible? What if things went horribly wrong and he never saw them again?
"We're giving you a fifteen minute head start." Elphaba went back to discussing the plan. "Hopefully you can find Nevin and neutralize him so the guards won't be a problem once we say the spell."
"If not we can hold them off until you're done." Breena was quick to add. "So just take your time giving Nevin the root. I mean, don't take all day, but we don't want you to feel overly rushed either."
"Just remember, time might be of the essence, but the job has to be done right too." Elphaba agreed in her own roundabout way.
"And whatever you do, don't open that vial until you're at his bedside. Oxvine root doesn't like air. If it's exposed for too long it will shrivel and then it's no good to anyone."
He moved before he even realized he was going to, pulling them both into a tight embrace. "Please be careful girls. Please." He begged, not giving them a chance to return the hug before letting do and rushing out of the room.
They appeared in the lounge of the first floor ladies room, meaning he only had to take a left and he could start up the stairs. He took them two at a time, ignoring the protests of his knees as he climbed. The sooner he found Nevin the better. He just prayed he was in one of the suites. But as Breena had pointed out, people would have been suspicious if he just disappeared once Morrible took over. His term was short lived, but he had still been the ruler of Oz. And if anyone knew how loyal the people of the land were, it was him. Most of them never laid eyes on him when he was in office but they still worshiped the ground he walked on.
"You there. What are you doing?"
He was so lost in thought that he didn't hear the question.
"Hey! I asked you what you're doing!"
The Wizard's head snapped up to find a Gale Force officer looking at him from the bottom of the stairs. His heart instantly started racing in his chest. "I, uh..."
"You what?"
He did the first thing that came to mind. He ran.
"Stop!" The guard started up after him. "Everyone be aware, we have an intruder!"
He flinched at the intensity of the man's voice as his words echoed around him. He forgot just how good the acoustics were on the stairways. But even a bullhorn wouldn't do that poor fellow much good now. Two more stairs and he would be the floor with the suites and there wasn't a sign of another guard anywhere. All he had to do was...
Time stood still as his foot caught on the top stair, spilling him forward. He hit hard but it wasn't the sound of flesh on marble that drew his attention, it was the barely audible shattering of the vial in his pocket.
"No." He scrambled to his feet when he heard the guard getting closer, reaching into his pocket as he hurried down the hallway. Tiny shards of glass pricked his finger but he barely felt them as his fingers closed around the root, pulling it from his pocket.
The world fell away as he watched it shrivel in his hand.
Now what was he supposed to do?