Elphaba gave her sister a sidelong glance as they walked through the french doors. "Do you think they fell for it?"

"What? Our 'don't worry about us everything is peachy keen fine' banter?" Breena shook her head. "You look like you've been through a meat grinder and I've been thrown around like a rag doll all day."

"Is that a no?"

"Definitely. But I think it threw them off enough for us to have a minute to ourselves."

Elphaba frowned. "Why do we need a minute to ourselves?"

"Because I have to ask you something. Please don't take this the wrong way, but..." Breena paused for a moment. "Are you up to casting the spell?"

"What?" Elphaba looked offended. "Of course I am. Why would you even ask that?"

"I didn't do it to upset you. But they really did a number on you, Elly."

Her expression softened when she realized her sister was worried about her. "It's not as bad as it looks."

"Has anyone ever told you you're not a very good liar?"

That got Breena a half grin. "I'm up for this." She raised her eyebrows when her sister continued to stare at her. "Really. And I could ask you the same thing, you know. I'm not the one who was unconscious when I left the house."

"Yeah." Addena spoke up from behind them.

Breena turned to give her a look. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough." Glinda answered.

"You wretched girl!"

Morrible's words greeted them as they came far enough into the room to be spotted. Breena and Addena moved at the same time, each grabbing their respective sister and pulling her out of the way of a wind ball. Glinda was caught completely off guard and tripped over her own feet, spilling both of the Uplands to the floor just as the spell hit the light fixture where their heads would have been. Breena and Elphaba were still close enough that Breena had to shove her sister against the wall so she could use her body to shield her from the flying glass.

"Agito!" Elphaba's voice was muffled but she managed to flick her wrist, throwing the older woman across the room.

"Nice shot." Breena pulled back to look at her sister, shocked by the pained expression on her face. "I hurt you."

"No." Elphaba shook her head, breathing heavily. "You didn't."

"It sure looks like I did."

"Elphie?" Glinda called out as she tried to untangle herself from her sister.

"Ow." Addena frowned. "Hold still and let me move my leg."

"You're..." Elphaba swallowed hard, willing her body to cooperate with her. "You're bleeding."

"I am?" Breena furrowed her brow. "Some of the glass must have got me."

"Here." She reached for her sister's cheek, realizing a split second too late what could happen. "No!" She tried to pull free when she felt the warmth of her sister's powers wash over her.

"Damn it." Breena growled.

"What's wrong?" Glinda questioned as she finally scrambled to her feet.

"She's..."

"Healing her." Addena caught on to what was happening right way, finishing Elphaba's thought for her.

"Oh no." Glinda hurried over to her lover, remembering the last time this happened. "What should I do?"

"Help her." Elphaba never took her eyes off her sister.

Addena grabbed Breena as Glinda tried to pull Elphaba's hand away. "This isn't working."

Glinda looked at her like she was crazy when she started to walk away. "Where are you going?!"

Elphaba's heart hammered in her chest as she watched the color drain from the cheek she was touching. "Do something!"

"I'm going to." Addena spoke as she stopped several yards away. "Linny, make sure Elphaba doesn't come with us."

"Come with you?" Glinda frowned. "What are you talking about?"

Addena was too busy running at Breena to answer. She broadsided her, breaking the connection. She tried to shift their positions so she would end up on the bottom but it didn't work. "Sorry." She apologized as she looked at the woman beneath her, her heart skipping a beat when she saw her eyes were closed. "Bree?" She gripped her shoulder, giving her a shake. "Bree?!"

"Stop that." Breena croaked.

Addena resisted the urge to breathe a sigh of relief when she heard her voice. "Only when you stop scaring me."

"If I do will you promise not to use me as a tackling dummy again?"

The corner of her mouth turned up. "Maybe."

"Unless we're fooling around because a bed would be a lot softer to land on." Breena finally opened her eyes. Even in her weakened state they sparkled as she said, "Not that I mind having you on top of me right now."

"You say the sweetest things sometimes." Addena lovingly ran her fingers through soft black hair.

Meanwhile Glinda somehow managed to keep Elphaba from tumbling to the floor with Dena and Breena but didn't count on the green woman bouncing off of her and hitting the wall again. She flinched when she heard the air rush from her lover's lungs.

"Elphie?"

She held up one slender green finger, managing a breathless, "Give me a second."

Glinda complied, drinking in her lover's features. Even with a quick shot of Breena's powers she still looked awful. The cut over her eye and bruises forming on her jaw made the blonde wonder what the rest of her looked like.

"There you go, trying to give yourself wrinkles again." Elphaba grinned. "Stop worrying. I'm…" She hissed in pain as she pushed away from the wall.

"Elphie!" Glinda motioned helplessly with her hands. She wanted to touch her but was afraid of hurting her more.

"Elly?" Breena tried to sit up but only succeeded in making herself dizzy.

"Hey." Addena chastised her as she gently pushed her onto her back. "Stay down."

"Do as she says, Bree." Elphaba agreed. "I'm fine."

Breena slammed her eyes shut, hoping the room would stop spinning. "Check on Elly for me?"

Addena hesitated, not wanting to leave her.

"Please, Addy."

She sighed. "All right. But only if you agree not to try that again." She took her silence as a yes and climbed to her feet.

"You don't have to come over here." Elphaba groused as she joined them. "I just moved to fast."

"More like moved at all." Addena was all business as she probed Elphaba's midsection.

Glinda looked at her sister anxiously when Elphie winced. "Is she all right?"

"Better than she was." Addena finished her exam. "Her ribs aren't broken anymore."

"I told you bones were the first thing to heal." Breena chimed in.

"What's the matter Thropp? Can't handle a little one on one time with the public?"

Everyone tensed when they heard Morrible's voice.

"I'm sure my fellow Ozians appreciated it. Too bad you weren't enough of a distraction for her." Morrible growled as she looked at Breena. "It must sting, knowing your own sister would rather spend time with me than save you from an angry mob."

If she was hoping for a response she didn't get one. Elphaba, Glinda and Addena were all too busy staring at her to do much of anything else. The once formidable head mistress had dark, bruise like circles under heavy lidded eyes and her legs looked like they were one wobble away from throwing her back to the floor.

"She looks drunk." Glinda mumbled under her breath.

Addena answered with a quiet, "Or insane."

Morrible gave them a deranged smile. "I can assure you I'm neither."

"Would you just shut up already?" Breena's voice was weak.

"What's that my dear?" Morrible swayed as she cupped her ear. "I'm having a hard time hearing you from down there."

"She said to shut up!" Elphaba snapped, knowing full well she was just trying to get under Breena's skin.

"Like either of you is in any position to tell me what to do." Morrible stifled a yawn.

"I am." Glinda glared at her.

"So am I." Addena followed suit. "And just to let you know, you're not looking so hot yourself."

"Oh really?" Morrible sneered. "We'll just see about that."

Another hush fell over the room as an orb formed in her hand. It was almost complete when her legs started to give out, forcing her to stagger to her left in an attempt to stay on her feet. She tried to keep control of the orb but it backfired, blowing her off her feet and into the far wall.

"I… Did you…" Breena laughed. "Have you ever seen anything like the look on her face when that wind hit her?" She laughed harder.

Elphaba put her hand over her mouth to keep from chuckling.

Glinda gave her a look. "I can't believe you're laughing at a time like this."

"I can." Addena rolled her eyes before hurrying over to Breena, who was well on her way to standing up. "Damn it Bree. Do I have to tie you up to make you listen to me?"

"No, but that sounds like a fun game for later."

"Bree." Elphaba blushed.

"The only thing you'll be doing later is sleeping."

"You're going to wear me out that bad?" Breena grinned.

Addena slipped her arm around her waist to steady her. "Don't Bree. Not now, OK?" She sighed when she felt her staring at her. "I don't find any of this funny. You're hurt and Elphaba's hurt and that woman just keeps coming back for more. Is one of you going to have to die before someone says enough is enough?"

"No one's going to die."

"You don't know that."

Breena's grin faded. "Addy…"

"Don't 'Addy' me Bree. Look at you. You can barely stand. And Elphaba's ribs may not be broken anymore but she still took one hell of a beating. Both of you should be resting, not thinking of going another round with her."

"But all we have to do is strip her of her powers and it'll be over." Breena tried to reason with her.

"Do you honestly think it will be that easy?" Addena looked bemused. "Because nothing else has been. And to be honest with you, I have to wonder if you and Elphaba are even strong enough to cast the spell."

"We are."

"Really?" Addena challenged her.

"I am." Elphaba cut in. "Even if Bree's not, I am."

"How can you say that?" Glinda contradicted her. "You don't know what kind of energy this spell is going to take. What if you try to cast it and you're not strong enough? What then?"

Elphaba sighed. "We don't have a choice here, Glinda. If one or both of us don't cast that spell she'll continue to wreak havoc on Oz."

"I don't understand you sometimes." Glinda shook her head. "Those people out there wouldn't have hesitated to beat you into oblivion but you're still willing to risk your life for them."

"Not just for them. For us too." She gripped the blonde's hand. "As long as she has powers she'll keep coming after us."

"Then maybe you should have cast the spell when it first came to you." Addena gruffed.

"When did we have the chance?" Breena was getting frustrated. "She attacked us as soon as we walked in!"

A cheer went up from the crowd outside, stopping them from saying anything more.

"It's the Wizard!"

"He's back!"

"We're saved!!"

"I should have known he'd find a way around that spell."

Elphaba furrowed her brow at her sister. "What spell?"

"Morrible…" She stared to say 'threw me out in the hall' but thought better of it in light of the conversation they'd been having. "Let's just say I met him out in the hallway after you took your trip through the french doors. He started asking a bunch of questions and tried to come with me, so I cast a spell to keep him out."

"Make them stay back! They can't come in here!" The sound of the Wizard's voice got closer as he spoke. "No, I can't right now!" He paused for a second. "Tell them I'll talk to them later! Girls?!"

He came bursting through the french doors, skidding to a halt when he saw them. "Girls." He leaned over, putting his hands on his legs as he breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank the Unnamed God you're both all right." He frowned when he got a better look at them. "You are all right, aren't you?"

Elphaba was touched by his concern. "We're fine."

"What she means is we'll be fine." Breena added before either of the blondes could speak up.

The Wizard looked at Glinda and Addena. "What are you two doing here?"

"Morrible kidnapped us." Glinda answered.

"What?" He was clearly shocked. "Why did she do that?"

"Because Boq told her where to find us and she thought having us would make Elphaba and Breena come here faster, not knowing they were already here with you."

He nodded. "And you girls rescued them?"

"Not quite." Elphaba fielded his question this time. "We overheard a couple of guards talking about her going to Munchkinland so we went back to the house to try to stop her."

"What happened?"

"She'd already been there."

"So you came back here?"

"Eventually. Morrible showed up at the house again while we were there and took Breena." Elphaba explained.

The Wizard frowned. "How did she manage that?"

"I don't mean to sound rude, but none of that really matters right now." Breena interrupted. "We can tell you the whole story once we've used the stripping spell on Morrible."

"You mean you haven't yet?" The Wizard questioned.

Breena clinched her jaw. "We've been a little busy." She felt bad when her father looked hurt. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you."

Addena tightened her grip on her. "She's had a long day."

"Amen to that." Glinda squeezed Elphaba's hand.

"And it's about to get a lot longer."

"Oh!" The Wizard nearly jumped out of his skin when Morrible spoke. "It's..." his voice faltered when he got his first look at her. "Nice to see you again?"

"Didn't anyone ever tell you how mean it is to lie?" Morrible looked down her nose at him. "Or how sad it is to throw your hat in with the likes of them."

The Wizard frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You could have been on the winning end of this whole situation. But no, you had to go with the losing side."

"We haven't lost anything." Breena disagreed.

Her smile could only be described as deranged. "Not yet."

Elphaba and Breena moved at the same time, putting themselves between Morrible and everyone else.

"Ew." Morrible's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Am I supposed to be frightened?"

"If you were smart." Was Breena's equally sarcastic comeback.

"It's time for this to end." She hissed.

"Yes it is." Elphaba agreed.

"I'm glad you see it that way!" Morrible stressed the last word as she held her hands out in front of her, shooting a steady stream of wind at the girls.

"Obsido!" Breena managed to block it just before it reached them.

"Bree?" Elphaba didn't like the fact that her sister was already breaking out in a sweat.

"Cast the stripping spell."

"But..."

"Cast it!"

Elphaba took a deep breath, concentrating for a moment before saying, "Funditus ligo auctoria." She frowned when nothing seemed to happen. "Funditus ligo auctoria!"

Morrible's laugh boomed around the room. "That's ticklalicious."

"She's laughing." Glinda was horrified. "It's not working!"

Addena's eyes were glued to Breena. "We have to help them."

"How?" The Wizard questioned.

"You cast a spell outside without using a wand." Addena spoke to her sister. "How did you do it?"

"I..." Glinda stammered.

"Come on, Linny."

"Breena told me to concentrate on what I wanted to happen and say the spell. But I've only done it a few times." Glinda was quick to add. "And none of them were anything to write home about."

"Even a little could help."

Glinda nodded. "Let's try it."

"She said 'obsido' right?"

"Yes she did." The Wizard was eager to help too.

"We can do this, Linny." Addena gripped her sister's hand.

"Of course we can." Glinda squared her shoulders. "We're Uplands."

Their conversation was lost on Elphaba, who was still trying the spell. "I can't do it." She hated herself for speaking the truth. "I'm not strong enough to make it work."

Breena reached for her with her free hand. "Maybe we can do it together."

"No."

"Yes."

"No!" Elphaba vehemently shook her head.

"We don't have time for this, Elly."

"Bree..."

"Just take my hand and say the spell again."

Elphaba was still shaking her head. "Why can't I block her and you..."

"Elly." Breena risked a look at her. "Let's do this."

She reluctantly reached for her sister's hand, wishing there was another way but knowing they didn't have time to think of one. The power coursing through her veins surged the instant their fingers touched. She spoke the spell again with more confidence.

At the same moment Addena and Glinda said, "Obsido!" picking up the slack for Breena.

"What are you doing?" Morrible frowned. "Stop!!" She put everything she had into the wind she was sending toward the girls.

Her renewed effort was more than Breena and Glinda and Addena's blocking abilities could take. The gust knocked Elphaba and Breena back into the others sweeping them all off their feet, but not before the stripping spell hit Morrible full in the chest. She stumbled backwards but somehow managed to stay standing.

"I told you what was going to happen." Morrible gloated as she stumbled toward them on extremely unsteady legs. "And now to be rid of you for good so I can reclaim my rightful place as ruler of Oz!"

She gestured with her hand, frowning when nothing happened. She made a fist before trying again, glowering when she got the same result. "What did you do?" Her voice was pure venom. "What have you done?!"

"I'd say we won." The Wizard spoke as he stood.

"This isn't over!" Morrible started toward the main doors only to find her way blocked by Gale Force guards.

"Oh yes it is." The Wizard spotted Cade among the uniformed men. "Would you do me the honor of showing her to Southstairs as well?"

"Two in one day?" The younger man grinned. "I'm going to like working for you." He gestured to the men on either side of him. "Seize her."

He turned back toward the girls when he was sure Morrible was being handled, not at all surprised to see Glinda and Addena hovering over his daughters. "How are they?"

"Still here." Elphaba sat up with Glinda's help.

"Tired." Breena quipped from her spot on the floor.

"They just need some rest." Addena ran her hand through Breena's hair again.

"And they're going to get it." The Wizard looked to Cade again. "Have some of your men help them upstairs. And send someone else out to tell that crowd to go home. I'll make an official announcement about my intentions to rule tomorrow after things have calmed down a bit." He raised his index finger. "Hold that thought." He switched his attention to Addena. "Will they be all right by tomorrow?"

"We'll be fine." Breena and Elphaba said at the same time.

"I think with a good night's sleep they'll be all right." Addena reassured him when he continued to look at her.

"You heard the woman." He nodded at Cade. "Carry out my orders and make sure she makes it safely to Southstairs." He shot a look at Morrible.

"With pleasure." Cade hurried away.

The Wizard watched several guards help Elphaba and Breena to their feet as Glinda and Addena looked on, hoping his daughters were finally going to get some peace.