AUTHORS NOTE: WARNING this story contains Slavery, Female on Female affections. Revolution, War, Violence and Language.

Glinda stared into the mirror; last minute touches were being put onto her wedding dress.

"Oh, I had so hoped that she would be wearing the family wedding dress, but I suppose it can't be helped. Make sure the trim isn't too long. And tighten that bodice; it's practically falling off of her! Oh, my dear, dear Galinda, how lucky you are!" Glinda watched her grandmother's reflection in the mirror as the older woman smiled at her. "If only I had been this skinny at my wedding day, ha! Your husband will have fun, he will."

The mention of "husband" and "fun" in the same sentence made Glinda want to throw up.

"How do you like it, Ma'am?" one of the servants asked once she had finished stitching up the last part of the trimmings.

Glinda looked over herself. She was a vision, all in white; flower designs of lace trailed down her front and split just before meeting the skirt's hem, then trailed behind her in a pool of white cloth.

"She looks absolutely gorgeous! Fabulous, wonderful!" Her grandmother gushed, placing old hands on Glinda's shoulders. "My dear, yours shall be the most beautiful wedding in our entire family! You've made me so proud."

"Oh, Grandmum, please don't cry." Glinda said as her grandmother sniffled from tears of joy. "Hush, hush, my little Ginny is being given away. It's my right as a grandmother right to cry." The older woman said, hugging Glinda tight.

Glinda returned the hug and smiled as her Grandmother had to excuse herself from crying so much; she didn't want to dampen Glinda's day.

But of course, Glinda's day was dampened as soon as she had turned twenty.

For you see, the only reason the wedding was held back was because there had been a war going on for the past year or so that Prince Fiyero had been called in to help fight.

A war of rights, it was.

One side wanted Slaves to be free, Animals to be treated as citizens, for the Schools to have better buildings in which to teach and for a different ruler to be put into place.

And well… the other didn't.

Glinda's own mother and father had different opinions on the matter; Momsie wanted slaves to be free, have rights of their own, while Popsicle said that only the status of the slave should change, so they were treated better but still had a leash. Neither of them had much to say on Animals, but both agreed it would be better if the schools were put into better shape and for more teachers to be put into action, and that the present "Wizard" ruling the land wasn't exactly the best in preserving resources.

Prince Fiyero ha d been fighting on his home colonies side, which was on the "not changing" part of the wheel.

But, now, the prince was back as a Hero for protecting his home territory from the first and third attacks of the opposing force. The war was still going on, but a temporary draw was in place.

And Glinda's Popsicle thought that they should have the marriage now, before Fiyero had to go off again.

So, here she was, standing on a stool, having servants taking off her wedding dress to have it all ready for the next day, when she would be Mrs. Glinda Tigular, and feeling like she was about to die.

Glinda whispered into the empty room. "So where are you?"

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Elphaba hadn't been feeling her best, either. When the war first started she was tempted to leave Upland Manor and join the Resistance, and when Fiyero left with a possibility never to return, Elphaba took the chance.

"What do you mean, you're leaving?!" Glinda exclaimed as Elphaba held onto her small bag.

"Shh! Someone will hear you," Elphaba warned. She and the blonde stood outside the stables, and in the dim moonlight, Elphaba could see the tears falling down the smaller woman's face. "Glinda, this is my chance to actually do something, for good, for Oz. I can make a difference."

"Getting yourself killed, that's what you'll be doing! How can you do this?" Glinda sobbed. "You liar! You said you loved me. But now you leave for a suicide mission, and leave me alone for that bastard when he comes back to defile me!"

Elphaba grabbed Glinda, pulling her into the darkness of the stables and did not let the small blonde out of her tight, tender grip.

"Don't ever doubt that, do you hear me? Never again, I don't want to hear you call me a liar ever again," Elphaba whispered, leaning forward and kissing Glinda softly. "I love you, with whatever thing I have in this body, I love you."

"Prove it, then. Prove that you love me," Glinda whispered, reaching up and cupping Elphaba's cheek, "Give me your heart, Elphaba."

"Silly girl, you've had my heart from the moment we met."

And Glinda smiled.

That had been two years ago; now Elphaba sat in the cargo hold of a train bound for Frottica.

"Come back to me."

Brown eyes closed, raven hair tied in a tight bun to get it out of the way.

Glinda's soft voice was not the only sound she heard in her head; she heard the dying cries of men, of Animals. All of them were fighting for a cause. She still felt the rush of plunging a knife in an enemy's skull. She still remembered watching as her comrades' heads vanished in a bloody mess as bullets flew through the air; she remembered the smell of blood.

So much had happened for her in the two years since she had last seen Glinda. Would the blonde still feel the same, or would Fiyero have come and stolen her heart away?

Whatever the case, she had made a pr omise to Glinda to be there at the wedding.

And she kept her promises.

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Glinda walked along the sidewalks of town, her parasol opened and resting daintily on her shoulder.

No doubt everyone in the Manor was bussing over the upcoming wedding, and she didn't want any part of it.

It was cold now in the last days of fall, but snow—if any—was still a ways off. There was a light frost over the grass, giving it a soft glow in the sunlight.

Since the wedding was so sudden, she was allowed to have some time to herself. Although she was tempted to run away, she knew that it would break her family's heart.

So she stayed.

WOOO-WOOOO-WOOOOO.

The 2:15 train's horn blared. Glinda looked over at the crowd forming at the line of the train, waiting for loved ones that were back from battle, for visiting friends, for deliveries.

Glinda sighed. How she wished Elphaba was on that train. But Elphaba was gone; she wasn't going to be coming back. The blonde turned away from the long locomotive, unable to curb her longing stares of couples rushing into each other's arms.

Glinda stood up straight. She was going to be married in seventeen hours—she might as well enjoy her last bit of alone time. She walked with confidence down to the sidewalk to her friends' houses.

If her parents were so worried about setting up the wedding, than damn it, she would throw herself a bachelor-party… well, a bachelorette party, technically speaking.

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Time passed in a blur for Elphaba, only jostled into awareness as she felt the train came to a stop. She hid behind a large box until the doors were opened by a tall red-skinned Quadling. He looked back and forth before holding out a rough hand for Elphaba to hold onto. With a pull, he helped the green woman out of the small caboose, along with her small bag of belongings.

"Thank you, Silver Wind," Elphaba said, bowing her head to her keeper. "This means a lot."

"Elphaba to be going to beloved promised?" Silver asked.

Elphaba raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "How do you know about that?" she asked. Had it been two years ago, there would have been a great chance Elphaba's face would have turned a dark green with the mention of Glinda, but now it was as if it was just an everyday thing to speak of.

"Things to spoken by camp to Silver to be about Fabala. Mysterious picture to be kept at neck." He motioned to the locket around the green woman's neck for emphasis and Elphaba glanced down and grazed her fingers over the cold cheap metal of the small oval.

"One of many rumors, only for once this is true," Elphaba said softly. "I'm meeting the one I gave my heart to all those years ago, I can only wait and see if that person feels the same."

"Good luck," Silver said as he closed the door to the cargo hold and quickly made his way back to the engines of the train.

Elphaba wrapped the scarf around her neck and face. She bundled her brown coat around her tightly, only a small patch of green of the bridge of her nose was exposed to the cold air.

Glancing back and forth, she hurried along the sidewalk until she reached a farmer's cart and hitched a ride, heading in the direction of Upland Manor.

Elphaba looked up at the clock that stood in the square.

5:45

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Laughter and giggles flooded the sun room of the Manor.

Glinda and her friends were sitting in a circle, sharing stories and playing games, as though they were little children again.

"I can't believe it! We always thought you'd be the first married, but here you are, fourth to last," her friend said, but not unkindly. "You nervous? Got the Early-Hitch-Jitters?"

"Or the Early-Bed-Jitters?" another friend, named Mina, added slyly.

A chorus of "Ooh" rang through the room and then the girls erupted into a fit of giggles. Glinda rolled her eyes. "Oh please, let that Fiyero give it his all, he won't be giving me any jitters, just shivers."

Another chorus of "Oh" rang out. Mina playfully poked Glinda's side. "Well, sounds like you're all fired up for the honeymoon!"

"What? Oh! No, no, no I didn't mean it like that!" Glinda said quickly, her face turning red as a beat as she realized how scandalous she sounded. "I didn't!"

"Don't go all shy on us now, Mrs. Tigular!"

"Don't call me that!" Glinda said firmly. "I'm not a Missus just yet, you know. Let me have my freedom!"

All her friends merely laughed and went on telling more stories about their husbands, and what Glinda was in store for—also what Glinda would be spared from, for having a handsome Winkie as a spouse.

"I've seen Fiyero in swimming trunks, and I must say Glinda, you'll have a very fun honeymoon."

Glinda looked confused. "What are you talking about?"

The girls giggled and one spoke, "Well, let's just say that the average man isn't as… endowed, as Fiyero."

"Oh, don't tell me that! " Glinda exclaimed, thrashing her arms about as if she was on fire. "Now I'll just have dreams about it."

"Why dream it when you can live it? I'm sure Fiyero will have a fun time with those jugs of yours, too."

"Stop, stop!" Glinda said, covering her face with her hands to hide the burning blush. "You're a bunch of perverts!"

"Aww, the little baby's embarrassed." her friends teased. "We're sorry; we were just making some fun."

"Well it's not funny," Glinda said with a mumble. The subject of husbands was dropped from then on. Glinda couldn't help but look at the clock to see what the time was.

6:27

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Elphaba tossed a few shillings to the cart's driver and headed off into the tree-covered back ways into Upland Manor, through thick brush and high grass, not standing for anything in her way Elphaba managed to get to the back courtyard of the Manor within forty-five minutes, an impressive feat indeed.

But there was no time to congratulate herself—she had to move!

Elphaba snuck past two of the sleeping servants who were supposed to be pulling flowers to salvage for the winter and weaved her way into the cellar of the manor, which was always kept unlocked.

She stepped down the stairs and walked past the high shelves of aging wines and then climbed the metal ladder that lead into the kitchen.

Getting into the manor was a piece of cake, since no one was paying attention to trivial things like unlocked doors, no, no they were getting ready for a wedding!

"Elphaba!"

The green woman cringed. Damn it, she thought, Busted!

Elphaba turned around to see a quite surprised Cook, covered in flour and other kitchen condiments.

"Oh, Cook, it's just you," Elphaba mumbled with relief. She trusted Cook more than any of the other servants within the manor… or even in general. Cook smiled brightly and embraced the tall woman in a big hug. "Thank Lurline you're safe, child! Where'd you go? Where have you been all this time? The young mistress has been worried sick about you, she has!"

Elphaba tilted her head and resisted a smile. "Glinda has been worried about me?"

"Yes! I recon there ain't a single moment that girl hasn't got her head in the cloud wonderin' about you!" Cook said with a shake of her head. "And now with this here weddin' she seems more detached then usual, the poor thing. Must be so shockin' to be married within the day like this."

"Within the day, you mean the wedding is tomorrow?!" Elphaba gasped. She didn't know she would be cutting it this close!

Cook nodded. "Yup, it be early shit too, at dawn."

With that, Elphaba sprang into action. After swearing Cook to secrecy about her presence, she hurried up the steps of the servants' staircase, past several halls, and ducked out of sight of others until she reached a familiar door. With a pause to catch her breath she stepped into her old room carefully. She glanced around and much to her pleasure, found everything to be the same as she left it.

Glinda must have made sure no one came in here, Elphaba thought. With a speed she had only recently obtained over the past few years, she changed out of her bulky traveling clothes into a white shirt and a navy blue skirt, slipping black pants under the skirt. She opened her small bag and pulled out the tools she would need later on in the evening.

So busy was she with preparing, she didn't notice the doorknob slowly turning until she heard the faint squeak of the door's rusty old hinges. In a second, she had dove under the bed along with her bag.

"Well, Elphaba. My wedding is tomorrow… I was hoping you'd be here, but I guess you forgot about me." Elphaba heard the voice of the one she held so dear. And for the first time in a long time, she felt her heart bleed in guilt.

Elphaba glanced from her hiding spot to the clock on the further side of the wall.

8:56

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Glinda huffed and plopped down onto the bland squeaky bed of the green woman's room, totally unaware of the other occupant.

"It was so stupid of me to think you… you would be here…" Glinda spoke to the picture of Elphaba, which was held within a locket around her neck. "I wonder if you even have the locket I gave you? Probably not, I mean… who would keep a locket at their neck while in battle right? Dear Oz, what if you're already dead?" Glinda sobbed and covered her mouth with one hand, trying to muffle the sound.

"Elphaba, Elphie…" Glinda said the name over and over as if it was the most precious name in the entire world. She fell back on the bed, curling up in a ball as she gathered the sheets to herself, longing to smell what little scent of Elphaba that was still left on them. Her sobs shook her whole body, and salty tears stained the sheets around her long before sleep came over the small woman.

Taking a huge risk, the green woman slid from under the bed and gently sat at the edge of the mattress. Elphaba took a long moment to look over the small blonde woman that she loved so dearly. Indeed Glinda had changed; her breasts had filled out, as had her hips. Her waist was tiny, making her figure similar to an hourglass.

She moved her bony hand over cream skin, not touching but just enough to feel the heat coming off of the smaller woman. When Glinda started to stir and her eyes started to open, Elphaba said the first thing that came to mind.

"Adormilado."

And the blonde shuddered, than fell back into a deep sleep.

Elphaba had always been capable of magic, ever since she was small. But, as a slave she never got a chance to use it with anything important—not without fear of being punished.

She had only used it for tiny things: to get a dish that was too high or to help some of the flowers grow. She had even used a small trick of the beads on the bracelet the blonde had on her wrist.

Her time with the Resistance had given her such control she had never felt before, and now, when a spell came into her mind, she spoke it without hesitation.

"Soon my sweet, soon we can be together," Elphaba whispered to the sleeping beauty, kneeling at the side of the bed and gently holding a white hand in her own green one. "Very soon, I will be able to call you mine and there will not be any restrictions. There wont be any Masters or Mistresses, I will no longer be a slave to anyone or anything but your love."

Elphaba looked longingly at Glinda's peaceful face. She wanted to hold her, to kiss her... to make love to her.

But good things come to those who wait, and Elphaba had to have patience. She and Glinda had both been waiting for years, much too long. A few more hours wasn't going to kill her.

But, she thought, it may just kill Glinda.

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"Take this with you."

Elphaba held the oval of silver in her hand questioningly. "What's this?" she asked.

Glinda sighed. "It's a locket; surely you've seen one before."

"I know what it is; I want to know why you're giving it to me. I don't think jewelry is very practical for where I am going," Elphaba said.

Glinda scuffed the ground with her foot and watched as the dirt kicked up into the moonlight. "Open it," she said, and the green woman obliged.

Within the silver oval was a picture of the blonde haired beauty herself, smiling sweetly within the locket.

"So I'll be with you, no matter where you go," Glinda explained quietly. "But if you don' t like it, you don't have to take it…"

"No," Elphaba said with a smile and put a green finger under Glinda's perfect chin and gently forced the blonde to look in her eyes. "I love it, thank you. I'll keep it close, always."

Glinda's eyes watered, but she dare not let a tear fall and harm that green skin which glowed in the moonlight. "I love you," she whispered.

"And I love you. I promise to return to you, my sweet."

"Promise me that…" Glinda's breath hitched and she swallowed the lump in her throat.

"What?" Elphaba asked as Glinda leaned up, locking their lips together in a passionate kiss. They broke it and both felt like it was over much too quickly.

"Promise me that you won't forget me," Glinda said softly with a blush, but with seriousness in her tone.

Elphaba shook her head and held Glinda close, stroking the smaller woman's back gently. "I could never forget you, Glinda."

Glinda awoke with a start; was it because of the memory, or was it because she could have sworn she had felt lips upon her own just a moment ago?

Her head snapped back and forth as her eyes darted about. She found nothing out of the ordinary of the room and was threatened to start crying all over again.

"Oh, Elphaba, please come back," she begged the air around her. She paused for a moment, and her breath stopped for a moment as if waiting for a reply, like if the slightest noise in the room would block the answer. When no marvelous miracle or whisper of a lost love's voice came, she blushed in embarrassment and frustration.

This wasn't a novel, not fiction. It was hash reality.

And reality sucks.

"You promised, you promised!" she screamed into the pillow, bashing her tiny fists onto the bed. "Damn you, you promised!"

"Miss Glinda?" Glinda's head shot up at the now opened door and she saw a maid look at her with concern. Glinda huffed, running her fingers through her now bed-ridden hair. "Yes, what is it?" she spat.

"The doctor is here, to do the um… examination…"

Glinda sighed again, "For the love of Oz, why must Fiyero's parents be so paranoid? Of course I'm still a damned virgin, although I wish I weren't."

The maid didn't say anything but looked to the ground. Glinda got up from bed and marched out of the room, then looked back to the maid and sighed once again. "I'm not mad at you; I'm just frustrated at the lack of trust nowadays."

The maid nodded in agreement and smiled slightly. Glinda managed a small smile back and they both headed back to her room where the doctor was waiting.

Glinda sighed as she passed a clock in the hallway.

9:59
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Ida stood in the bedroom of her daughter, holding Glinda's hand. "It's all right, darling. The doctor will just take a look and then it will be all over."

"Easy for you to say, you don't have to spread your legs for a complete stranger. Why can't Dr. Niktok do this?" Glinda complained as nervousness spread in her as a white sheet was placed over her opened legs, giving her some privacy from the others in the room. "What if this idiot does something wrong?" She didn't very much care that said idiot was in the room with her.

"Dear, don't worry. We've all had to do it," her grandmother said. "Your mother, me, my mother and her mother before her."

"You all got to do it with a family doctor, not some bumbling dolt from the Vinkus! Do you even know if his hands are clean? What if he breaks it while looking for the damned thing?"

"Glinda Upland!" Ida scolded firmly, looking over at the doctor. "I'm terribly sorry, sir. She's just nervous, that's all."

The doctor shrugged. "I'm used to it." He looked at Glinda. "And it would please you to know, miss, that I have done this many, many times in the past, and I have never 'broken' anything. Also, my hands are very clean, and I'm wearing gloves." He lifted his white-covered hands as proof and Glinda blushed in embarrassment.

The small blonde mumbled an apology before turning her head away from the man in between her legs. When she felt his hands go to her center, she vomited up into her mouth. She swallowed it back down, ignoring the burn and the vile taste.

Her eyes drifted to the tik-tok clock hung high on the wall.

10:30

Within a few minutes it was finished and the doctor left the room with the nurse. The doctor informed the Prince of the state of Glinda's purity.

"She's healthy as an ox, and such hips! I am sure she will give you very strong sons," the Winkie Doctor said to Fiyero with a nod.

"Well, that is all well and good. What about her virginity?" Fiyero's father asked. The doctor nodded once again.

"Intact."

"Good, at least she is loyal enough," Fiyero's father said and Fiyero gave the old man a glare.

"I would appreciate it, Father, if you didn't talk about my future wife that way," Fiyero said.

Fiyero had changed as well. He was more muscle then the young man who had left, his face was that of a man, and he stood up straight with a confidence gained from coming home a Hero.

Fiyero's father nodded. "Of course, son."

Fiyero yawned and looked up at the clock. "I think it would be best to get some rest, I don't want to look bad for my wedding pictures."

Fiyero walked down the halls with his father as they passed the clock that hung on the wall.

10:50

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Ida looked at the clock in the halls: 11:30. She peeked into Glinda's room and saw with mild surprise that Glinda was still awake.

"How are you feeling?" Glinda's mother asked. Glinda buried her face into her pillow and thought about ways of killing herself to make it look like an accident.

"Fine," she lied, "just wonderfully peachy, really." She turned her head to her mother. Her fake smiled added to the sugar of her words. Anyone would have simply gushed at how well she was feeling.

But Ida Upland wasn't just anyone.

"Darling, don't lie, it's a terrible habit. What's the matter?"

"I… I don't love Fiyero, Momsie. I never did and I never will," Glinda said and looked back at her pillow. Ida took a silent breath and gently rubbed Glinda's golden curls as the small woman trembled with unshed tears. "I don't want to marry him, Momsie. I don't want to! My heart doesn't belong to him."

"You really are in love with her, aren't you?" Ida asked sadly, though she had a smile on her face. Glinda gasped and looked at Ida with shock and fear in her eyes, "H-how did you…"

Ida rubbed her daughter's back. "I've known ever since you two first met. I knew every time I saw you both look at each other, every time Elphaba asked about you, or you about her, I saw it in your eyes."

"Please don't hate me!" Glinda cried. Ida pulled Glinda into her arms and held her close. "My daughter, my only child, I could never hate you."

Glinda's tears could no longer be held back, and they streamed down her face like a river. She pushed her mother away. "If you knew I loved her, why make me go through this? You and Popsicle are so selfish!" she cried.

"Don't say that! We only have your best interest at heart, Glinda!" Ida exclaimed, "And I know what you're going through, more then you know, I know it hurts."

"How could you? You don't know anything!"

"Yes I do!"

"How?!"

"Because I was in love with someone too, and she was taken away from me because of her status!" Ida gasped and covered her mouth in horror at what she had just said.

Glinda's tears stopped and she stared at her mother in pure disbelief. "…She?"

Ida turned away, her body trembling from the memories of long ago, of a place in time forgotten and of a girl with long red hair and a glow in her teal eyes.

"…Momsie…" Glinda whispered as her mother's body shook with sobs.

"It was so long ago, so long." Ida's voice came in a breaking whisper, "I was just a girl no more than sixteen. She was the same age as me. She lived in the blacksmith's house in the estate's woods, she was a slave, and her name was Preenella."

"After Lurline's fairy daughter?"

Glinda's Momsie managed a nod.

"We were young and stupid, and in love. We had enough smarts to keep it secret, but not enough to keep it from the servants. Most of them were happy… but… just like anyone else, sometimes someone will get offended," Ida shivered, her arms wrapped around herself as if trying to regain warmth, with a shaky breath, she continued. "Someone told my father and he wasn't pleased. One day, I was supposed to meet her in the barn. But when I arrived, I found my father with a rope and a whip. I kicked and scratched and yelled, but he just tied me up to the side and smacked me silent. And… when Preenella came in…"

Glinda's throat clenched with emotion, she had to be strong. She knew that her Momsie needed to let this out, to let it be known.

"He hit her, and hit her. There was so much blood everywhere…I begged him to stop but he told me to shut up and I wanted to scream. And then he turned and looked at me… by Oz how he looked at me. I knew I was going to die if I didn't shut up; but I couldn't just let him hurt her—not my Preenella! Before I could scream again, Preenella looked at me… she looked at me and I saw in her eyes what she was saying, 'Don't scream, don't fight, don't die.'… I felt my heart break in two, I can't even remember being in such pain. I didn't scream after that, all I could do was cry. He kept hitting her, and there was nothing I could do about it."

Ida shivered with a mixture of anger and sadness. "And after a while she just… didn't move anymore. When he stopped kicking her, he turned to me and told me he was going to beat me straight… "

Glinda gasped in horror. Ida looked down to the floor. "I couldn't stop my screaming, it hurt so much… and it just made him hit me harder. Mother had heard my screams, thank Oz, and she entered the barn in a rage. He gave her the same look he gave me, but my Mother wasn't scared. Nothing scares Grandmum when it comes to her children. She took the gun she was carrying and shot him in the head. When he fell down, she came running to me. She untied me and pulled me into her arms and I blacked out after that…"

"When I woke up and came to my senses, Mother told me Preenella didn't last, and they had already taken her body away. When I asked where, she answered she didn't know."

"How could she not know?" Glinda demanded with an emotional voice. Ida was touched by her daughter's empathy for her pain, but hated that the girl was so close to tears and she wondered if it was a good idea to tell her all this.

"You see dear, Preenella wasn't owned by our family, but by the blacksmith who was employed by us. Unlike us, they bury their slaves by them in an unmarked grave."

"How awful!" Glinda said. Ida nodded sadly.

"That's the reason I don't like this slave business—I never have—even before I met Preenella. But my experience with her just made my distaste for it all the stronger. I wanted the servants to have a good life, a healthy one with a good roof over their head. I want them to be free, that's the only reason I allowed your father to buy slaves off the market. At least if they're here they can be treated better. Although I can't give them full freedom they deserve, I can give them as much as possible."

"Momsie, what about Popsicle?" Glinda asked softly after a moment of silence. "If you didn't love him why did you…"

Ida sighed and thought. "I do care for your father. I care for him deeply. I love him, but… not the deep love I had felt for her, no. Like you and Fiyero, my marriage was arranged when I was young and I grew up with Erick. He is my friend, and my husband, and the father of my child. And for that, I'll always love him."

"So I was… " Glinda didn't know what to say after that or even how to feel, she had always thought that her parents were trying to have a child, not that the idea was in any way forced or by accident. "I was… a mistake?"

"No!" Ida cupped her daughter's face and forced the younger woman to look at her. "You were most certainly not a mistake! Don't ever think, even for one moment that I love you any less. I love you, with all my heart, you're my flesh and blood no matter if the love your father and I have isn't the love you thought it was, and so does your Popsicle. He loves you, you're his little girl, understand?" Ida said firmly.

Glinda nodded and Ida gave her girl a kiss on the head. She stood up and turned to leave.

"Momsie…" Ida stopped short of taking the knob in her hand and turned slightly to the side, showing Glinda had her attention. "If Preenella came back, would you go with her?" Glinda asked.

Silence loomed in the room for a while before Ida spoke.

"I think I'm just in too deep now… even if…" Ida trailed off and looked at Glinda. "I don't want to force you to marry Fiyero. But, your father thinks it's best… and I do believe it would be a good idea for you to leave this house and start a family of your own. And give your children a better start then I have given you. In time, you'll grow fond of Fiyero; maybe even grow to love him."

"Momsie, how could you say that?" Glinda shook her head in disbelief. "How can you say it so calmly, after you know how I feel?"

Ida turned to fully face Glinda. "I'm saying it, because I know what happens. Your father will be hurt… and when he's upset he drinks, and when he drinks he is… not someone that would be enjoyable to be with in good company." Ida looked away from Glinda, guilt filling her gut as she remembered the barely visible scar on her daughter's back. "I can't protect you like my mother did for me, I'm just not strong enough… all I can do is push you in the direction that would be to your benefit."

Glinda gasped and her mother left. Glinda lay on her bed, her eyes still wide at what her mother said. She thought and shook her head. It couldn't be right.

Her Popsicle would never hurt her, could never hurt her, not his little Galinda.

…Could he?

Glinda held her head as a flash of a memory flickered in her mind. Something she had forgotten, something she didn't want to remember.

He was hurting her. Don't hurt her, stop it!

A loud crack, cut of flesh burned on her back.

Glinda gasped and sat up in bed, covering her face she shivered. No, no it was just a bad dream, it couldn't be real! The scar was from an accident in a tree, not from her Popsicle! Not from her father!

Glinda fell back into the bed with a thump and stared up, her tear-filled eyes turned to the ceiling.

"I'm scared…I'm scared." She turned and curled into a ball. "Come back! Don't you love me anymore? You promised!"

Glinda sobbed into her pillow, and once again the only response that met her question was the soft air around her. Anger filled her. She sat up from her bed and stood up. She stormed over to her desk and ripped out the bracelet Elphaba had given her. She put both hands on the magical swirls of the beads and pulled.

Clank, clank, thump, thump, thump.

The beads fell to the floor, rolling off in all directions as Glinda threw the remainder of the beads off in some forgotten part of the room and she ripped into the drawers. She was throwing anything and everything; she didn't care anymore, she was just so angry, and sad and hurt.

Her hand came to the necklace, and as she was about to throw that too, the stone in the center caught her eye, it seemed to glow as the light hit it, raised high in her grip. Glinda stared at the pink and green, and her eyes burned.

"Elphie…"

The clock chimed as it reached the hour of the new day.

12:00

"I'm right here."

Glinda turned around in fright, ready to throw the good-sized rock at whatever was there in her room, and stopped when she saw a familiar green face. "Elphie… Elphaba… sweet Oz, I've gone crazy haven't I?"

Elphaba shook her head and stepped closer to Glinda, her eyes filled with love, sadness, and guilt. "No, you're not crazy… no more then usual anyway," Elphaba said with a smirk, at which Glinda rushed into an embrace, not even caring about the comment, and held the green woman tight.

"Elphaba, Elphaba, my Elphie!"

"I've missed you so much. I meant to have come sooner." Elphaba held the smaller woman tightly and inhaled her golden curls sent. "By Oz, how I've waited for this moment where I could hold you, touch you…" Elphaba trailed off and continued to hold the blonde close to her, and saw the bracelet in ruins on the floor. "You have every right to be mad that I have just appeared out of nowhere," she whispered. "I'll understand if you want me to leave, and never come back."

Glinda shook her head violently, cupping her lover's emerald green face in her hands and kissing her deeply, passionately, fiercely. "Never leave me, never leave me again."
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