AN: Thank you all very much for reviewing!

Yeah... for some twisted reason I like hurting both Glinda and Elphaba. Is that sadistic of me? (I don't think so - I happen to know lots of Wicked fanfic authors enjoy torturing our favourite witches :). Still, I find it kind of disturbing, but I'm going to carry through with it nonetheless.)

And just so you know: yes, ChaoticSymphonyofDarkness, I enjoy torturing you, my readers, too :D.

Disclaimer: I'm not that girl.

When Elphaba carefully peeked into Glinda's bedroom, she was relieved to find Doctor Quork sitting by her friend's bedside. She snuck into the room, making the curtains rustle, and he looked up at the sound and smiled sadly when he saw her. 'Elphaba.'

'How is she?' Elphaba asked immediately, not wanting to waste any time with formalities. Quork sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. 'I won't lie to you, Elphaba… she's not well.' He sighed again. 'The irony of it… she was just giving a speech to reassure the Ozians that she hadn't been harmed in the last attempt on her life,' he explained in response to her puzzled look. 'They were all so happy to see for themselves that their ruler wasn't hurt in any way, and then, suddenly, there were knifes flying through the air… There were so many guards with her, but it happened so fast and the knifes were very well aimed – it almost seemed like magic…'

It probably was, thought Elphaba, crossing over to the bedside and blinking back her tears when she saw Glinda lying there, face pale, eyes closed. The only sign that proved her to still be alive was the just noticeable rising and falling of her chest.

She clutched Glinda's hand and buried her face in the blankets as she was no longer able to hold back her tears. 'Oh, Glinda… I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry,' she whispered, her voice sounding choked. Glinda didn't move at all and Doctor Quork quietly got up to give the green girl some privacy, but Elphaba looked up again before he had reached the door. 'No!' she said a bit desperately. 'Stay here.' She wanted to have the doctor nearby, in case Glinda would need him.

He hesitated for a moment, but then he nodded and returned to his chair. Elphaba, in the meantime, gently kissed Glinda's forehead before whirling around and starting to banter through the room, towards Glinda's wardrobe, rummaging around for a moment before finding what she had been looking for. She was already flicking through the pages of the Grimmerie before she had even returned to her seat.

Finally, she found the healing spell Glinda had used on her some time ago, and she softly started to chant. When she was done, she peered over at Glinda, and a sense of relief washed over her as she noticed some colour had returned to the blonde's face and her breathing had evened out. Elphaba let out her own breath as she put down the Grimmerie and clutched Glinda's hand again. The healing spell had worked. It still wasn't perfect, but she hoped it would elevate Glinda's chanced at healing fully.

While she was sitting there, there was a faint knock on the door and someone came in. 'Doctor Quork?'

Elphaba immediately jumped and tried to hide in the closet, but by the time she even got there, the man had already entered the room. He didn't see her right away, though. 'I just wanted to see how she was,' he said softly to the doctor, who smiled at the newcomer. 'She's getting better, Corrin,' he said, his eyes flickering towards Elphaba for a moment. Corrin turned around and his eyes locked with Elphaba's, and she couldn't help herself – she just stood there and gaped at him.

Strong jaw line, thick, brown hair, piercing blue eyes – he was quite handsome, if you looked past the mask of tiredness that was clearly visible on his face. But that wasn't why she was still gaping at him, mouth slightly open.

He smiled at her, taking her hand in his and kissing it. 'Elphaba. I knew you wouldn't be far behind me as soon as you'd find out what had happened.'

'You are Glinda's love interest?!' she finally managed to choke out and his face lit up at that. 'She said that?'

The witch merely glared at him, still in shock. Quork looked at her and then at Corrin, looking confused. 'What is going on here? Do you two know each other?'

'You could say that!' Elphaba spat as she narrowed her eyes at the man in front of her. 'I can't believe you didn't tell me about any of this! I thought you trusted me!'

'I did… I do,' he hastened to reassure her. 'It's just… Hey, wait a minute,' he said, frowning at her. 'You did know, Elphaba. I told you I've been working for the government – well, spying on the Wizard – and that Glinda asked me to keep doing so when she took over the reign of Oz.'

'But you didn't tell me you were in love with her!' Elphaba screeched, wincing when she realised she might wake up Glinda with her screaming. Luckily, the blonde only stirred and sighed once before lying still again and Elphaba directed her gaze back at Corrin, who was looking a bit sheepish. 'Well… yeah. I guess you're right. Sorry.'

'Could you explain this to me?' Quork asked, clearly getting impatient. 'How do you two know each other?'

Elphaba turned to face him. 'Doctor Quork,' she said sarcastically, 'meet Corrin. Otherwise known as Master Gold, the leader of the Resistance.'

Corrin grinned sheepishly at the doctor. 'Hi.'

'Corrin is Master Gold?' Quork asked incredulously. Elphaba nodded sourly. 'Imagine my surprise. Although I think you do match personalities, you and Glinda,' she said to him. 'And I think it's really cute, although just a tiny bit gross, considering I think of you as a brother and her being my best friend and all… I do think it's a good fit, don't get me wrong - but I just can't believe you didn't tell me!'

He grimaced. 'I didn't think my personal interest in Glinda was very relevant for the cause,' he protested. She glared at him and he surrendered. 'All right. Being friends and all, I suppose I should have told you.'

Glinda stirred again and Elphaba nearly ran over to the bedside. The blonde's eyes fluttered open. 'Elphie?'

'Hey, Glin' the green girl said, smiling, tears in her eyes despite her attempts to hold them back. 'How are you feeling?'

'I'm dizzy,' Glinda muttered. 'What happened?'

'Morrible attacked you again,' Elphaba told her, her voice breaking, and she gently squeezed Glinda's hand. 'Just rest, okay? You'll be all right.'

'Elphie?'

'Yes?'

'I had the strangest dream.'

'Did you, now?' Elphaba asked gently, stroking back a blonde curl from her friend's face. Glinda frowned. 'Yeah… I dreamt that Corrin and I are going to be married.'

Elphaba chuckled softly, despite her tears. 'Did he know that?'

Glinda let out a soft giggle – a sound that reassured Elphaba more than anything. 'He did. He actually asked me this time.'

'Well, what do you know,' the green girl said, smiling. 'That might just happen someday. Sometimes, dreams do come true, you know,' she added, raising her eyebrows meaningfully at Gold, who, to her utter satisfaction, actually blushed.

Glinda smiled, too, as her eyes closed again. 'Yeah…' She drifted back off to sleep, and Elphaba took a deep breath, wiping away her tears. Before she could say something, however, there came another knock on the door. Luckily, this time, she was able to hide behind a curtain just in time.

'Doctor Quork?' she heard someone, probably a servant, ask tentatively. 'There is a man here who wants to see Lady Glinda. He says he's a friend of hers, from the Vinkus…' Elphaba, from her position behind the curtain, sighed and rolled her eyes. Of course Fiyero had come here.

'Shall I let him in?' the servant continued. Quork was apparently smart enough to figure out who this friend of Glinda's would be, because she heard him say, 'Yes, I know who he is. Please let him in.'

She heard faint voices and footsteps heading in their direction. Then a door closed and Fiyero asked anxiously, 'How is she?'

Doctor Quork told him what had happened and she heard him sigh. 'Oh, Glinda…' There was silence for a while, before he asked, 'Is Elphaba here, too?'

She took that as a sign that the coast was entirely clear now and she peeked around the curtain. Upon seeing Fiyero, she looked at him a bit sheepishly. 'I'm here.'

Wordlessly, he walked up to her and wrapped her in his arms. 'How are you doing?' he asked, his blue eyes concerned. Elphaba sighed and pulled away. She couldn't stop her fingers from trembling when she lifted them up to run them through her hair. 'I'm holding up. I came straight away when I found out what had happened to Glinda, I was really worried… But I think she'll be okay now.'

Doctor Quork nodded and smiled at her. 'Thanks to that spell of yours, Elphaba, she'll be fine.'

'Well, since it was my fault she was attacked in the first place, it's only right that I try to fix it, too, right?' she asked miserably.

Fiyero took a deep breath and she knew he was going to lecture her about how this was definitely not her fault, even though she knew it was, but to everyone's surprise, Gold – Corrin, she corrected herself - spoke up first. 'Elphaba. Stop being ridiculous. Stop blaming yourself for things that weren't your fault. Morrible is just an awful old hag – she doesn't even need a reason to attack people, and in case you forgot, she actually had a reason to attack Glinda – besides her being your best friend. Prison, remember?'

'Finally, someone on my side,' she heard Fiyero sigh, and she smiled faintly at that. Corrin turned towards Fiyero with a smile. 'You must be Prince Fiyero Tiggular of the Vinkus. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, after hearing Elphaba rattle on about you for years.'

She blushed furiously. 'I did not!'

'Ever since that Lion Cub incident?' Corrin reminded her innocently, and she grumbled. 'One more word, and I'm going to turn you into a toad.'

Fiyero bent towards her. 'How does he know about the Lion Cub thing?'

She explained to him who Corrin really was and he looked genuinely impressed. 'The famous Master Gold. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, too.'

'Would you mind moving to the sitting area?' Doctor Quork, who was examining Glinda, asked. 'She really needs her rest, and four of us in here with her…'

They immediately knew what he meant and Elphaba and Fiyero left without further comment, but Corrin hesitated. 'Can I please… stay with her?'

Quork looked up at him kindly and nodded. 'Of course.'

Corrin was still sitting next to the bed when Glinda woke up, a few hours later. She smiled faintly when she saw him. 'Hey.'

'Glinda!' he exclaimed, quickly jumping to his feet and taking her hand, which made her blush ever so slightly. Fortunately, he didn't seem to notice. 'I was so worried about you! Are you feeling all right?'

'I'm okay,' she murmured. 'But my stomach hurts. And my side. And my shoulder. And my hip. And my arm, too,' she complained, and she saw Corrin trying to stifle a laugh. She looked at him warily. 'If it didn't hurt so much, I'd slap you.'

He merely smiled at her and she frowned slightly. 'Elphie said Morrible attacked me again… what did she do?'

'She used knives,' Corrin told her, sounding a bit choked. 'Your injuries were pretty bad, Glin. You almost died. Quork said if it hadn't been for the healing spell Elphaba cast on you…'

Glinda smiled again. 'I guess that makes us about even, then. ' She tried to push herself up and pulled a face. 'Ouch,' she moaned, and he gently helped her sit up a little. 'Better?'

'Yes, thank you.' He was still holding her and she closed her eyes for a moment, trying to stop the room from spinning, resting her head against his chest. 'It hurts,' she complained softly and he gently brushed her hair from her face. 'I know. But we're all here to help you – me, Doctor Quork, Elphaba, Fiyero… You're going to be fine, Glinda.'

She sighed wearily and before he could help himself, Corrin lowered his face to hers and kissed her softly on the lips.

When he pulled away, she was staring at him, shocked and wide-eyed, mouth agape. When she still didn't respond after a few clock-ticks, he started to get worried. 'Glinda? Are you okay?'

'Get Elphie for me, please,' she whispered, her eyes still wide, and he immediately nodded and dashed towards the sitting area, convinced that something was wrong. 'Elphaba? She's asking for you. I… I think something's wrong,' he said and upon seeing the concern in his eyes, Elphaba got up and rushed over to Glinda's bedroom. 'Glinda? Are you okay?' She, too, started to worry when she noticed how pale her friend looked.

'Close the door for me, please?' the blonde asked softly, and Elphaba obeyed before turning around to face her friend. Glinda's expression had changed completely – she now looked beyond herself with excitement and she started to squeal with delight as she used to do back in her Galinda days, an impossibly loud and high-pitched sound. 'Oh my Oz, Elphie!' she squealed. 'He kissed me! Corrin actually just kissed me!' She looked about ready to jump from her bed and do one of her stupid little Galinda-dances with joy, but thankfully, Elphaba was able to convince her to stay down. 'Sweet Oz, Glinda, that's what this is all about?' she demanded, secretly relieved that nothing was wrong. 'You scared Corrin to death – he looked convinced you were going to die or something.'

Glinda giggled. 'Oh, I'm sorry, Elphie, but – you're my best friend and you needed to know and… I didn't really know what to say to him afterwards,' she then confessed, looking horrified. 'Oh, my… what does that mean? I always know what to say to a boy – or, well, man, in this case, but still… He kissed me and then I just… stared at him! Do you think my brain has been effected by the attack?' she asked anxiously, and Elphaba couldn't keep herself from chuckling. 'Glinda, those knives didn't even come near your head. And in case you're wondering, you didn't hit the ground when you fell, either – I heard Corrin caught you just in time.'

Glinda beamed. 'He's so amazing!'

'Oh my, Glinda,' Elphaba said in mock surprise. 'You actually sound like you're in love!'

The blonde blinked. 'I do, don't I? Perhaps you're right… But I've never been in love before – not really, anyway,' she added, grimacing as she thought of her engagement to Fiyero not too long ago. 'What if I do it wrong?'

Elphaba laughed softly. 'Oh, Glin,' she said fondly, hugging her friend. 'You can't do love wrong. It just happens to you. Stop worrying - just relax and enjoy it.' She looked at the blonde a bit sternly. 'And now, if you don't mind, I'm going to send Corrin back in. I'm guessing he's wearing a ditch in the floor right now with worry – you should tell him you're all right.'

Corrin and Fiyero, however, had already overheard practically the entire conversation – Glinda's loud squeaks were difficult to miss – and Corrin was beaming when he came back into the room and went over to Glinda. Sniggering, Elphaba snuck past him to the sitting area, where Fiyero was still waiting. He smiled at her and slid his arms around her waist, drawing her close. '"You can't do love wrong"?' he asked teasingly. 'I've heard you say otherwise in the past.'

She rolled her eyes, but then rested her head against his shoulder. 'I may have learned a few lessons in the past few months,' she admitted, and she felt rather than saw him grin. 'Finally. I was wondering if my efforts would ever pay off. There are still a few more lessons you need to learn, though – unless you finally believe me when I tell you that you are beautiful?'

She made a face at him, even though he couldn't see that because her head was still on his shoulder. 'Not going to happen.'

'In that case, I'm not yet done teaching you,' he said cheerfully, and she smiled as she looked up at him and kissed him. 'I'm glad.'

They all stayed at the palace for a while. Glinda had somehow persuaded Corrin to share the bed with her, with which he was not quite comfortable, being the gentleman he was, but everyone could tell that both of them secretly loved sleeping next to each other. Glinda, especially, felt protected with his arms around her when she slept and when she woke up – she couldn't help but be scared sometimes that Morrible would come back in the middle of the night to finish the job. She never did, but Glinda felt safer with Corrin near, and they both enjoyed each other's company.

Elphaba and Fiyero stayed as well – in secret, obviously; they'd made a bed out of pillows and blankets on the floor of the sitting area, the door of which Corrin would lock carefully every night so that no one might come in and discover them. After a week or so, however, Glinda really seemed to be getting better, and when Doctor Quork announced to her that she was allowed to get up a few hours a day, Elphaba decided she should leave.

'Where are you going?' Glinda asked when her friend told her this. 'Back to Adurin Iir with Fiyero?'

Elphaba hesitated – she hated lying to her friend, but she couldn't very well tell her the truth. 'No,' she finally conceded. 'I'm going after Morrible.'

Glinda gasped at that, her eyes wide with horror and shock. 'Elphie, no!'

The green girl was quick to reassure her. 'I found a way to beat her,' she explained briefly. 'I would have took more time to plan it out carefully, but her attacking you, Glin, for the second time nonetheless, is the final straw. I just can't wait any longer and risk something happening to you again – or to Fiyero.'

Glinda understood this. 'Do you want the Grimmerie back?' she asked suddenly. 'I mean, it's still rightfully yours… and you might need it.'

Elphaba smiled at her friend and squeezed her hand. 'No, thank you, Glin. I gave it to you – it belongs to you now. I do like to see it one more time, though.' She would like to have a look at the original anti-immortality spell she was about to cast, in case she had missed something in her copy. 'And… this may seem an odd request, but… I'd rather like my hat back.'

Glinda quirked an eyebrow at her. 'That hideoteous old thing?'

Elphaba merely smiled. 'I'm rather fond of it – you know that. If only because you gave it to me and it sort of marks the beginning of our friendship. Plus, I think it really suits my reputation as a Wicked Witch,' she smirked, which only made Glinda frown. 'Elphie…'

'I know, I know,' the green girl sighed. 'Oz, you're just like Fiyero sometimes.'

Now it was Glinda's turn to smile. 'It's in my closet. Right next to the Grimmerie.'

Elphaba flashed her a smile and went over to the wardrobe to fetch both the book and the hat. They sat in silence for a while, Elphaba reading and Glinda thinking, but finally, the witch closed the book and carefully placed it back in its hiding spot. Then she placed the hat on top of her head, took her broom and looked at the blonde. 'Please tell Fiyero not to worry.'

Glinda gaped at her. 'You're leaving? And you're not telling him…'

'I need to do this alone,' Elphaba said simply. She smirked. 'And I found it to be much easier to sneak off without him knowing than to argue with him and convince him to stay voluntarily.'

Glinda shook her head disapprovingly. 'Elphie…'

'I'll be back,' the green girl promised, and before Glinda could so much as blink, she had gone out onto the balcony and kicked off, leaping high into the sky. Glinda sighed and sank back against her pillows.

'Just great,' the blonde muttered to herself. 'In front of me the horrendible task of telling Fiyero his girlfriend took off again – he is so not going to like this.' She sighed again and looked outside, where Elphaba had become a mere dot at the horizon. She grumbled.

'You owe me for this one, Elphaba Thropp.'

The Wizard was sitting outside on the bench again, lost in thought, when he heard someone approach. As soon as he saw Elphaba coming his way, he knew what she was here for.

'Now?' he asked, getting up and waiting for her to catch up with him.

She nodded grimly, determination written all over her face. 'Now.'

Drama is about to kick in! Oh my, you guys are so going to hate me somewhere along the next few chapters *smirks*.

Pwease review!