Morrible's face was sour as she watched Boq talking to Glinda and Addena. He was taunting them. That's what his type did. They couldn't make anything happen for themselves but if they were lucky enough to find someone who could they latched on and rode their coattails for all they were worth. He was acting as if he were the one who went to Munchkinland to kidnap the blondes. Yes he told her where she would find them, but that wasn't the same as bringing them to her. She did all the work and he thought he deserved all the rewards. Well she had news for him. No one shared in her spoils. No one.

Maybe if he didn't have that nauseatingly stupid look on his face she might have reconsidered. After all, it wasn't easy being lonely at the top. But every time he looked at Glinda she could practically see his heart melt. What was it about the overly perky girl that drew so many people to her? Elphaba... Nevin... Boq. They all fell for whatever it was she had to offer.

She pushed the thought away as she rose from the throne. Sitting around was making her edgy. And if there was one thing she couldn't stand it was feeling powerless.

Which meant she was just going to have to find some way of passing the time. A dark smile passed over her features as she thought of the perfect plan.

"Boq." She sighed when he didn't respond. "Boq! I'm talking to you!"

"Oh!" The Tin Man jumped so hard his body clattered. "What is it?"

"I need to take care of some things. Keep an eye on them for me."

"What?" Boq's eyes went wide. "You're going to leave me alone with them?"

"I'm not an imbecile." Morrible looked down her nose. "There will be guards stationed in the room and outside the door. But they are your responsibility. If anything happens, I'll have your head."

"My..." He swallowed hard. "My head?"

"Your head." She confirmed. "I'm not big on knick knacks but I could make an exception where you're concerned."

With that she swept out of the room, leaving a still shaking Boq in her wake.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Elphaba leaned over her sister to peer around the corner before pulling back to push herself against the wall at the top of the stairs, trying to make sure she wasn't seen. "You weren't kidding when you said she brought half the Gale Force with her."

Breena nodded, her voice clipped. "She was expecting us to be here." Her right hand curled into a fist when she heard something break. "We can't stand here forever."

"I know," Elphaba sighed. "But we can't just go running down there without a plan either."

"Yeah because our other plan worked so well."

"Bree."

"Sorry Elly." She clinched her jaw. "I just want to get back to the palace."

"I'm worried about them too but getting ourselves captured or worse isn't going to help anyone." Elphaba hoped her sister would listen. The way Breena threw caution to the wind to keep other people safe scared her. They had to stay in one piece if they wanted to get Glinda and Addena back.

"I say we go down there and use the spell to make them all disappear."

Elphaba nodded. "That's actually a good idea."

"Hey." Breena pretended to be hurt. "You say that like I don't have many."

"Listen!" They both tensed as one of the men downstairs yelled loud enough for everyone to hear him. "We need to get on the road, but we don't want to make it too easy for any would be rescuers! So shut up and split into three groups! One prisoner per group!"

"Damn it." Breena gently punched the wall behind them.

"What?" Elphaba looked confused.

"We can't pick and choose who we make disappear. If they split up into groups we'll have to get Betak, Fiyero and Lion away from the guards before we can cast the spell."

"Come here, grandma."

The new voice was followed by a yelp of pain from Betak. Breena and Elphaba both peeked around the corner in time to see a guard dragging the small woman around by the chain between the shackles on her wrists. Breena instantly started toward them but Elphaba stopped her by grabbing her shoulder.

The guard smiled as Betak almost fell. "Not so tough without your skillet, are you?"

"Leave her along!" Fiyero yelled from nearby.

"Mind your own business!" The guard fired back as he pulled Betak closer. "My friend has to get stitches because of you."

The Munchkin held his gaze. "Ask me if I care."

"You better learn to show some respect. It's a long walk back to the Emerald City."

Lion shouted, "Don't you dare threaten her," from somewhere across the room.

"Or what?" The guard laughed. "You three have no idea how much trouble you're in. Morrible only wants you in the city to make an example of you."

"Shut up." Betak growled.

"She's going to use you to let everyone know what happens when you associate with the wrong people." He persisted. "Like the Witch."

Betak spit in his face. "You're the one who should be ashamed. Taking orders from someone like Morrible!"

"Why you..." His voice trailed off as he wiped the spittle from his face, staring at it for a second before backhanding her, chuckling as she crumpled to the floor.

That was the last straw for Breena. She pulled out of Elphaba's grasp and thundered down the stairs, launching herself at the guard once she reached the bottom.

He started to shove her away when she landed on top of him but stopped when he got a good look at her. "Hi there."

"Hi." Breena drove her fist into his face. "Why don't you try picking on someone your own size?" She hit him again.

"It's the Witch!" One of the guards raised his rifle as Elphaba started down the stairs.

"No!" Fiyero yelled. "Elphaba, watch out!"

Breena's head snapped up at the warning but the man beneath her chose that moment to land a punch of his own, knocking her backward.

Luckily Elphaba was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. "Agito." She threw the guard before he could fire.

"Bastard!" Breena scrambled to an upright position, decking him again. "He could have killed her!"

"That was the point." Another guard spoke as he put the barrel of his sidearm against the back of Breena's head. "Ah uh." He cautioned Elphaba when she started to speak. "One wrong move and she gets it."

"Don't listen to him, Elly."

"He has a gun to your head." Elphaba looked at her like she was crazy.

Breena eyed the guards moving toward her sister. "Just do it."

"No."

"Good choice." The guard smirked.

"No one asked you."

He pushed the gun harder against her scalp. "Shut up."

"Now you're just being rude." Breena slammed her fist down on his foot, quickly reaching up to grip his gun hand as he screeched in pain. She wrenched the weapon free before letting go so he could tend to his injury.

"Amitto." Elphaba made the approaching guards disappear as soon as she saw her sister was safe. "Bree?"

"I'm good." She elbowed the guard she tackled in the face as he tried to grab her again. "Do yourself a favor and stay down."

Fiyero clinched his hands together and started swinging at the men around him. Lion was about to follow suit and managed to let out a ferocious roar before Breena pointed at him and said, "Prodo."

"Whoa." Lion squealed as an unseen force propelled him across the room and to the girls. "How'd you do that?"

Breena ignored his question. "Would you like to do the honors with Fiyero, Elly?"

But her sister was already saying, "Prodo?" to try it out. Much to her surprise Fiyero was pulled to them.

Breena grinned. "Well look at who didn't even have to point."

"Now is hardly the time for bragging." Betak chastised them as Lion helped her to her feet.

"Amitto!" Breena and Elphaba's voices mixed on the word, making the still stunned guards around them disappear.

"Where..." The guard who manhandled Betak tried to crawl away from them. "Where did they go?" He looked at Breena and Elphaba in bewilderment. "What did you do to them?!"

"The same thing they're going to do to you as soon as you give us the keys to these," Fiyero shook the shackles on his arms.

"Yeah." Lion agreed.

"Wh..." the guard stammered. "What?"

Fiyero leaned in close to him. "Give us the keys!"

"So they can kill me?" He shook his head violently. "I don't think so."

Lion shrugged. "We could always let Breena finish what she started."

"You don't need keys." Everyone turned as Yackle walked out of the living room. "You have them," she nodded toward Breena and Elphaba.

"Where in Oz have you been?" Betak scowled at her.

"The wine cellar."

"You were hiding?!"

"Someone had to keep the Grimmerie safe." Yackle defended her actions.

"What does she mean you have them?" The guard frowned. "How are they supposed to get those shackles off when I have the keys?"

"Hello." Fiyero looked at him in disbelief. "They just made all of your friends disappear. Do you honestly think a few chains are going to be much of a challenge?"

"Expositus."

Breena quirked an eyebrow as her sister's spell freed their friends. "You've been practicing."

"No." Elphaba's face was a mask of shock. "It just came to me."

"Welcome to the club." Breena clapped her on the shoulder.

"You're connecting to your powers." Yackle beamed.

"She's freaking me out." The remaining guard added his two cents worth.

"Betak told you to shut up." Breena made him disappear before turning to the Munchkin. "Are you all right?"

"I'll live." Betak hugged her the best she could before pulling back to look at her anxiously. "Morrible. She showed up right after the two of you left. She has..."

"We know." Breena cut her off. "We overheard a couple of guards talking at the palace." She hung her head. "But we got here too late."

Betak gripped her arm. "You'll get them back."

"Of course they will." Yackle agreed.

"Because love conquers all." Betak thought they were on the same wavelength for once.

"Love?" Yackle wrinkled her nose. "Don't be ridiculous. They'll get them back because of their powers."

Betak frowned. "Their powers?"

"Of course. They're getting more and more comfortable with them."

"And?"

Yackle shrugged. "And Morrible won't stand a chance against them."

"Not everything is about their powers you know."

"True. But most of it is."

"No it's not."

"Yes it is."

Betak moved so close to the hag they were practically nose to nose. "No it's not."

Yackle didn't back down. "Yes it is."

Elphaba shook her head as they continued to argue. "Should we just go?"

"Definitely." Breena flinched as Betak's voice went up an octave. "Fiyero, be a pal and send them to their neutral corners if they start throwing punches."

"They can handle themselves." Fiyero squared his shoulders. "I'm going with you."

"Me too." Lion was quick to jump on the band wagon.

"No you're not." Breena shook her head.

"Yes we are." Fiyero disagreed.

"No," Breena's voice didn't leave any room for debate, "you're not."

"She's right." Elphaba sided with her sister.

"If they're going, so am I." Betak stopped arguing with Yackle to join in.

Breena sighed. "None of you are going."

"Listen to the girl." Yackle nodded. "She knows what she's talking about."

Fiyero clinched his jaw. "I let Glinda and Addena down earlier. I owe it to them to be there."

"No."

"Damn it Breena, this isn't your decision!"

Betak frowned at Fiyero. "Don't curse at her."

"He didn't really mean it as a curse." Lion gestured at the former scarecrow with his paw. "He was just emphasizing a point."

"No," Fiyero disagreed as he stared Breena down. "I cursed at her because she's too damn stubborn for her own good sometimes. We can help."

Yackle laughed. "More like get in the way."

"Stay out of this," Betak turned her ire on the old woman.

Elphaba, who had been taking it all in, closed her eyes and yelled, "Stop it!!"

Her words seemed to echo around the room for a moment before she spoke again. "Bree is right. None of you are going."

"Fae..."

"Don't even try it, Fiyero. I know you want to help, but you can't. This is something Bree and I have to do alone."

"She's right." Yackle pursed her lips when both of the Thropps shot her a look. "Sorry."

"It's not that we don't appreciate the offer." Breena picked up for her sister. "But it's too dangerous. We don't want anything to happen to any of you."

"We don't want anything to happen to you either," Betak countered.

"We're wasting too much time. You're staying, we're going." Elphaba put her foot down before she started toward the stairs.

"Girls." Betak's voice was laced with the tears swimming in her eyes.

The corner of Breena's mouth turned up as she looked at the Munchkin. "We'll be back soon with Addy and Glin... Shit!" She grabbed the smaller woman, putting herself between her and wall as something came crashing through.

Morrible stepped from the whirlwind she traveled in, smiling as she surveyed the damage her arrival caused. Elphaba was slumped by the stairs, the cat and the boy were out cold and Breena was laying in a heap next to the old woman. "Oh, am I interrupting something?"

Elphaba struggled to stand.

"Nice to see you again Thropp." Morrible's smile stayed in place. "I bet you think I'm here for you, don't you?"

"Yes."

"Breena?"

Elphaba's heart sank when she heard Betak say her sister's name. "Bree?"

"She..." Betak's voice quivered. "She won't open her eyes."

"That's what I'm here for." Morrible pointed toward them. "You were taking too long, Thropp. I have your precious Glinda the Good and you still didn't come to the palace so I thought I would try another one of your friends." She said the word like it left a bad taste in her mouth. "I never imagined it would be your sister, but it works for me."

"You're not getting anywhere near her." Elphaba's voice was steely as she stood.

Morrible gestured with her hand, throwing Elphaba through the bannister of the stairs.

"No." Betak shook her head as Morrible walked toward her. "Keep your hands off of her." She stared into the woman's eyes as she started to pull Breena into her arms. "You'll have to go through me to get to her."

"Fair enough." Morrible pointed at the old woman, pushing her away from Breena with a strong gust of wind.

"Bree." Elphaba scrambled to her feet.

Morrible stood over the unmoving witch, smiling. "I'll see you soon."

"No." Elphaba didn't get a chance to move before the whirlwind reappeared and Morrible disappeared again, taking Breena with her. "NO!"