The Wizard resisted the urge to squirm under the guard's scrutiny. The man was a monster, all bulging muscles and intimidation. First he ruined the root and now he had to face down a giant. Couldn't things ever be easy for him?

"Are you deaf or something?"

The question pulled him out of his thoughts. "I…"

"Spit it out old man." The guard interrupted him. "I don't have all day."

"And I can't tell you who I am if you interrupt me like that." The Wizard mentally kicked himself. What was he trying to do, get himself killed?

The guard stared at him, emotionless, as silence reigned between them for what seemed like an eternity. "Am I interrupting you now?"

"No."

"Then get on with it."

The Wizard paused for another moment, trying to gauge the man's blank expression. "You really don't know who I am?"

The guard narrowed his eyes. "Should I?"

"Maybe."

"Well I don't."

"Good. I mean..." He scrambled to cover his tracks. Now was hardly the time to celebrate the fact the boy didn't recognize him. "I'm..." he glanced at Nevin and said the first thing that popped into his head. "His father."

"His father?" The guard nodded toward the bed. "That means you slept with her." He laughed out loud before clapping the older man on the shoulder. "I hope you were drunk."

"I was." The Wizard played along. "Very."

"Bet you never touched the stuff again. But at least you got a half way decent kid out of the deal."

"I wouldn't know. I never met him."

The guard frowned. "Were you one of those dead beat dads?"

"What?" The Wizard was confused by the question.

"Are you one of those bastards that gets a woman pregnant and then runs off?"

He had to bite his tongue to keep from saying, 'Yes, as a matter of fact I am.' The guard could probably come up with an even more colorful phrase for him considering he had two women pregnant at the same time and abandoned them both.

"Because I can't stand guys who do that."

The guard curled one meaty hand into a fist, prompting the Wizard to say, "No. Of course not."

"She wouldn't let you see him, huh?" The guard shook his head as he relaxed again. "Figures. She seems like the type."

"Yes," was all he could manage. What the hell was he doing? He didn't have time for small talk. The girls were counting on him to take care of Nevin.

"That's a shame. He was a good kid. Gave a lot of guys, like me, a chance to prove we were worth something. Then he ends up like that." The guard nodded toward the bed again. "Go ahead and visit all you want." He sat down in the chair at the foot of the bed and picked up the magazine he's been reading when the Wizard came into the room. "It'll be our little secret."

"Thanks." The Wizard tried to keep the uncertainty out of his voice. Was this really happening? The guard's chair was facing the door, which meant if he went to other side of the bed, he would have to walk behind the guard to get there. All he had to do was figure out how to incapacitate him and…

"Don't get freaked out."

"What?"

"I know it's kind of creepy, him laying there looking like the picture of health when he's never going to wake up again. But you get used to it after a while."

"OK." The Wizard drug the letters out, now quite sure of how he was supposed to answer.

"Just thought it might help." The guard shrugged his massive shoulders as he buried his nose in the magazine again.

He started around the bed, keeping a close eye on the guard as he went. It would be just his luck for the behemoth to suddenly realize who he was and shred him to pieces. Then what would happen to his girls?

A voice in the back of his head spoke up with a resounding, "Nothing! Because you're not going to let them down!"

He nodded in response. He wasn't going to let them down. If he did they would never count on him again and he couldn't have that. They were his daughters. His flesh and blood. And he loved them.

A grin spread across his face. So that's what caused the warmth in his chest every time he saw or even thought about Breena and Elphaba. Love. It was unlike anything he'd ever felt before. And he had no intention of losing it by letting something happen to either one of them.

He spotted the vase and knew it was exactly what he was looking for. Of course it had to weigh a ton. It took every ounce of self control he had not to groan and give himself away as he struggled to pick it up. He managed to get it off the table and walk the few steps to stand behind the guard before it slipped from his grasp. Luckily he was holding it high enough that it came down on the back of the guard's head with a sickening thud. He fell limply from the chair as the vase continued its journey to the floor without breaking.

"Oh my." The Wizard played his part as he looked down at the guard. "Are you all right?" He dropped the façade when he nudged the man with his foot but got no response. "Thank Oz," he mumbled to himself as he turned to back to the bed. "And now for you."

His mouth went dry when he looked at Nevin. He was just a kid, no older than Breena or Elphaba. And he looked so innocent laying there. Knocking a guard out was one thing but killing a defenseless boy was another. How was he supposed to…

He told himself to stop being so soft. Nevin was anything but innocent. And as long as he continued to breathe Elphaba and Breena were in danger. He wasn't doing this for himself, he was doing it for his daughters. He owed them that much.

He willed his hands not to shake as he reached for one of the many pillows propping the boy up in bed. All he had to do was hold it over Nevin's face for a few minutes and it would be over. Like everyone told him, he was doing the boy a favor by putting him out of his misery. But if that was true why did it make him sick to his stomach to think about it?

"Freeze!"

The Wizard nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard the new voice. He had been so deep in thought that he didn't hear the bedroom door open or notice the guard from earlier come into the bedroom. But he saw him now. And the gun he held in his hands was hard to miss too.

He muttered a disbelieving, "Damn it," as he realized his short lived luck had run out.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Glinda clinched her jaw as Morrible disappeared, trying not to think about how much she hated the woman. She watched Boq slink further away from them before turning to her sister. "OK, now's our chance."

Addena frowned at her whispered words. "Chance to what?"

"Get rid of Boq and escape."

"Escape?"

"Yes," the smaller blonde hissed. "Stop repeating everything I say."

"Say something that doesn't make me think you're losing it and I will."

Glinda rolled her eyes, "Dena."

Addena raised her eyebrows, "Linny."

"I'm not losing it. I'm trying to be proactive."

"No, you're getting antsy. There's a difference."

"Don't whisper." Boq chastised them from his position next to the throne. "It's rude."

Glinda held his gaze until he looked away. "We could take him."

"I know we could." Addena agreed. "But what about the guards?"

"Between the two of us we could…" She trailed off, trying to come up with the right phrase.

Addena gave her a moment to finish her sentence before saying, "Could what?"

"I don't know." Glinda sighed. "We're two intelligent, resourceful girls. I'm sure we can come up with something."

"I'm sure we could too."

"Then why aren't we?"

"Because."

Glinda frowned. "That's not a reason. Do you like being here or something?"

"Of course not!"

"Then why are you giving me such a hard time when we should at least be trying to do something?"

"That's just it. What exactly are we supposed to do?" Addena tried to reason with her. "Getting ourselves shot isn't going to help anyone."

"Neither is standing around with our hands in our pockets."

"Stop whispering!" Boq yelled.

"Why don't you come over here and make us?" Addena fired back.

"I… You…" Boq looked away again.

"See." Glinda gestured with her hand. "He's a pushover."

"It's not him I'm worried about. Think about it, Linny. If we made it out of here, how are Bree and Elphaba supposed to know where to find us?" Addena put her arm around her sister's shoulders. "I know it's hard, but we have to give them some time."

"It's been too long. Something must have gone wrong with the plan."

"We don't know that. Maybe they're…"

"Just wait until Morrible gets back!" Boq cut her off, taking a menacing step toward them. "She'll make you shut up!"

As if on cue Morrible's telltale whirlwind appeared. Addena tightened her grip on Glinda as they leaned against each other to keep their balance. Boq wasn't so fortunate. The clanging of his body echoed around the room as he blew across the floor and into the group of guards near the door.

"Come here," Morrible motioned for a couple of the guards to come to her. "Make sure our new guest doesn't cause any trouble."

"New guest?" Glinda frowned.

Addena gasped as the older woman moved to reveal a figure lying on the floor behind her. "Bree!"

"Ah ah ah." Morrible shook her finger at the blonde as she started toward the downed witch. "I don't think so."

"What's wrong with her?" Addena tried to get a better look at her love as the guards moved to flank her. "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything." Morrible huffed. "It's not my fault she chose to protect that ridiculous little Munchkin woman."

"Betak?" Glinda's frown deepened. "You went back to the house?"

"Your girlfriends were taking too long so I decided to light the proverbial fire under them."

Glinda looked at her sister. "What were they doing at the house? They were supposed to…"

"It doesn't matter what they were supposed to do." Morrible's voice overrode hers. "They were at that hovel. And since you two weren't enough incentive to bring them here I decided to try someone else. I was fortunate enough to get her." She looked down her nose at Breena. "Leaving you two to rot was one thing, but her…" she smiled. "I have a feeling Thropp won't be so willing to lollygag where she's concerned."

"Elphie." Glinda murmured her lover's name.

"Don't fret, my dear. I'm sure you'll see your precious Elphaba again very, very soon." Morrible switched her gaze to Addena. "Too bad Breena won't be able to help her carry out whatever harebrainified scheme you people managed to come up with."

Her mocking tone was lost on Addena as she stared at Breena, watching the steady rise and fall of her love's chest. At least she was alive.

Glinda slipped her hand into her sister's, offering what support she could by giving it a gentle squeeze.

"And now," Morrible plopped down on the throne dramatically. "We wait."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I'll see you soon."

Morrible's words were the first thing Betak heard after her trip across the room. She struggled to right herself, her heart hammering in her chest. She had to know what was happening with Breena. Picturing her unconscious made the old woman push through the pain of getting her old joints to move. What had the girl been thinking, protecting her like that?

Elphaba's first, "No," made her anxious but the second, more desperate, "NO!" was like a punch in the gut. She looked up in time to see Morrible disappear. It took her a second to realize someone else was missing too. "Breena?" Her voice was pure disbelief. "Breena?!"

The old woman's shouts were lost on Elphaba as she stared at the spot where her sister had been a moment before. This couldn't be happening. Breena wasn't... she couldn't be...

"She's gone." Betak's voice was little more than a whisper as tears started falling down her cheeks.

Elphaba flinched at the statement, not wanting to hear what she couldn't even bring herself to think. They were supposed to be together. Everything hinged on them combining their powers to cast the stripping spell.

"I'm going to take it by the way you're carrying on that something happened to Breena." Yackle limped out of the living room. "Crying isn't going to do any good."

Betak hissed, "Shut up!" as she painstakingly got to her feet.

Elphaba knew the plan was too simple. But she thought maybe, for once, fate or destiny or whatever cosmic force is was that took such joy in making her life a living hell would be on her side and things would work out. Because it wasn't just her anymore. She had Glinda and Breena and their circle of friends. She didn't feel alone in the world.

"What?" Fiyero groaned as he opened his eyes. "What happened?"

"I have no idea." Lion replied as he slowly came around. "Whatever it was, it hurt."

But she was alone. Glinda and Breena were gone.

"Morrible happened." Yackle gave the boys the answer they were looking for.

Hearing the woman's name tore at Elphaba's soul. Her sister and the love of her life were in the clutches of the former press secretary and there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it. She wasn't strong enough. Not by herself.

"Wow." Lion surveyed the damage around them as he sat up. "She really knows how to make an entrance. Breena must be pissed."

"We don't know what Breena is. Or where she is." Betak mumbled to herself. "Or how she is."

Fiyero frowned. "Are you all right Betak?"

"No." The tiny woman choked out.

Lion looked at her. "Are those tears? Are you crying?" He sprang to his feet. "Why are you crying? Are you hurt? Did she hurt you?" He growled in the back of his throat. "Where is she?"

"She's gone." Betak sniffled. "And she took Breena with her."

"Took Breena?" Fiyero echoed her words as he climbed to his feet. "What are you talking about?"

Yackle frowned at him. "Did she stutter?"

Elphaba drown them out. She couldn't try to concentrate on what they were saying and realize how wrong she was at the same. What was she doing? Would Breena stand there and wallow in self pity? No. She would already be on her way to the palace. Why? Because she actually trusted her powers.

"That's just great." Lion shook his head. "Now what are we supposed to do?"

Fiyero shot him a look. "We've still got Elphaba." He suddenly turned toward Betak. "We do still have Fae?"

She had always been afraid of what she could do. It was easy to blame it on the fact that Frex got angry and punished her if she even thought about using magic, but it went deeper than that. Her powers scared her because she didn't know where they came from. But now, in this moment, she realized it didn't matter. They were a part of her just like they were a part of her sister. And it was time for her to finally let go and see what happened if she embraced them.

"She's right there." Yackle gestured toward the stairs.

Lion furrowed his brow. "What's she staring at?"

"Elphaba?" Fiyero swallowed hard when she didn't react. "Elphaba, I'm talking to you!" He looked at Yackle. "Can she hear us?"

The hag shrugged.

"Has she said anything?" Fiyero was getting frustrated. He didn't wait for an answer before returning his attention to the green skinned woman. "Fae?"

"Leave her alone." Betak's snapped at him. "She's lost her lover and her sister in the same day. Give her a chance to process what's happened."

"She's right." Yackle agreed. "She'll let us know when she's ready to talk."

"Elphaba?" Fiyero ignored them, breathing a sigh of relief when she finally blinked. "Fae?"

"I have to go."

"Go?" Fiyero started toward the stairs again. "Go where?"

"As Breena would say," Elphaba spared him a glance, "to kick Morrible's ass."

He involuntarily shivered as he looked into her eyes. There was something different about them. Not necessarily bad, just something that hadn't been there before.

"Don't worry." She grinned. "I know what I'm doing."

With that she disappeared up the stairs.