A/N: It's time for Boq's turn to shine! (Both metaphorically and literally) Sorry to disappoint you woodland59 and rob you of your chance to throw water over his ass :/
"Why did Glinda go to the Witch's chamber?"
"She wanted to make sure she's dead," replied Boq, getting slight irked by Dorothy's bombard of questions. And slightly guilty at the lies he was feeding her too. He knew Elphaba had been something special to Glinda, and though his experience with the Thropp sisters hadn't been great, he still respected Glinda's relationship with the green girl. He felt horrible spinning more lies about it.
"But how is she dead?"
"Dorothy we've been through this - " began Boq, but was cut off when Fiyero came stumbling into the room.
"Boq!" he practically shouted. "We need you!"
"Boq?" questioned Dorothy, but Boq had already begun to ignore her. In fact, he'd ignored her after her fifth question on Glinda's absence.
"Why?" he asked.
Fiyero said nothing, but his eyes shot, Just come, you dolt!
Boq conformed, leaving Brrr to take Dorothy's incessant bombarding.
"What is it?" he whispered when they were out of earshot.
"Elphaba," replied Fiyero. "She's barely living."
"Barely?" questioned Boq.
"We need someone to do cardiopulmonary resuscitation on her, but I - "
"Was sleeping when we were taught and need me to do it," finished Boq.
"Is my head transparent?"
"Hollow," replied Boq.
"Fiyero, what the hell took you so long?" shrieked Glinda, wringing her hands agitatedly.
"I was only gone for a minute, Glin," replied Fiyero, bringing Boq into the room. The tin man wasted no time in hurrying over the Elphaba, checking her pulse and breath rates.
"It felt like an eternity!" cried Glinda. It was true, it had only been a minute, and yet Glinda felt as if every second was torture, with her friend lying on the floor, barely conscious and on the brink of death.
Rain had begun to pound on the window, the wroth storm outside sending the trees into a violent dance. Lightning ripped through the sky, the blinding white flash lighting up the room, followed by the deafening shatter of the thunderclap.
But Glinda was not scared of the turbulent weather. She was only scared of Elphaba's death, something she desperately prayed was not imminent. She watched restlessly as Boq began to pump fervently, his face contorting into one of concern and persistent, determined to save the life of her friend.
"Come on, Elphaba, stay with me!" he said. "Even if Nessarose is going to come back with you I ain't going to give up on you. I know you can do it!"
He continued to pump, and Glinda felt her breathe rate increase with every pump. Soon she was holding her breath, until Fiyero had to come over and shake her out of her stupor - again.
"Tell me how you got locked in the room," suggested Fiyero.
Glinda gaped at him. "Now? Really, Fiyero? Your girlfriend is dying and you want to talk about how I broke my toes now?"
Both of them blanched; Glinda because of her final acceptance of their relationship, Fiyero because of the reminder of the situation's graveness.
"You won't help by getting all anxious and fainting," explained Fiyero, chewing his bottom lip. "We don't need another person requiring revival. So take your mind off it, Elphaba will make it." His last words sounded as if they were more directed at himself.
"I...She told me that Nessarose wouldn't die if she didn't..." began Glinda.
"She told you? Nessa or Elphaba?"
"Elphaba," replied Glinda, glancing nervously to where Elphaba lay, like an emerald sleeping beauty.
"But how did you manage to - "
"Talk to her?" finished Glinda. "Well, while I was racking my brains for ideas, I remembered what you told me - "
"What I told you?"
"Yes, you told me that till I try I'll never know. You didn't realize it, but it was exactly the same words Elphaba once said to me. It gave me a feeling of nostalgia - not that I wasn't also creeped out by the coincidence - and it reminded me of the bond we shared, me and Elphie. I tried to use it on Elphaba, quoting from a conversation we once had, when our friendship was still steadfast, hoping it'll reanimate her will to fight. It worked, and Elphaba regained control, but only for a moment."
Fiyero remained silent throughout her explanation, feeling and overwhelming sense of admiration for the blonde, that she would hold her friendship so closely to her heart, that her precious memory would be the key to Elphaba's freedom, even if only temporary.
"Her pulse has returned to normal!" announced Boq, straightening. "She hasn't woken up, but this is the best I can do."
Then, in a flurry of blue and blonde, Glinda tackled Boq with a hug, knocking him off balance. And before he could react, she kissed him. Fully on the lips.
"Boq, you did wonderful!" she said, blushing slightly as she pulled back. "You really are my hero."
Boq fainted.
Fiyero threw his hands up into the air. "Really?"
Dorothy still needed something to present the Wizard if she wanted to get home. Boq, Glinda, and Fiyero were all too kind to reveal that the Wizard had no real power, but they agreed to give her Elphaba's charred broomstick, seeing she would have no use for the damaged piece of wood anyway.
After Boq had painstakingly relocated her shoulder, cleaned her wounds and bandaged her up, Glinda insisted to stay behind to watch Elphaba while the others headed back to the Emerald City. Boq groaned at this, knowing he'd have to answer more of Dorothy's questions about the Good Witch's decision.
Elphaba was in a comatose for another two days, unmoving from the bed she slept on. Every hour was like agony to Glinda, and she slept, eat and watched from a chair in the corner, refusing to take her eyes off the green woman. In was a gloomy few days, with the looming grey clouds dominating the sky.
On the third day, Glinda awoke with a scream. Opposite her, the bed was empty.
She immediately burst into a frenzy, staggering through the castle, screaming Elphaba's name and many nicknames, causing the monkeys to jerk every time she passed, but she never found the green girl. Running a trembling hand through her locks, she contemplated scourging again, before the doorbell rang, and her eye twitching in annoyance, she went to open the door.
"Fiyero," she greeted.
"How is Elphaba?" he asked.
"Nice to see you to," said Glinda, her failed attempt at sarcasm revealing her nerves.
"Glinda..."
"She's missing!" cried Glinda, giving in. "I woke up this morning to find her bed empty! I looked all over the castle! Every room, every hallway. I even dared to go into those rotten cellars!"
"Glinda, calm down," soothed Fiyero. "If she's not in bed means she must've regained consciousness, which is a good sign."
"For all you know it might be Nessarose finally taking her and pulling her out of bed," muttered Glinda miserably.
"Glinda, don't be so pessimistic!" cried Fiyero. "Come on, even if she left she wouldn't have gone far. Let's check the rose garden or something."
Glinda obliged, letting him carry her to the garden; or what was left of it. A barren tree stood swaying silently in the wind, with no leaves to rustle. An abandoned oriole nest sat on one of the rough branches, robbed of song. Weeds were strewn all over the ground, with not a trace of life in the rock hard ground. The whole place smelt of death, and it wasn't helping Glinda's depression.
"She's not here," whispered Glinda, downcast.
At that moment, a drizzle began, and Glinda began to wonder if she could actually control weather like Morrible, having the weather seem to read her feelings.
"Let's get back to shelter," said Fiyero, evidently trying to keep the disappointment out of his tone. "She won't be out here in this weather."
He picked her up once more, heading back to the entrance of the castle.
"What if we never find her, Fiyero?" asked Glinda shakily.
Then suddenly, a voice resounded from the doorway. "Yero?"
Fiyero nearly dropped Glinda in his shock. "Elphaba?"
"Elphie?" screeched Glinda.
"Glin?"
There, at the doorway, like a bright emerald beacon, stood Elphaba, her long raven hair tumbling over her shoulders. Her cerulean eyes widened when she saw Fiyero.
"Fiyero?" She stepped forward.
"Fae, don't come out, it's driz - "
However, before anyone could stop her, Elphaba's scrawny worn-out army boots shot out...
And green witch dashed forward into the rain.
