Glinda gently burst back into Elphaba and Fiyero's room later in the afternoon, a large shopping bag in either hand. "Elphie-ba, I'm back. I bring gifts of good looking clothing!" She dropped the bags in the corner, and looked around for Elphaba.

The bed.

Of course.

Sighing, Glinda dropped all pretenses she was putting on and walked over to the bed.

Gently grabbing Elphaba's hand in her own, Glinda moved to the doorway, pulling Elphaba along with her.

Lowering her voice so as not to be overheard by Fiyero if he could hear them, Glinda looked into Elphaba's eyes and spoke. "Elphie, I need you to pull yourself together for me." She studied her friend for a moment. "Alright, for Fiyero then. He wants you to live your life to the fullest, no matter his condition."

Elphaba didn't speak, merely stared at Glinda with a blank expression.

Glinda paused. "I tell you what. I will brief my personal doctor on our situation. She is completely trustworthy, and upon pain of death would never betray my confidence. She will watch Fiyero around the clock, and immediately notify you of any changes in his state."

Nothing.

"For Oz's sake, Elphie, please. At least speak to me. How about we don't commit to anything before you meet her and speak to her yourself?"

"No."

"Elphie—"

"I. Said. No. Glinda. I don't care who your doctor is, I don't care what her accomplishments are, and I don't care how well she honors her doctor patient confidence. What I do care about is my Fiyero's health. I won't let somebody I've just met take care of him when he's... in his current state of being."

"How about Boq then?"

"No. One, he thinks I'm dead."

"So did I up until a week ago! Oz, Elphaba!"

Elphaba's anger was rising, but she managed to keep her voice in check and continue. "Two, he never could keep secrets. Out of sight, out of mind. He even hears my name, my actual name, and memories return and rumors start up again. "

Glinda was, at this point, looking for any possible solution that would satisfy Elphaba. "Nessa?"

Glare.

"Oh."

"Yea." Elphaba blinked. She was free of Nessa, and it would be a long, long while before she reinstated contact with her sister. If she lived that long. The lifestyle Elphaba was living was anything but safe, after all. Glinda wasn't stupid; she knew that Nessa would never be an acceptable solution. Plus, the heavily religious woman would never leave Nest Hardings for Glinda's summer home, to watch a person in a coma. Even if that person was Fiyero.

"Nanny?"

"I am not stealing what's left of Nanny's life for my own gain, Glinda. Plus, she's probably tucked away in Nest Hardings, and I don't want anybody traipsing around in there and disrupting everything my bloodline has achieved. I owe them that much, to not fuck everything up."

Glinda stopped for a moment, thinking of any possible solution.

There was silence for several moments, before Glinda dared break it.

"Elphie, you have to help me out here. Throw me a bone, a lifeline, anything."

Elphaba watched Glinda for a few more moments before giving in. "Alright. There is a girl I worked with in the Underground. I've trusted her with my life more than once, and she's never let it slip. She's perhaps the one person I'd ever trust with Fiyero's life."

Feeling a bit underappreciated, Glinda nodded. "Alright, how do we contact her?"

Wordlessly, Elphaba spun around and walked out onto the balcony, closely followed by a curious Glinda. Within moments a tiny sparrow alighted on her outstretched hand.

"Yes, Miss Fae?"

Elphaba glanced over at Glinda out of the corner of her eye. "My codename." She turned back to the sparrow. "Yes, thank you for following me here, Dahl. I hoped you would be the one to do so. Thank you for keeping my doings to yourself." The sparrow inclined his head. "Any other assistant would have reported everything. I appreciate it."

She paused, biting her already broken lip, then spoke again. "I need you to go to the shack and find Freya. Tell her I need her now. A matter of life and death. Find a location for pickup and my friend Glinda will send a coach with a single trusted helper."

Dahl nodded quickly to show he understood. "It will be done immediately."

Elphaba brought him closer to her and pressed her lips to the top of his little head in a farewell kiss. As soon as she had done so she cupped him in both of her hands and whispered something more, something inaudible into her hands, opened them, and threw his tiny form into the air.

Instantly, the tiny little sparrow opened his wings and took off to the south, flying as fast as his tiny little wings could carry him.

Elphaba then walked to the balcony's railing, rested her weight on it, and looked out across Oz and over the horizon. A faint smile appeared at her lips.

She was happy.

Glinda watched her for a moment, and then joined her at the railing. "What?"

"I'm somewhere where I belong. Hardly anybody would have received an Animal escort upon disappearing from the Underground. Especially after hearing what a state my stay was in. I'm important enough to have an eye kept on. And to be assigned to one of the very best, Dahl." Happiness was in her voice.

Glinda frowned in confusion. "He's a sp—" she caught herself, "Sparrow."

"What better Animal to slip under the radar? He studied sparrows for several years and can imitate an animal flawlessly. A feat that is harder than it would seem. And he's completely trustworthy as well."

Glinda moved closer to Elphaba, and hugged her again.

Elphaba instantly pushed Glinda away. "You can leave now."

Glinda pouted, sighed. "Alright Elphaba. Who shall I look for? What does this Freya look like?"

"Brown... light brown hair? Short. Green eyes. Honestly, she'll stand out. You'll know her when you see her."

Glinda nodded. Elphaba had always sucked at descriptions. "Okay, I'll do that. I'll be back to see you tomorrow, okay Elphie?"

Elphaba nodded very slightly.

Glinda walked back into the room, and then moved back on to the balcony. "And eat something. I mean it."

"Okay, okay, I will."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Glinda walked back into the room, stopping at the doorway for a moment.

"Glinda."

Elphaba strode quickly into the room after Glinda, meeting her in front of the door. She looked the blonde up and down with a blank expression. "I did not appreciate you whispering strength to me these last two nights."

"Strength?"

"'Don't worry about Fiyero' 'Fiyero will live through this' 'He is healing himself as I speak.' Cut it out, I don't appreciate it."

Glinda frowned, genuine confusion showing through. "Um... Elphie? I hadn't talked to you in six days up until this morning. That wasn't me..."

"Of course it was you, who else could it be?"

"I don't know. Maybe you're imagining things. Eat, change your clothing, and get some sleep, Elphie-ba." Swiftly pecking Elphaba on the cheek, Glinda exited the room, closing the door quietly behind herself.

Elphaba stayed motionless for a moment, and then moved back to Fiyero, lying down beside him once again.

Outside a window, a silhouette of a figure, backlit by the setting sun, watched silently, motionlessly, unnoticed by all. Taking precaution against being spotted, the figure smiled hollowly, and slipped away.