Chapter 4 is now ready! Longest chapter so far, at 2,018 words. Feeling proud~

This one may be a little corny. Oh well. Hopefully you guys enjoy it!

"You called?"

Morrible turned to the mocking yellow eyes in the shadows, and frowned. "It appears things haven't gone according to plan."

The eyes scanned the cell that the sorceress was confined in—upon seeing there were no guards, he emerged from the dark depths.

"What happened?"

"His Ozness found out that the Captain was murdered. I've been stripped of my authority and sentenced to ten years in the Southstairs," she hissed. Pitch circled her for a moment, then spoke up, "Well, it seems like this you can't fulfill your end of the deal."

"Are you backing out?"

He laughed at Morrible's shock, before shaking his head, "No. I'm just thinking we'll have to be a little more creative."

"How so?"

"Well, it'll take some patience, but I'll break you out, and we'll overthrow the Wizard," he stated, "then the deal will play out. I can get my targets here to Oz, you dispose of them, and I'll handle your little green witch, and in this case, the Wizard too. In the end… you'll rule Oz.

"So," Morrible concluded, "I escape, we finish the deal, and Oz is under my rule?"

"Well, I might stick around and help, maybe for the fear as well."

"Fear?" she questioned, raising a brow

"It gives me power," he said simply, "I'm the Boogieman after all, I thrive off of it."

"So when will the escape be?"

"Give me until tomorrow night… I'll be back then, and it'll only be a matter of time before things work in our favor."

Before she could question further, he sank back into the shadows.

Sitting on the desk in his study—the only place he ever truly got to be alone in the palace, he held up the green bottle, and the letter from his former lover.

He missed Melena, and couldn't help but wonder what had happened to her. The last he heard from her was the letter he received, stating that she was with child, and it might have been his. He read it over several times back then, pride and hope bubbling in his chest. But no child ever came to him. No note ever came back after that. And he was left with the despair of a lost chance at fatherhood, and the deep ache of never again seeing Melena.

The Wizard hissed softly, the throbbing pain in his chest interrupting his thoughts. He had been trying to ease the pain ever since he got hit, but things only seemed to get worse. He had checked the wound to make sure there were no burns—it surely felt like his skin had been seared off—but only saw a red glow on his chest, and what looked like veins spider webbing around it.

He flinched—what exactly had Morrible done?

It was funny, though. He always thought if he got attacked like this, it would be by Elphaba. She surely hated him enough to do it—or at least want to—and she definitely had the power to do it, too. And suddenly, he found himself absorbed in thoughts about the green girl.

How had she managed to evade them for so long? He couldn't deny it was impressive, how she spent two years on the run, yet never got caught. He smiled slightly—she was smart and swift, and determined. He almost regretted letting her down sometimes—she would have been perfect for the Grand Vizier—but she had her mind set on helping the Animals, no matter the cost.

In a way, that reminded the Wizard of himself. Maybe it was because he wanted to see it in Elphaba, he wanted to see something that related the two of them, he wasn't sure. He knew that he was determined to make Oz a better place, no matter the cost. Perhaps his methods weren't the best, but he had only meant to help. And quite honestly, he had started to see why Elphaba stood up for the Animals so much.

They were discriminated for not being like everyone else. For not being normal—much like the green girl herself. He wanted to apologize to her after seeing how hurt she was by discovering Dillamond, but in a clock-tick she was so furious with him he was sure she'd take his head off the moment he spoke. She was headstrong and stubborn, and that just made it much harder than he thought to convince her he was sorry.

He thought long and hard over the subject, but finally came to a solution.

He needed to talk with Shell—he had a mission for him.

"Frostbite, control yer' wind," Bunny mumbled, gaining his balance as a harsh breeze blew past them. Jack was silent, and then closed his eyes.

The wind blew again.

"Jack, I mean it—,"

"Quiet, Kangaroo," Jack hissed, "the Wind is trying to talk to me."

Bunny just stared at him—he could speak with the wind? A trait like that was almost unheard of—but knowing Jack, he had 300 years to learn, so why doubt him?

A pang of guilt—something he never thought he'd feel for the little hellion—shot through him. Jack had been alone for a painfully long time, left to suffer three centuries of silence and abandonment. How was the boy still holding up? If it was Bunny in that position—he would have lost it. Hell, he almost had during the pooka genocide! If it wasn't for his fellow Guardians, he'd have gone off the deep end.

And sometimes Bunny wondered if Jack already had.

"Oz."

The guilt was gone and replaced by confusion, "What?"

"Pitch is in Oz."

"What the bloody hell is Oz?"

"It's a place," Jack stated as if it explained everything. At the unamused glare the Guardian of Hope gave him, he rubbed the back of his neck and continued, "It's not located anywhere on Earth. She had told me you can only get there by strong winds."

"She?"

"The wind," Jack said, putting on a small pout, "The wind is a she."

Bunny just shook his head in disbelief, "How do you… nev'r mind, what is Pitch doin' in Oz?"

The wind rushed past them again, and Jack spoke when it calmed, "Apparently there's someone terrorizing Oz. A… wicked witch. Everyone in the nation is terrified of her, so…"

The pooka flinched, "An entire nation of fear."

"Exactly."

"So," Bunny concluded, "only strong winds can get us there? That's great, for the people who can actually ride the wind."

"We could take the sleigh."

He shuddered visibly, earning a laugh from Jack. "I hate that sleigh…"

Dorothy skipped down the yellow brick road, humming to herself. The three followed close behind her, as well as Toto.

"It's getting dark," the Tinman said, looking at the sky, which was already taking on dark tones. Dorothy scanned the area too, "You're right… we'd better stop for the night. Oh, but what is the witch finds us?" The Scarecrow walked over to the little farm girl, putting a hand on her shoulder, "She won't hurt any of us…"

The Tinman let out a disbelieving chuckle, "All that witch ever does is hurt people."

The Scarecrow glared daggers at the other creature, before turning to Dorothy. "She wouldn't be able to find us in the dark anyway, so don't fret."

She nodded, picking up her dog and looking around, "So, where should we stop?"

After a small break of searching for a decent place to rest, they settled down under the trees of the forest, the Scarecrow and Tinman keeping watch, as they didn't really need sleep. Finally, when the Scarecrow was sure Dorothy and the Lion were asleep, he started his rant in a furious whisper, "What the hell is your problem, Boq? Elphaba isn't wicked and you know it!"

"Yes she is," Boq hissed, trying to keep his voice down, "she turned me into this… abomination of a person. I'm not even human anymore, I don't even have a heart!"

The Scarecrow glared, "I doubt you had one to begin with."

"Might I remind you, Fiyero, she turned you into a Scarecrow!"

It was on instinct for Fiyero to reach up and touch his own face, not even feeling the burlap on his fingertips. He couldn't feel anything, not physically, anyway. Boq couldn't help but smile at the reaction, "Admit it, you hate it."

"I may not enjoy being made of straw, but I'm still alive. She saved my life," he paused for a moment before continuing, "And I'm pretty sure she saved yours."

"No, she's just wicked."

"She isn't wicked!" Fiyero snapped, a bit too loud as Dorothy suddenly stirred awake. "Scarecrow… what's wrong?"

"Nothing," he mumbled, glaring at Boq before walking over to her. "Sorry to wake you."

"It's alright," Dorothy whispered, still drowsy, "I probably wouldn't have slept much anyway. I'm not used to the forest for a bed, and I'm too afraid to sleep, anyway."

"What are you afraid of?"

"The wicked witch."

Fiyero tried not to hiss at the name they all called her, even this little girl, who didn't even know her. How dare she judge someone she had never met, never got to meet and see for herself?

"Is there anything I could do to calm you down?"

He at least wanted her to get some good rest. As much as she may have insulted his lover, and while she was a bit of the irritating side, it's not like she asked to be dragged into this mess. All she wanted was to go home.

"Maybe a story? I know it's childish, but… maybe just something to get my mind off of this witch thing. Is that alright?"

"Sure," the scarecrow said, "How about a story of two people… two lovers?"

Dorothy's face lit up," Sounds great."

"Alright, well, there was a woman," he began, "A beautiful young woman, with bright brown eyes that were always full of life, and a wonderful personality. But no one looked past her appearance. Her name was Elphaba…"

"And who was her lover?"

He debated whether using his name was a good idea, but eventually decided to go with it, "His name was Fiyero, and he was a prince… but he wasn't very smart. At first, he judged Elphaba just like everyone else. But eventually, he learned who she really was. How she was determined and loyal, and just how beautiful she was, inside and out. He wanted to tell her how he felt, but things changed…"

"What happened?" Dorothy asked.

"She was faced with a choice—abandon her cause and join someone who was hurting innocent people, or stand up for them, and be outcast even more than she already was. She of course chose to stand with her cause, and Fiyero was left to try and find her. Eventually, two years later he found her, and he refused to let her go again… he confessed to her his feelings, and it turned out she returned his affections… they were destined to be together forever."

He knew Elphaba would loathe him for this. But Dorothy seemed to love and it he felt better getting her story out there. Being able to talk about her as the good person she was, even if Dorothy didn't make the connection, made him feel content

"Were they?"

"Were they what?" Fiyero asked.

Dorothy specified her question, "Were they together forever?"

He paused, not sure how to answer. He was so determined to make his way back to Elphaba, but as he had learned after finding Boq, when she sent the fireball hurling towards him—she didn't recognize him. She was convinced Fiyero was gone. Would she accept him now? Would she still want him if he was made of straw?

Would they really be together forever?

"I don't know," he finally replied, "The problem with having no brain is you can't really remember things. But I do know that no matter what happened to them, they'd always love each other."

At least he could be sure of that.

Reviews- good or bad- are always welcome. And if there are any typos, I'm sorry. I type really fast and my spell check isn't working, lately and even though I reread it twice, I can't always catch them. If you see a typo, please let me know!