MIDTERMS PLEASE DON'T HATE ME.

Oh, also, to MoonGirl1155, I wanted to give you a big thanks. As silly as this sounds, it made my day to wake up and see that you reviewed every chapter so far. And on all of the other stories I posted too. Things like that make me smile, so thanks!

I know this story moves slow, and my updating skills suck, but I will let you know that I have so many things happening right now that I'm doing the best I can to update quickly. That said, if I fall behind, I haven't abandoned the story. Most likely, life had something else to throw in my way.

Alright? Enjoy!

"Shell?" Glinda asked, tilting her head to this side, "what's wrong?"

The Captain of the Guard was sitting on one of the benches in the hall, head buried in his hands.

"Shell?" she tried again.

"What is it, Lady Glinda?"

She flinched at the tone of his voice—though it wasn't harsh, his words broke and his voice gave out halfway into the sentence. Something seemed off—although she didn't know the man that well, which seemed to be caused by lack of trying, she still knew that this wasn't normal for him. He didn't look up at her, but she continued.

"Is something troubling you?"

"No."

She puffed her cheeks out, "Are you sure?"

"… No."

Glinda sighed, gathering her skirt and sitting down next to him. She placed a pale hand on top of his own, and gave Shell a soft smile, trying to let him know she's willing to listen. Shell turned to look at the blonde, staring into her eyes before fixing his gaze on a suddenly interesting vase. "He's going after Elphaba," Shell sighed, "the Wizard, I mean… he… he wants me to take him to her."

Her breath hitched. "Why? He's not going to hurt her, or so help me I'll—,"

"No, no," Shell dismissed with a weak wave of his hand. "He wants a truce."

They were both silent for what seemed like centuries, the seconds ticking away with every breath they took.

"A truce?" Glinda asked slowly, making sure she heard him right. The man nodded, and spoke softly, "He asked me to help him track down the witch and call a truce with her."

"Are you sure that's his intention? Maybe he just knows you're close with her and doesn't want you to… y'know…"

"No, he doesn't know anything about that," Shell said, "Even when I joined the Gale Force all those years ago, I didn't tell them my last name. I don't think anyone else knows I'm her brother… except for you, and my family that is."

Glinda groaned, "There you go again with that brother nonsense."

"I am her brother!" he snapped, suddenly feeling livid. He quickly bit his lip, looking around the hall cautiously. Thankfully, no others guards were there, or at least none heard his outburst. That would have made things worse. But still, who was this girl to tell him that he was lying? What proof did she have to call him out and doubt his truths?

Glinda bit her lip, looking to the side, "Even if you are, how can I be sure? Elphie never mentioned a brother before… there were no pictures of you, not even Nessa ever spoke about you!"

"First of all," Shell sighed, his breath shaky. Why did he have to explain himself to her? "Nessarose was two years old when I left. Other than a few letters I sent, she never knew me. And she was seven years old when our communication stopped, when Fabala stopped speaking to me. As far as Fabala goes, I think she just…"

He shoulders slumped, "I think she just hates me…"

The hallway was silent, once more, neither one willing to look at the other. Shell wasn't sure what was left to say, he surely didn't feel like explaining himself to her anymore, and Glinda was off contemplating something, judging by the stern look on her face.

"I'm coming with you."

Shell sputtered, "What?"

"I said," she repeated, "I'm coming with you."

"Why?" he asked. "There's no way you can! The Wizard will have me thrown in the Southstairs if he knows I told you about the mission! That I told you about any of this! So why—,"

She pressed her finger against his lips, shushing him. After he calmed down a bit, she spoke again, he tone holding much more authority this time. "I will be coming with you. Because Elphaba was my best friend at Shiz, it will benefit to have a friendly face to greet her, not just the Wizard and her supposed brother, whom she may or may not harbor ill feelings towards. Understand?"

Shell thought for a moment, tilting his head as he spoke, "But… with Morrible in the Southstairs, and me having to accompany the Wizard for a long search, if you come with us, who will watch over Oz for that time?"

She giggled, tossing her hair over her shoulder, "I know some good places she may be, so it won't take that long. Besides, nothing that bad can happen in such a short time, right?"

If Elphaba had learned anything in these past two years, it was how to sneak places without getting caught.

She followed the guards through the shadows of the just ending night, and cast a sleep spell on the ones watching the gates. The Ozians weren't up yet, not many of them, so she flew in through the open window on the third story of the palace, and began to search.

When she found the Animal, well, it wasn't what she expected.

"You're green."

"I know," she said briskly, face scrunching up for a moment. While she was glad the Animal still had his speech, it wasn't the answer she predicted. Bunny rolled his eyes, "Can I ask why?"

"I was born like that. Everyone knows that."

She approached the cage, looking at the lock. She couldn't just pick the lock— it looked a bit too complex for that. Instead, she closed her eyes, gripped it tightly, and chanted.

The words were soft and mumbled, but Bunny knew it wasn't any language he had ever heard of. A few moments after she finished her chant, the lock shattered, pieces of metal and springs falling to the floor. She met his bewildered look with a grin, "Perks of being a witch."

"A witch…?" he asked, sounded oh so unamused. It was Elphaba's turn to be bewildered, asking slowly, "The Wicked Witch of the West… everyone in Oz has heard of me. Even the Animals."

"The animals?"

"Oh, nevermind!" she hissed, tugging the door open. Bunny stepped outside, staggering a bit and grasping his wound. Elphaba caught his elbow, helping him. "We'll get you back to Aiyla and Nuka, they can help you with that."

"Aiyla and who?" he asked, eyes narrowed. He jerked his elbow away, stumbling a bit, but he managed to regain his balance before he spoke, "Who are you?"

"Elphaba Thropp," she whispered, looking down the hall, "or, the Wicked Witch of the West. The people of Oz know me better by the latter."

"A wicked witch…," he mused, recalling the conversation he and the Guardians had before.

What is Pitch doin' in Oz?

Apparently there's someone terrorizing Oz.

Everyone in the nation if terrified of her.

A… wicked witch.

Bunny choked for a minute, and the grabbed her arm, yanking her away from the door.

"Hey, what are you—,"

He cut her off with a harsh whisper, "You're the reason Pitch is here. Are you two working together?"

Elphaba cringed at his statement, "Who in Oz name is Pitch?"

Bunny was about to speak, when a voice cut him off.

"Bunny!"

The winter spirit rushed into the room, panting and gasping, "Uh, I kind of got spotted by the guards! Sorry! But I've got a head start so we can—,"

He paused, blinking. Gaze fixed on Elphaba, he breathed out, "You're green…"

"You were spotted by the guards?" she asked, face paling. "We need to hurry out, now."

She ran towards the door, looking around frantically. "C'mon," she said, signaling for them to follow. She gripped the broom in her hand tighter and looked back them, her eyes desperate.

"Hurry! Before we're caught!"

Short, and a tad bit rushed. This is actually a filler chapter, since the escape in both cases are going to be a chapter on their own.

And Glinda has her "what could possibly go wrong?" moment in here.

Reviews are very much welcome in a school environment! And yes, free oneshot to anyone who can tell me what that is a reference of. c: