1Breena gave the guards a wane smile and a, "Thanks," as they helped her up, not that she really expected a response. And she wasn't disappointed. They didn't even make sure she was steady on her feet before hurriedly backing away. All but one who got closer instead, making a face and turning his head as he tried to pick her up bridal style.

"What are you doing?"

"I..." He avoided making eye contact. "I was..."

"You know he didn't mean for you to literally carry me upstairs, right?"

"Bree." Addena sighed. "Don't give him a hard time."

"I'm not." Breena frowned.

"Yes you are."

"All I did was ask what he was doing. How is that giving someone a hard time?"

At the same moment Elphaba was pulling her arm out of another guard's extreme tight grip. "Thanks, but I can walk on my own."

He shot her a dirty look as he left her alone.

Glinda shook her head. "I know you're hurt and tired Elphie, but that's no excuse for being rude."

Elphaba switched her attention to the blonde. "Rude?"

"Yes. That's what you call it when you snap at someone who's being nice enough to try to help."

"He wasn't being nice. He was following orders."

Addena watched as Breena went the short distance to Elphaba's side. "Why are you two being this way?"

"What way?" Elphaba frowned. "We haven't done anything."

"Yeah." Breena agreed. "Why don't you ask them why they're acting like we've got the plague or something."

The Wizard should have known the peace he wanted for his daughter's wouldn't be so easy to come by. Just like he should have thought about how the guards would react to Elphaba and Breena. They were bound to be leery of anyone with powers after being under Morrible's control.

"That's not a very nice thing to say." Glinda chastised her.

"It makes you sound ungrateful." Addena added her two cents worth.

Obviously the blondes weren't picking up on the animosity toward Elphaba or Breena either. Otherwise they would have been giving the guards an earful instead of belittling the girls.

Elphaba and Breena huffed, "Whatever," at the same time.

Glinda pursed her lips. "Don't you dare 'whatever' me, Elphaba Thropp."

Addena looked back and forth between them. "Today hasn't exactly been easy on us either."

"Might I make a suggestion?" The Wizard finally found his voice. He knew the girls would never make it through an Upland uprising. "Why don't you two," he looked at Addena and Glinda, "help them upstairs? A few of the guards can escort you in case they're needed." He shot one of the guards a look when he opened his mouth to protest. He would deal with them once the girls were safely tucked away.

"They won't be." Breena interrupted his thoughts.

"Fine." Elphaba conceded when she saw the way Addena was looking at her sister.

"Oh, you mean we're allowed to touch you?" The doctor's tone was sarcastic.

Breena snorted. "Not if you're going to act that way."

"Just let us help you." Glinda sighed.

Elphaba replied with a curt, "Who's stopping you?"

"Girls!" Everyone jumped, making the Wizard feel like he was scolding a bunch of five year olds. "Addena, Glinda, the guards are understandably uncomfortable around the girls right now but I think we've been a little slow to pick up on it because we're so relieved the whole Morrible thing is over."

"What?" Addena was shocked as she looked at the guards around them.

"They are not." Glinda looked around too, her heart sinking when no one would meet her gaze.

The Wizard switched his attention to his daughters. "Breena, Elphaba, you're both exhausted and need to let someone help you upstairs before one of you ends up passing out."

Breena gave him an amused look. "Watch out everybody. He's using his dad voice."

He was intrigued by the idea. "I am?"

Elphaba nodded. "And a pretty good one at that."

"You would have scared me as a kid." Breena agreed.

The Wizard's eyes got big. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"Sure you did." Addena disagreed. "That's what dads do."

"Really?"

It was Glinda's turn to nod. "You have to show kids who's boss or they'll walk all over you."

"Besides, I didn't say you scared me now." Breena clarified. "I said you would have scared me then. When I was younger. And not like 'hey I'm going to beat you' scared either. Just a 'you better watch your step' scared." She furrowed her brow. "Did that make sense?"

"As much as anything you say when you're tired." Addena gently put her arm around the woman's waist. "I'm sorry I was snippy with you."

Breena looked at her with adoration in his eyes. "I'm sorry too."

"Me three. Like Dena said, it's been a long day." Glinda slipped her arm through her lover's, not wanting to aggravate her tender ribs. "I'm not hurting you am I?"

"Not at all." Elphaba pulled her closer. "And I'm sorry too. I'll try not to be such a mean green thing."

The Wizard nodded as they started to walk away as if they were the only ones in the room. It warmed his heart to see his daughters so in love. Maybe if he hadn't run away from Melena and Leandra he could have experienced a little of what they had for himself. At least he was getting the chance to know the children they created together. It was more than he deserved after the way he acted.

"You're not telling us anything."

"Is everyone all right?"

"We want to talk to the Wizard!"

"Or Glinda!"

"Or whatever the Witch's name was!"

He sighed when the voices coming from outside made the girls stop in their tracks.

"I'm sorry sir." A guard spoke as he came rushing through the hole that used to be the french doors. "I tried to tell them to come back tomorrow, but they won't listen. They're insisting on seeing someone before they'll leave."

"Go ahead." The Wizard motioned for the girls to keep going. "I'll handle them."

"Are you sure?" Glinda asked. "I could..."

"No, no." He waved away the offer. "You have more pressing matters to see to."

"It's really not a problem." Elphaba assured him.

He pointed toward the main doors. "To bed with you."

"Or what, you'll ground us?" Breena grinned.

Addena chuckled as she started walking again. "Come on you three."

The Wizard made sure Elphaba and Glinda were going to follow before turning back to the guard. "Thank you for trying. I'll..."

"And just where do you think you're going?"

His blood ran cold when he heard the new voice. He turned to find Morrible blocking the girls' way out of the room, her features etched with hate.

"You've got to be kidding me." Was Breena's disgusted reaction.

"I'm afraid not, dearie." Morrible sneered. "Did you honestly think a few guards would be able to drag me back to that hell hole?"

"We were hoping so." Elphaba answered honestly.

"Well think again." She snapped. "You won't be rid of me that easily."

The Wizard watched, horrified, as she raised her hand, half expecting to see one of her infamous orbs. What he saw instead still made his breath catch in his throat. She was pointing a gun at his daughters.

"All I had to do was use a threatening tone and they started cowering. Taking this was like snatching candy from a baby." Morrible gestured with the weapon.

"And from the look of things you've had more than your fair share of candy in this lifetime." Breena quipped.

"You really think you're funny, don't you?" Morrible glared at her. "Well we'll see who's laughing after I shoot you!"

"Bree." Addena hissed her name. "Don't antagonize her."

Glinda let go of Elphaba so she could step in front of her. "You'll have to go through me to get to her."

Morrible smiled. "Let me assure you, that won't be a problem."

"Glinda." Elphaba grabbed her arm, pulling her back to her side. "What are you doing?!"

"I told you outside, I'm through with standing by while people try to hurt you." Glinda defended her actions.

"You two really are sickifyingly sweet." Morrible swayed a little, still under the influence of Breena's sleep spell. "I suppose you would do the same thing if you weren't acting as her crutch," she snarled at Addena.

"I'll show you who needs a crutch." Breena started to pull away.

"No you won't." Addena tightened her grip. "You'll stay right where you are."

"But…"

"I love you, Bree. That means we're in this together."

"Love." Morrible snorted at the idea. "There's no such thing."

"Just because you've never felt it doesn't mean it doesn't exist." Glinda frowned at her.

"Or maybe you have felt it but were just too cynical to realize what it was." Addena added.

"Cynical?" The older woman laughed. "I'm not cynical, I'm realistic. You're still wet behind the ears my dear. Give it a few more years and you'll know what I'm referring to."

"No she won't." Breena contradicted her. "Because she'll have me."

Morrible looked at her coldly as she turned the gun in her direction. "No she won't."

"Stop it!" The Wizard spoke as he put himself between Morrible and the girls. "Put that thing down!"

"Once upon a time what you said to me might have made a difference, but not anymore." Morrible glared at him. "You made your choices."

"Yes, I have." The Wizard confirmed the unvoiced question he knew she was asking.

"But why?" Morrible shook her head.

"Because they're my daughters."

"Children." She corrected him. "They're only children. Imagine what we could have if we ruled Oz together."

"They're not just children!" The Wizard willed himself to calm down, not wanting to agitate her. "Nevin might not have meant anything to you, but they're my world." He glanced over his shoulder. "I couldn't live with myself after Glinda told me the truth about Elphaba. That's why I tried to leave Oz in the first place. But something wouldn't let me go and now I have the chance to know both of my girls." He returned his attention to Morrible, determination shining in his eyes. "And I won't let you or anyone else ruin that opportunity for me."

"They're not an opportunity! They're a curse and you'll be better off without them!"

The guards moved before she could even think of pulling the trigger, forming a wall four people thick between the Wizard and Morrible.

"If you were smart you'd put that down and come with us willingly." Cade spoke up from the front of the guards.

Morrible stared at him for a moment before dramatically turning around only to find more guards blocking her path.

"You're not going anywhere." Cade spoke as she turned to face him again.

"I'll shoot each and every one of you!"

"With one gun?" Cade chortled. "I hardly think so. But I would think about all of the weapons pointed at you before you try to make good on your threat."

Morrible swallowed hard, stumbling backward a couple of steps before sinking to her knees. "All I wanted was my turn at happiness. Was that too much to ask?"

"You wouldn't know what happiness was if it bit you in the ass."

"Bree." Addena gave her a look.

"She's right." Elphaba came to her sister aid. "Selfish people can't know true happiness because once they get what they think will make them happy they come up with something else to want."

"And even something as big as ruling Oz wouldn't satisfy her." Breena finished her thought.

"Shut up!" Morrible growled. "This is all your fault! First it was Thropp with her goody goody 'I can't use the Grimmerie to do your bidding' nonsense and then you both stuck your noses in where they didn't belong. Well I've had it. I'm going to show you what happens to intrusifying people like you!" She leveled the gun in the general direction their voices were coming from.

Cade rushed her as she pulled the trigger, managing to knock her arm upward before the gun could actually go off. The bullet hit one of the chandeliers overhead, causing an uproar from the guards as glass rained down on them.

"Was that a gunshot?!"

"What's going on in there?!"

"Get away from me!" Morrible ignored the Ozians' comments as she tried to shove him.

"I'll take that." Cade didn't budge as he ripped the gun from her grasp.

"Just leave me alone!" Morrible fell onto her side and curled up in the best ball her bulk would allow. "Everyone just leave me alone."

"You'll have plenty of alone time in Southstairs." Cade motioned for a group of guards to surround her. "And be warned, if she manages to get a weapon this time there will be hell to pay." He shook his head as he turned to the Wizard. "I'm so sorry about all of this. It never should have happened."

"You handled the situation very well." The Wizard assured him before furrowing his brow. "Breena, is what you did to Boq earlier permanent?"

Elphaba seemed surprised. "How do you know she did something to Boq?"

"We had a little run in." He answered.

"If you call decking someone a little run in," Cade clarified.

Breena grinned. "You hit him?"

"No, I..." The Wizard squirmed under his daughters' scrutiny. "Oh all right, yes. I hit him. He was thinking bad things about you."

"You're a mind reader now?" Elphaba smirked.

"No wonder that's not a talent either one of us has." Breena joined in.

"Stop teasing him." Addena admonished them.

"It's sweet." Glinda gave the older man a grateful look. "He was defending your honor."

"It's too quiet in there."

"Someone tell us what's going on!"

"Can we just get back to my original question?" The Wizard was too busy blushing to hear the comments from outside.

"No, it's not permanent." Breena finally answered. "All it did was shut him up for a while."

The Wizard smiled. "Cade, please make sure Morrible and Boq are put in the same cell. I know co-ed occupancy is normally off limits, but I think it would be most fitting in this case."

Cade returned his smile. "I like the way you think." He turned back to the guards. "Let's go."

"What?" Morrible seemed to be coming out of a daze as the guards pulled her to her feet. "You expect me to share a cell with that imbecilic heap of tin? That's inhuman!"

"Yeah, poor Boq." Breena chided.

"You'll pay for this!" Morrible snarled as the guards drug her out of the room. "By Oz I swear someday you'll all pay!"

Breena shook her head. "And the drama queen award goes to..."

Elphaba couldn't stop herself from chuckling.

The Wizard's smile stayed in place. Would he ever get tired of looking at them?

"I bet Morrible's done something awful!"

"We can't let that happen!"

"Yeah, I say we get in there and find out what's going on!"

He sighed as his attention was drawn back to the crowd outside. "I better go before they get any more restless. You four..."

"Are coming with you." Elphaba cut him off.

"But..."

"You heard them a few minutes ago." She interrupted him again. "They're not going to be happy until they're sure Glinda is all right."

Glinda squeezed her lover's arm. "They were asking about you too Elphie."

"And Addy and I might as well come along for the ride." Breena shrugged when Addena looked at her. "What? It's not like we have anything better to do."

"I think what she's trying to say is maybe they'll go away faster if they see for themselves that we're all OK." Addena added her opinion.

"If you're sure." He looked at them uncertainly.

"We are." Breena answered for everyone. "Now lead the way."

The Wizard complied, raising his hands in an attempt to silence the crowd when they broke into cheers at the sight of them. After several minutes they started to quiet down.

"Hello Ozians." His heart swelled as he looked out at them. He might not have spent much time among them after the Merchants Council decided he should have an air of mystery, but it didn't mean he wasn't fond of them. "It's good to see you again too."

"Are you all right?"

"Did Morrible hurt you?"

"Do you need us to take care of her for you?"

He gestured with his hand again. "No. I can assure you Morrible has been dealt with." He looked at the girls fondly. "By my daughters."

"Your daughters?!"

"But you don't have a family!"

"Actually I do." The Wizard spoke up before anyone else could. "I'd like you to meet Elphaba and Breena."

A collective gasp ripped through the crowd.

"The Witch is your daughter?!"

"And there's another Witch?!

"Neither one of them is a Witch!" The Wizard yelled but quickly regained his composure. "At least not in the sense of the word you're used to using. Morrible planted a conception in your minds a long time ago about Elphaba and I'm ashamed to say I went along with it. But I'm telling you here and now, neither Elphaba nor Breena are evil and I won't stand for any of you saying otherwise. They risked their lives today to rid our land of Morrible. For that they deserve your undying gratitude, not suspicions or harsh words. If you're not willing to go along with this request I'll take my family and leave you to your own devices."

"And if we do accept them?"

The Wizard paused for a moment before saying, "Then I'll stay on as ruler of Oz."

Another cheer went up from everyone.

"But if I think, even for a moment, that you're trying to pull the wool over my eyes and aren't actually willing to accept my daughters, I'll leave in a heartbeat."

"We won't disappoint you."

"No we won't."

"We'll welcome your girls with open arms."

Glinda gripped Elphaba's hand at the sincerity in their words. "Do you hear that Elphie?"

Elphaba was all smiles. "I do."

"We should celebrate!"

"Yes!"

"We can..."

"Wait, wait, wait." The Wizard motioned for them to quiet down again. "We appreciate your excitement, but the girls really aren't in any condition to do anything but rest right now."

"Of course they aren't."

"We should have realized."

"We'll give them a couple of days to recuperate."

"It will give us more time to plan the celebration."

"Which we'll need because it has to be special."

"Very special!"

"Stupendous!"

"All hail the newest heroes of Oz!"

The Wizard couldn't stop himself from smiling. "Then go. Spread the word that the whole of Oz will celebrate the defeat of Morrible in two days."

The crowd cheered again as they started back into the palace.

"Listen to that Elly." Breena reached over to take her sister's hand. "They're cheering for you."

Elphaba nodded, not trusting her voice to answer. She was finally getting something she's always wanted... a celebration throughout Oz that was all to do with her.