I'm Not Sad Anymore
One-Shot 10—Don't You Want Someone to Take Care of You?
AN: I'm so sorry for the hiatus! I've been busy with my senior year of high school, my mom getting married, and my Criminal Minds stories. I hope you guys didn't think I abandoned this story. I haven't—I promise. My best friend (Tina Titan on ff) has been an awesome source of inspiration and has pressured me to update this fic. Thanks Nessa!
After this one-shot, the story will begin to be told in chronological chapters.
I'm writing this while listening to the soundtrack of tick…tick…BOOM! Jonathan Larson's (RENT) lesser known musical. And my god, do I recommend it!
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Wicked. I only own Unna (Nessa came up with the name).
The tenth anniversary of Elphaba's "death" had come and gone. It began to become cold in the Badlands, which meant it was time for Fiyero to once again venture into Oz to collect firewood. The scarecrow had been gone for a few days, not any longer than usual, but Elphie was always a little uneasy without her husband there.
On one chilly afternoon about three days after Fiyero had left, Elphaba was sitting on the couch silently. There wasn't really much else for her to do, and it didn't bother her much. Until ten years ago, she was used to complete solitude, used to being her only friend, used to feeling lonely and afraid all the time—to the point where she barely noticed the negative feelings that plagued her thoughts day in and day out.
A small knock on the door brought her out of her reverie. Who could it be? Fiyero never knocked; he always just walked in and it was too early for him to return anyway. What if someone from Oz had figured out she was alive? Could she defend herself without Fiyero?
Taking a shaky breath, the green woman stood up and began to walk towards the front door of their cottage. She looked out of a small window facing their neighbors' house and saw the Oxen going about their daily activities, which was a good sign.
Elphaba opened the door.
She saw nothing when looking straight ahead but as she looked down, she noticed a small girl looking up at her. "Miss, can you help me?" asked the small voice.
Elphaba didn't know what to say, so she simply ushered the little girl inside. "Are you from Oz?"
The child couldn't have been more than seven years old. She shrugged. "I guess."
"What do you mean, you guess?" Elphaba didn't have a dislike for children per se, but she wasn't particularly fond of them.
"I don't belong there," the girl replied simply.
Elphaba's interest was piqued. She led the small girl to the couch she was sitting on earlier. "What is your name?"
"Unna."
Elphaba smiled. "That's a pretty name."
The girl looked incredibly afraid. It was a face the green girl recognized. In fact, aside from the fact that the little girl did not have green skin, she had features strikingly similar to Elphaba. "What part of Oz are you from?"
"Munchkinland."
"And why did you leave, Unna?" Elphaba asked, beginning to sound somewhat warm towards the girl.
"Everyone hates me," she replied, a tear falling from her sad eyes.
Elphaba wiped it away. "I have a hard time believing that, Unna. You are a very sweet girl."
Unna looked at the witch analytically for a moment before speaking. "I'm sure you were sweet as a little girl too."
The look on the girl's face left no room for doubt. She knew who Elphaba was. And she wasn't afraid. "When people are mean to you, you get mean. That's why I left," Unna explained. "I don't want to be mean."
"You think I'm mean?" Elphaba asked.
The girl shrugged. "I don't know. I don't really know you."
Elphaba sighed. She wasn't going to abandon a small child in the cold Badlands during the harsh winter that was on its way. "I'm guessing you need some place to stay."
Unna nodded. "I think we have a lot in common. We can help each other."
Elphaba shook her head. "I don't need help. But thanks anyway." She stood up and went to a cupboard, pulling out a blanket. "You can sleep on the couch for now. When my husband gets home, we will need to talk."
Unna gratefully took the blanket. "Is the scarecrow really alive?" she asked with excitement.
"Where did you hear that?" the green woman hissed. No one should know that.
Unna put her hands up in surrender. "I saw him leaving a few days ago. He's your husband, right?"
Elphaba breathed out a sigh of relief as she nodded. "Have you been here that long?"
"I've been sleeping by the heater in the back of your house. I ran out of food."
Elphaba sat back down next to Unna. "You seem like a really tough girl," she observed.
"When nobody takes care of you, you kind of have to be," she replied with a shrug.
The green girl was instantly taken back to her second confrontation with the wizard. What Unna said was true. Having nobody to take care of you was the worst feeling ever. Being alone makes you strong but it makes you hard. Elphaba wanted that for no one, and this was her chance to prevent it.
And that's how Elphaba became a mother.
AN: I have no idea when I'll be able to update this again, but turning it into an actual story has given me much inspiration. Please feel free to suggest things. I'll update as soon as I can. Please review and follow. Reviews are super encouraging and I love them so much. I hope my followers have stuck with me. I'm gonna try to update at least once or twice a month from now on.