Disclaimer- I don't own Wicked or Rent.

Just as Maureen had predicted, Elphaba began to haunt Emrys' library. At first the doors were open and Joanne and Mark could see her pacing with a book or scroll, back and forth, back and forth. One day, Mark witnessed her dropping a book, only to see her run over to an open parchment she had on the desk and begin writing. She was never aware he had been watching. After several days, the library doors were closed and everyone who passed the door could hear her either pacing or mumbling…or both. She was never there at meal times and more than once Joanne and Mark caught Fiyero glancing anxiously toward the dining room chair she would have occupied.

It was Glinda who finally spoke up, worriedly addressing Fiyero.

"She won't stop you know! She'll run herself ragged until she solves this, Fiyero. Aren't you going to do something?"

Fiyero shook his head sadly but firmly, "No, not yet. Trust me, Glinda, I know Fae and I'll know when it's time to step in."

"What about Chester? She'll listen to him, won't she?"

"Chistery, Glinda, Chistery. And yes, she might, but he's not here. He and some of the other Monkeys went with the girls to the Vinkus. Besides, she might listen, but that doesn't mean she'd agree to anything he said. You know Fae when she sets her mind to something."

"Bull-headed?" asked Mark.

Fiyero smiled slightly at him, "More than bull-headed! No, I have to let her make just enough progress before I try to force her rest. If she doesn't, she'll never be able to put it down. This situation is different than any she's faced before. It's not just our safety on the line here; it's the girls' and Zara's as well. She feels a tremendous burden of guilt over Zara. We all know that it wasn't Fae's fault she couldn't hear Zara's calls for help…but Fae? Fae only knows that Zara and her family suffered because she didn't hear her. She fights from her heart.

"There's also the reality that Zara is not acting alone. There are others out there who blame Elphaba for Oz knows what! That's why she wanted the girls in the Vinkus. To get to them there, attackers would need to get through the Vinkun armies. Don't forget, Elfie is their princess and they will fight to the death to keep them both safe…to the man!"

In the silence that followed, each of them was trying to view behind the library doors in his mind. It was then that Emrys' head cook came into the dining room. She crooked a finger at Fiyero and Emrys and both automatically stood out of respect. They stood before her now like two schoolboys caught doing something naughty. Though she was a good deal shorter than both of them, she looked up at them both fiercely, wagging her finger at them.

"Alright you two, this has gone on long enough! Do either of you know when the last time the Princess ate was? Or drank?! Or slept?! Her body is still healing and she needs three things: food and liquids and rest! Lurline knows I've kept track of the trays we sent her…all of them came back untouched and cold! Now, you…" She pointed threateningly at Emrys. "This is your kingdom and your palace. It seems to me that you can use your diplomacy to handle both of those things well enough. You should be able to handle the woman who's trying to help preserve both them and your family!" She swung on Fiyero now with more fire and determination than before. "And you! You love that woman! I know it, I've seen it! Don't confuse love with giving in to her though! She's strong…almost willful! You need to show her the way. Go in there and take care of your Lady! Ask yourself one question. If your places were reversed, would she let you weaken and sicken yourself? She would not! She'd fight you with every ounce of strength she had! In the end though, you'd eat, and you'd sleep! Am I wrong?"

The others watched as Fiyero's face softened. "No ma'am, you're not." He bent now and kissed her cheek. "Thank you for waking me up. I'll see to it now." She turned to Emrys again.

"We'll see to it. Thank you." The old woman looked relieved but still tried to appear firm. "See that you do! And Prince Fiyero, you find out what the Princess wants to eat and drink and we'll make her anything she pleases. Just send me word."

With a nod from Emrys and a wink from Fiyero, the two men left for the library. After knocking softly and receiving no answer they exchanged a look and opened the door. The sight before them was startling. Books were scattered everywhere! The desk was covered with parchments and scrolls and a pile of crumpled papers was on the floor near the desk. But there was no sign of Elphaba. Fear began to run through both men and they entered the room hurriedly then…only to be met by the sight of more scrolls and books, and just out of sight, only a foot seen around a sofa, lay Elphaba, unmoving on the rug.

"Fae!"

"Elphaba!"

They knelt beside her and Fiyero began to turn her over carefully.

"I'll get the doctor." said Emrys and he sprang to his feet, and bolted out the door.

Fiyero meanwhile cradled his wife against his body. Had she collapsed? Had she fallen? No, the library bookcase stairs were far across the room. Suddenly, he felt her curl into him easily and he watched as she opened her mouth…and yawned. She never opened her eyes but she snuggled closer against him.

"Fae? Fae, can you hear me? Try not to move, love. Emrys has gone for help." He was about to tell her not to move when he noticed two things. One was that she was already speaking; albeit rather fuzzily and the second thing was the parchment clutched tight in her hand. It seemed like the whole palace came running in at that point, alerted by Emrys, and he almost missed what she said. He bent his upper body low and lifted her gently till her lips were almost at his ear. Her eyes were still closed and her voice fuzzy.

"Did it…spell…finally…yawn…want to sleep, Yero. Just a little…please…finished the spell…yawn."

With that, Elphaba curled closer into Fiyero's body and fell asleep again. Everyone in the room looked from one to another in confusion until Fiyero gently lifted his wife's hand, stroked and kissed it in an effort to prize the parchment from her grasp.

"Come on, love. Let go. We'll keep it safe while you sleep. That's it." Fiyero cooed to her, his voice soothing. Once he had it he handed the parchment off to Maureen, who with Glinda, began reading it intently. Yero kissed Elphaba's forehead and whispered, "Sleep now, my Fae. Go ahead and sleep. I'm here."

In no time, she was quite soundly asleep. Only then did Fiyero look up to Maureen and Glinda.

"Damn! How brilliant is this?!" Maureen was stunned.

Glinda kept re-reading it and wiggled her head. "That's my Elphie! Always thinking outside the box…so to speak."

Maureen was excited and looked back at Fiyero. "Yero, not only will this wake up Zara, but it will act as a barrier between her and anyone or anything she wants to hurt! It's…it's like a moving cage. She can go anywhere with this spell, but even if Zara broke free? She couldn't eat or kill to stay alive! Elphaba made sure she'll need to stay."

Glinda stroked Elphaba's hair affectionately. "Elphie will tell her about it, and then work with her. She knows what it's like to be an outsider; she'll do whatever she can to help Zara come around. No one but Elphie would care so much…or work so hard to make things easier for her."

Fiyero kissed his wife's forehead. "She knows that a cage and imprisonment was part of the problem. Fae's given her a way out…without danger to the rest of us. She knows Zara will be calmer and easier to deal with outdoors and relatively free."

Mark spoke aloud without meaning to. "She's meeting her half way. For trust."

By the time Emrys came skidding back into the room with the doctor, Elphaba was nestled against Fiyero's chest sleeping heavily and Maureen was reading and re-reading the parchment over and over. Mark and Joanne looked to each other in confusion, disbelief and in utter awe of the witch sleeping unguardedly before them. True power is wisdom, Joanne knew. This lady had both in spades!

After checking her carefully, the doctor told Fiyero that his wife was simply sleeping…exhausted, but sleeping. They discovered later that after finishing the needed spell, Elphaba had stretched out on the rug and without meaning to, fell asleep. With rest and food, she would be strong enough to awaken Zara. Emrys' cook brought the next tray to Elphaba herself. When she entered the bedroom she took in the sleeping Princess and Prince Fiyero in a chair near the bed. He rose when he saw her and jumped up to helpfully grab the heavy laden tray from her.

"Thank you." She kept her voice low and wore a smile. "You're just like the King, you have perfect manners."

Fiyero laughed ever so softly. "If I didn't, I wouldn't have stood a chance with that lady sleeping over there! No matter what people have said about her…what they don't know is that Elphaba has standards. High ones. The ones she sets for herself are even higher. I always thought she was worth anything, even when she didn't think she was. They'd be surprised at my Fae's soft heart."

The woman smiled up at him, patting his arm soothingly. "Not all of us. Some of us see your Lady's heart and soul. Now, tired she may be, but I want you to eat what I brought for you, then I want you to wake up your Lady and give her some of the broth that's there. I know she doesn't eat meat so I came up with this recipe. She needs building up! The vegetables and spices in that broth will help with that. Now, she may not want to wake up to eat, but insist! She'll heal all the faster."

Fiyero was truly touched. Fae would want to thank her when she awoke but for now… "I can't thank you enough…for taking care of Fae and me."

"Yes you can. Eat the stew and fresh baked bread I brought you! Do that first. If either of you needs anything else; just send for me. I'll come myself. Go on now! Eat!"

Fiyero ate, and when he was finished awakened Elphaba.

"Come on, my Fae. You need something to eat…or drink as the case may be. Fae, wake up, love." It took some doing on his part but finally Elphaba awoke enough to understand. "If you drink some broth, Fae, I'll let you go back to sleep. Come on."

Finally, she opened her eyes wearily and let Fiyero spoon feed her some of the broth and he crooned to her softly as he did.

"Mag made this for you especially. She wanted to build you back up. She knows you refuse to eat meat so she created this. It's all vegetables and spices and herbs, Fae. Is it good? It certainly smells like it is!"

He guessed it must have been because rather than stop to answer, she simply nodded between mouthfuls. In no time, the bowl was empty and as he set it down, he heard her yawn again.

"Thank you, Yero. Will you thank Mag for me? I'll thank her later…but now…."

It was with another yawn that Elphaba drifted off to sleep again. This sleep, Yero noted later, was sounder, deeper and easier. He sighed, knowing the healing had begun. Mag came for the tray herself some time after. She was more than ready to hand the prince his head if the food had gone uneaten again. She noted the way Elphaba slept and checked to see what was left on the tray. She smiled broadly when she saw it was completely empty.

"That's what I like to see!"

The prince smiled at her. "She wanted me to thank you, Mag. You can expect her to do it herself later, but she loved the broth and the fact that you made it just for her. By the way, your stew was amazing too. It took all my strength not to lick the bowl! Thank you."

Mag was wearing a self-satisfied smile when she left the room, and it was not long after that a servant came again, bearing another bowl of stew for the prince. She knocked softly and her voice was barely a whisper.

"Mag sent this for you, Sir. She said you were to follow the Princess' example. She also warned me to be as silent as the grave, or she'd dig one for me." The maid wore a smile as she said this though. She knew Mag was really a good soul who wouldn't harm a fly.

"I'll be sure to tell Mag you came and went with barely a sound and that the Princess didn't even move in her sleep. Thank you." After checking on his wife, Fiyero set to work on Mag's stew. All the while, he kept a close eye on the beautiful woman who was sleeping peacefully. He knew that somewhere deep within her mind, Elphaba was preparing for battle.

That battle began two days later. Before she began she set ground rules for everyone in the palace.

"I'm going to force her into confronting me. The field I create around her will stop her from harming anyone; still, best not to antagonize her. The fewer humans she sees…well, let's just say it could make my job a lot easier."

When the time came, she made her way down to the under-chambers of the palace. When she entered Zara's chamber, she left the door ajar behind her. Emrys had gone to great pains to make this chamber "comfortable". It had a high set window that let in light and the room contained potted foliage of all sizes. Rushes on the chamber floor gave the appearance of a forest floor carpeted in sweet smelling grasses. All in all, it was a comforting place…at least for Elphaba. She doubted that Zara would feel the same. A cage is a cage after all, and for that reason…the door was open. This would require faith on both their parts.

Summoning up all her strength of purpose and will, Elphaba cast the spell she had improvised. Her first hint it was working was when Zara began to stretch and stir. The Witch of the West could feel the anticipation making her nerves tingle. She knelt down before the Lioness, separated by only several feet. Then she waited. The next move would have to be Zara's.

Zara stirred from her sleep, stretching her muscles and claws as she awoke. The forest was sweet smelling this morning! Then slowly, she remembered the Witch. She had been before her in the clearing! The children! With reflexes unslowed by sleep, the Lioness jumped to her feet and looked about. Amazingly, the Witch knelt before her seemingly undisturbed. A cage! She was in a cell or cage! Damn the Witch! As she prepared to leap and slaughter the green woman, she heard her speak urgently.

"You're in a protective shell. Don't…" That was as far as she got before Zara leapt.

Her eyes were fixed on the Witch's throat and she flew…and bounced off an invisible wall.

"…jump." Elphaba finished. Zara was furious to see that Elphaba had not even moved. When she rose to her feet again she glared at the Witch who continued, "I'm sorry. I did try to warn you. You're in the palace of Burzee. King Emrys has tried to make you as comfortable as possible under the circumstances."

Zara was furious; still the Witch remained calm. "What did you do to me!?"

Elphaba looked in her eyes and answered easily. "We used a spell. It simulates sleep. That way you were safe," She took a long meaningful pause. Never looking away from Zara's glare, Elphaba matched it with her own and spoke softly.

"And so were Elfie and Emaurie. You remember them? The two children you kidnapped and terrorized? How could you?! I realize that you have suffered more than any being should suffer, but stooping to kidnapping and using young children to gain your objective? It's so…so…" Elphaba seemed to be searching for a parallel, so Zara supplied one.

"Human?!" She spit it out as if it were a curse. What happened next stunned the Lioness so much she found herself sitting down in the rushes in amazement.

"Yes! Human, exactly! I would never have believed an Animal capable of such cruelty, but you've taught me a lesson! I never thought I'd see the day when I was glad Doctor Dillamond had passed away! If he knew that an Animal was responsible for terrorizing my child or any child, it would have broken his heart and his faith in Animals, I believe."

Zara was confused. She had caught the pained, more than wistful look on the Witch's face when she mentioned this man. "Why should I care or be interested in the happiness of some human? What is he to me?"

Zara saw the Witch anger now. Interesting!

"No human! A fellow Animal! Doctor Dillamond was one of my professors at Shiz University. He was also a Goat…a very wise, very intelligent Goat. He taught me more in my time with him than any other professor did in twice the time! He paid for his brilliance and heart too! He was removed from his position and locked in a cage like you were. They stole his brilliant, amazing force of will and his voice! Damn the Wizard!"

Zara had never seen a human, green or any color, so pained and then angered by the treatment of an Animal. She saw tears in the Witch's eyes, tears she swiftly rubbed away.

"When I broke back into the Wizard's Palace to free the Monkeys I was caught. I almost bartered my soul to the fiend until I accidentally found Doctor Dillamond. He was afraid and even backed away from me! They stole his amazing voice and he could only bleat! Later, he escaped into the Palace. I found out the Gale Force murdered him. I promised myself I would never be the Gale Force. I swore I would never be the Wizard! I always held Doctor Dillamond up as my model. He would never have believed an Animal capable of terrorizing my daughter and niece."

Zara found herself on the verge of feeling for the Witch. She remembered her Cubs and knew the horror of a mother's fear. "For human children, I must admit, they were brave. I was surprised."

Zara saw the Witch's expression twist from pained to angered. "Braver than you know! In your zeal to attain my daughter, you never thought about which was which. Just like most humans do, you see color first. You looked at Emaurie and assumed she was my child. I love her as if she was my own, but Emaurie is my niece! Elfie is my daughter."

Zara took this in and at first thought it was a trick but could see the truth in the Witch's eyes.

" But the green one, Emaurie, she knew who I wanted before I took them that day! She knew I wanted your daughter! She could have fled!"

"And left her cousin to Oz knows what fate? Never!! You don't know how strong they are." The Witch looked proud.

"But the other one…Elfie? She could have fled when I grabbed her cousin that day."

"At Grale's grave. No, Elfie would no sooner desert Emmy, than Emmy would Elfie."

Zara thought about all that had transpired and remembered threatening to eat this Elfie should food become scarce. Still she had remained faithful to her cousin and her cousin to her, just as she herself had always hoped her Cubs would be. She questioned now. "Who is this Grale? Why is he so honored that they went alone to his grave?" She watched the Witch first flinch in pain, and then smile gently, almost proudly.

"Grale? He was no politician or even human. Grale was the Flying Monkey you slaughtered. He was devoted to the girls and they to him. He was loving, he used to fly over their cradles; and he was noble! His scar came to be when he was protecting me from an axe. You grabbed them at his grave because we were sending them to safety and they wouldn't leave without saying goodbye to him. Even as he died, Grale warned us who you were after. It was bad enough that you killed him, but to desecrate his grave by threatening the girls he loved so…it's appalling no matter what you've been through!

"Now, this place, this spell, you'll notice that the door to the hallway is open. There's no need to lock it. The spell I conjured protects any living thing from an attack. It also limits you to the palace grounds. The gardens here are lovely. If you're more comfortable there than here, Emrys has no objections. The girls are safely away. You cannot reach them now. I would like to help you though."

"Like you did when my family was being slaughtered and torn apart? No thank you! 'The Witch believes in Animals', they all said. 'The Witch fights for Animals' rights', they said. Well when the time came, I did see you! I did beg for your help and you ignored me."

The Witch threw her hands up to her hips and rested them there. "Have you ever been on a flying broom? The wind is deafening! We used our magic…a mirror, and saw what happened to you and your family. We also saw you calling for help. At the time, I was escaping from the same forces that you were. I'm not trying to excuse anything. I simply never heard or saw you. It's as simple as that. I'd like to help you now though. All of us would. The Wizard and his henchmen and laws are gone. Glinda's seen to that. You know Glinda too. It was her fiancé you murdered. The pain she endured was enormous; still she wants to help as well. Emrys and his wife, my sister, Maureen too. You only have to open yourself up to accept it."

She got to her feet and stretched her back. "I'll leave the door open and you can stay here or wander…as you wish. If you let me know when you're hungry, I'll bring you food."

"Why don't I just have what you're having?" Zara was trying to put the Witch on the spot. It failed.

"You're certainly welcome to, but I doubt you'd enjoy it much. I'm a vegetarian."

Zara looked suspicious. "Why?"

The Witch shrugged her shoulders and answered evenly, "I could never be sure the meat wasn't from an Animal. I decided when I was young that the sacrifice was more than worth it."

While Zara took this all in, the Witch headed for the door, her back fully exposed to her.

"Witch, I'll follow you up and out into the garden." Zara watched her nod easily, then continue, stopping just short of the door.

"Elphaba."

"What?"

"My name, it's Elphaba. My parents may have done many things to misshape me, but naming me Witch wasn't one of them. Thank Oz!"

With that, they left the under-chambers and Elphaba showed Zara where the door to the gardens was. She didn't follow, Zara noted. Perhaps she didn't need to; she'd left enough of herself with Zara to give her a lot to think of as she explored the place she was now calling home.