AN: So I understand that some of you have heard me sing... thanks to a certain someone who couldn't resist spreading the link *glares at that certain someone*. Yes, Xanne-Li, you better go hide now before I get out my pitchfork!
I was already worried that so many of you wanted to kill Morrible, but none of you seemed to want to kill me (I mean, admit it, that's a first); but then I saw Wickedly Hope Panacake's review, in which she said she wants to send the Maddy Hunters after me, and I was reassured again ^_^.
Musicgal3: Sure, you can kill Morrible!
Siarenthander: Yes, it got through!
So I already made it clear that Xanne-Li is about to get killed (the Frex Hunters are already on their way to your house, dearie!); but then she showed me a message you, Alyssa, left, and it literally had me squealing for about ten minutes :P. So, Alyssa, this chapter is dedicated to you.
Chapter 9. Pleaded
When Fiyero arrived in his dorm room that night and didn't see Elphaba, he wasn't worried immediately.
He figured maybe she was checking up on Nessa or Galinda, or maybe she was at the hospital. Or still at the Emerald Palace, scaring the wits out of Morrible. He smirked at the thought. He had never liked the old fish, but especially after what she had done to the Animals, he didn't feel sorry for her at all. Secretly, he hoped that Elphaba would succeed in chasing the old hag all the way across the Impassable Deserts.
He dropped his heavy bag in a corner and cast a glance in a mirror to assure himself that he still looked presentable; then he grabbed his wallet and key and left his room again to meet up with Galinda and Nessa for dinner.
Ever since he had told them about Elphaba's spirit still hanging around, they had urged him to keep the updates on the green girl's condition. Not that there was much to tell; but they were curious about the way his relationship with Elphaba had developed and how everything had happened, exactly, from the moment he had first seen Elphaba's ghost up until right now.
"I'm going to be honest with you," he said, leaning forward over the table. "Elphaba is worried about your father coming here, Nessa. To Shiz, I mean."
Nessa looked confused. "Why would she be worried about that?" she asked in wonder. "I was… I was actually really happy that he'd stop by, because… because I really needed him these past two weeks."
"Eleven days," Galinda corrected the other girl absently. "It's long enough as it is. You don't have to make it sound even longer."
Nessa looked guilty. "Sorry. Eleven days." She sighed ."Fiyero, I know Fabala and Father don't really have a good relationship, but… but he's coming for me. And I want him to. I need him right now."
Fiyero nodded. "I know that, Nessa," he said gently. "Fae knows it, too. She wants you to be happy and taken care of, and she knows you've missed your father. She wants him to come over for you, she really does. But…" He hesitated, not really wanting to say this, but knowing he had to.
"But what?" Nessa prodded.
Fiyero sighed. "Fae is worried that…" He really didn't want to do this. How do you tell someone that their sister is afraid that their father is going to kill her?
"She's worried that the hospital might ask your father to sign some papers," he said.
Nessa looked confused. "What kind of papers?"
Galinda, however, realised what he meant and gasped. "No!"
Nessa looked from Galinda to Fiyero and back again, worried. "What?"
"She's worried that Frex might want to pull the plug," Fiyero blurted out.
Nessa paled visibly.
"Elphaba's condition hasn't improved," Fiyero said softly. "The hospital can't keep her forever, Nessa… it costs a lot of money. Fae thinks that your father isn't willing to pay that much money for her."
Nessa was shaking her head frantically. "No," she declared. "Fiyero, you're wrong. He would never do that. No matter how difficult his relationship with Fabala is –"
"Difficult?" Fiyero looked at her, his sapphire eyes flaring. "Nessarose, Frex already cleared out Elphaba's room."
Nessa's eyes widened. "No."
"She saw it," Fiyero insisted. "She went to Munchkinland in the first three days after she ended up in that coma, and he had cleared out her room, Nessa. He doesn't care one twig whether she lives or dies and you know it."
Nessa was still shaking her head. "No," she said faintly, almost whimpering. "No. He would never… He wouldn't sign those papers, he wouldn't do such a thing… He cares, Fiyero. He doesn't show it often, but I know he does –"
"No," Fiyero interrupted her harshly. He knew he was being blunt, but she needed to hear the truth. "No, Nessa, he doesn't. Not at all."
"Nessa…" Galinda softly placed her hand on the younger girl's shoulder. "It's true," she said. "And you know that, too. He blames her for you being born the way you were, for your mother's death… he hates Elphie."
Nessa was now crying silently, and Galinda pulled her into a hug.
"Go," she mouthed to Fiyero. "I'll talk to her."
He nodded gratefully at her and rose to his feet, almost fleeing the restaurant. He shouldn't be the one to have done this; but Nessa just had to face the truth. Someone had to make it clear to her.
He made his way back to his dorm room, hoping that Elphaba would be there.
And she was. She was sitting in the window seat, knees drawn to her chest, arms wrapped around them as she looked through the window without really seeing anything.
He heaved a small sigh of relief when he saw her. "Hey." He kicked off his boots and put away his keys and wallet, scurrying around the room to clean some things up. Elphaba didn't say anything; she just watched him silently, following him with her eyes.
After a while, he noticed her silence and he turned around. "Fae?" he asked, concern etched on his face. "Are you okay?"
She nodded. Then she shook her head. Then she sighed and said, almost inaudibly, "I am for now."
Furrowing his brow, he abandoned the papers he had been piling up and moved over to where she was sitting. "What does that mean?"
She looked up at him sadly. He'd never seen her like this before. She could be many things – sarcastic, fiery, kind, passionate, gentle, biting, loving, furious, annoyed… but now she just looked sad. And though he had seen her sad before, there had always been some kind of fire behind it, something that told him that what was going on was just a momentary breakdown and soon she would be on her feet again, fighting the world the way she always did.
This time, however, there was no fire. There was just defeat. It worried him.
He sat down next to her, taking her hands in his. "Fae, what happened?" he asked her urgently.
She sighed again. "Madame Morrible knows," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "She… she saw us with Avaric yesterday, and she put the pieces together… drew the right conclusions. She knows it was me that chased the Wizard away. She guessed why I did it, and… and she told me everything…" She closed her eyes; and when she opened them again, she looked pained. "She knows that I know about what she and the Wizard did to the Animals, and she's going to… how did she put it? Eliminate me."
Fiyero could only stare at her.
"She says it will be easy," said Elphaba. "And she's right, isn't she? I can't defend myself. There's nothing I can do to stop her; and if I die, no-one will suspect murder. Everyone will just think I finally caved under the severity of my injuries."
Fiyero felt like he might throw up. "How… How long?" he croaked, his voice sounding hoarse and choked.
She lowered her eyes, fingers playing with one of the pillows that were lying next to her in the window seat. "It could be any moment," she said softly. "Literally. I don't know what she's planning, or when. For all I know I might disappear in a clock-tick."
Fiyero could hardly process what she was saying. He could feel bile rising in his throat and he suddenly felt dizzy and faint. Morrible knew… and she was going to kill Elphaba. He felt like he couldn't breathe.
"Yero?" He vaguely registered that Elphaba was shaking his arm, but he just couldn't bring himself to react. He was frozen in place.
She moved to sit on her knees in front of him, cradling his face between her hands. "Yero, look at me," she said urgently.
He blinked slowly, then focused his eyes on her; and before she knew it, he had snatched her to him and he was crushing her against his chest, burying his face in her hair. His shoulders were shaking, and it took her a moment to realise that he was crying.
"Yero…" She wrapped her arms around him and pressed her cheek against his chest, closing her eyes as she listened to the sound of his heartbeat. It was a bit faster than usual, due to his emotional state; but it still calmed her down. Thump-thump. Thump-thump. She started counting, because anything was better than breaking down and bawling her eyes out with him. If she broke down, it meant she had given up, and she wouldn't. She refused to.
Elphaba Thropp never gave up – especially not without a fight.
"Father!" Nessa looked like she was about to cry when Frex exited the carriage. He headed straight towards her, leaning down to embrace her.
"My precious girl," he said. "How have you been?"
When she pulled back, her eyes were wide and childlike and her lower lip was trembling. "Not well, Father," she said softly. "Fabala…"
He stroked her head. "I know, my dear. I know. Don't worry, it will all be over soon."
"Over?" Galinda, who had accompanied Nessa to greet her father, demanded a bit sharply. "What do you mean, it will be over soon?" What Fiyero had told her and Nessa the day before had been plaguing her dreams all night long, and she couldn't help being wary of this man. The man that adored sweet and precious Nessarose, but also the man that had treated Elphie, her best friend, who was so amazing and wonderful, like a servant. The man that had even hit Elphie sometimes. The man that had ridiculed and ostracised her, the man that had made her life miserable. Galinda felt rage bubbling up inside of her, but she tried her hardest to keep it in. Her attacking Frex wouldn't get anyone anywhere… no matter how desperately she longed to beat him up with a pair of stiletto heels and poke him in the eye with a mascara wand.
Frex all but glared at the petite blonde next to his daughter. "And who might this be?"
Galinda stuck her chin in the air and extended her hand for him to shake. "Miss Galinda Upland of the Upper Uplands. It's a pleasure to meet you, Governor Thropp. I have heard so much about you."
His eyes narrowed a little at that, but he shook her hand and replied with cold politeness. "It's a pleasure meeting you, too, Miss Upland. My precious Nessarose has told me about you and your other friends through her letters." He took her in, from her white slippers all the way up to her perfectly curled, golden hair.
He then turned around and smiled at Nessarose. "Come on, my dear girl, why don't we go and have lunch somewhere and you can tell me how you've been, hm?" He didn't spare Galinda a second glance as he took hold of Nessa's chair and started to wheel her away.
Elphaba, invisible to them all, followed them as they walked into a restaurant and took a seat. When the waitress wasn't looking, she managed to snatch a pencil and a piece of paper. She wrote something on it and pushed it into Nessa's hand.
The girl's eyes widened when she felt something touching her hand while there was nothing there; and they widened even further when she realised what must be going on. Her fingers closed around the piece of paper and she held it in her lap and glanced down at it.
Nessie, please don't let him kill me.
Nessa still didn't think her father would actually do such a thing; but if he would, then of course she wouldn't let him. As Frex was distracted by the waitress, who recognised him as the Governor of Munchkinland, Nessa looked to her side.
"Of course not, Fabala," she said softly. "You're my sister. I love you. I will do everything I can, I promise."
The waitress left and Nessa turned back to face her father again, smiling at him as he told her about some political development going on back home; but underneath the table, she held out her hand. Her smile widened when she felt Elphaba slipping her fingers in Nessa's own. Her sister squeezed softly and Nessa risked a small glance to her side. There was nothing there – nothing that she could see, anyway – but just knowing that her sister was around, keeping an eye on her, was oddly comforting.
The moment Elphaba got back to Fiyero's dorm room, he all but pounced on her, pressing her tightly against his chest. "Oh, thank Oz," he muttered, holding her as close to him as humanly possible.
She didn't reprimand him for being dramatic. Not now, not with Morrible's threat looming over their heads. The relief on his face when they had woken up that morning and he had found her still there had almost been enough to make her cry. He was so scared for her, perhaps even more scared than she was for herself. He had been holding her tightly all night long and she knew he hadn't slept well. He'd woken up every few minutes – more often than not because he had a dream about her disappearing. She hadn't. Not yet, anyway.
She burrowed in his arms now, allowing him to crush her against his chest. He pulled away slightly to press his lips against hers and she melted into the kiss, eyes closing on their own accord. He deepened the kiss, tangling his fingers in her long hair. There was something desperate about the kiss that ignited a fire in her and worried her at the same time.
She knew he was scared. She was scared, too. She knew that he loved her and he didn't want to lose her – she had accepted that much by now.
But the way he was responding to all of this made her wonder how he would react if this didn't end the way they wanted it to. If she died – whether that would be by natural causes, because Frex pulled the plug or because Morrible killed her – how would he cope? His despair was almost tangible. She had never realised how deep his love for her really went, but she was starting to realise it now and she didn't like it.
She tore herself away from him, both of them breathing heavily as she created enough distance between them to talk. His hands were still firmly around her waist and she laid her hands flat against his chest, pausing a moment before speaking her mind.
"Yero," she said finally, looking up at him, her eyes meeting his sapphire blue ones. "If I don't make it..."
She could feel him wincing, which really only magnified her worries.
"…will you be okay?" she finished, her voice soft. She looked at him, wanting to see his face, his eyes, to know for sure that he would be telling the truth.
He was avoiding her gaze. "Fae, I… I love you," he said weakly.
"I know." She leant up to kiss him softly on the lips. "I know, Yero my hero. I love you, too. But I need to know that you'll be okay if something happens to me."
He swallowed.
"Promise me," she said, still looking up at him. "Promise me you'll be alright. You have to. I don't want to leave you, Yero, but I might not have a choice; and if I do, I want to – no, I need to know that I won't have to worry about you."
He swallowed again, with difficulty. "I promise." He had to choke it out and it took him a lot of effort to say it, but he did. He had to. For her.
She looked up at him, her face soft as she brushed some hair away from his face. "Thank you."
He drew her into his arms again and buried his face in her neck, breathing in her scent, convincing himself that she was still here.
She let him.
"Father," Nessa said pleadingly. "Father, I… I know you and Fabala never really got along."
He looked at her, pacing back and forth, thoughtful.
"But I love her," Nessa said softly. "And if you let her die –"
"Whoa." Frex stopped and held up both hands. "What?"
"Father, some people are convinced that you came here to…" Nessa swallowed. "To pull the plug. To… to let Fabala go."
He looked genuinely surprised. "Nessa, sweetheart," he said, kneeling down in front of her chair. "I came here for you."
She nodded. "I know," she said. "But… but you don't love her."
He didn't deny that.
"And her staying here costs you money," Nessa continued, "so I thought…"
He frowned slightly, clearly thinking about that.
"Please don't," Nessa whispered. "I already lost my mother, and Fabala is the closest thing to a mother I have left… she'll be fine, Father. You just wait and see. I can't lose her. Please…"
"Nessa," Frex said gently, kissing the top of her head. "I would never do something you don't want me to."
She looked up at him with wide eyes. "Really?" she asked hopefully. "You'll let her live?"
Frex hesitated for a short moment, but he decided to be honest with his precious daughter. "If that is what you want, my dear," he said.
Nessa heard the words he didn't say – he himself didn't care whether Elphaba lived or died; but at least he wouldn't sign those papers. He would keep her alive. Not for himself, but for Nessa – and to her, that was good enough.
"Thank you, Father," she whispered, and he smiled at her.
"Now, off you go," he said, stroking the top of her head once more. "Go have fun with your friends. I will meet you tonight for dinner, alright?"
She nodded and smiled at him; then turned around and wheeled herself away.
Frex turned, too, planning on going back to his hotel room to do some more work until he met up with his daughter again; but just then, a woman approached him.
"Governor Thropp," she said, curtsying slightly. "My name is Madame Morrible, Headmistress of Shiz University."
He nodded politely at her. "Pleasure to meet you, Madame."
"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Governor." Her eyes were glittering maliciously as she approached him. "Governor, if you please… I need to talk to you about your daughter."
"Nessarose?"
She shook her head, moving her head closer to his. "No, Governor. Elphaba." She offered him her arm. "Why don't we go for a small walk?"
Dun dun duuuuunnnnnnn.
