Chapter Twenty-Seven:

If you had asked either Sir Chuffrey or Lady Glinda what they thought about the memorial service for Nessarose Thropp, both of them would give a vague, hasty answer to you and turn away quickly. That's because Glinda spent the entire service in the balcony with her eyes trained on Elphaba, and Chuffrey looking at Glinda and then at Elphaba.

"I'm surprised at how many people showed up," commented Chuffrey to Glinda as the choir began.

With no answer escaping her lips, Chuffrey took the silence as a simple recognition and agreement from his wife.

"She looks so devastated," whispered Glinda so quietly that her husband almost didn't hear it. Looking at her face, he followed her eyes to where Elphaba sat in the first pew with her father. Chuffrey bit his lip for a moment, his mind becoming aggravated over this obsession she had for the green woman, and then he took a breath, calming himself.

"I'd be concerned if she wasn't, darling," he finally said after a moment of shuffling the program papers in his lap.

"She's probably still mad at me as well," croaked out the blonde as other people in their booth began to take their seats.

"Don't worry about that right now," he cautioned her as the funeral started.

"But you know I will," were the last words she spoke to him for the next hour…

The funeral was nothing spectacular but nor was it something that was utterly boring. Everyone was polite and paid their respects to the remaining members of the family.

While waiting in line, Chuffrey held Glinda's hand as she constantly flickered her eyes back and forth to Elphaba and then back to her feet. She seemed more than anxious to speak with her but Elphaba caught sight of her she got out of line with her father and went outside into the hallway.

Her heart sinking, Glinda watched as she left. The room was now filled with meaningless chatter and people, Glinda felt as if her world was falling apart.

All she wanted, all she needed from Elphaba was forgiveness. But how could she ever get forgiveness from someone who had never received it in her life? Glinda knew that throughout Elphaba's life all she had received was hatred and cruelty, even from her own family. She knew that Elphaba did not forgive easily, but she was willing to get her to try. But now that Elphaba was purposely avoided her, she felt like it was hopeless to even try. Elphaba would never truly forgive her; Glinda knew that that was a fact and not an assumption.

Her eyes gazed across the room to where Elphaba had exited from and she clutched at handfuls of her own black dress in agitation. She waited and waited for Elphaba to return to the room but she never did.

"Darling," interrupted Chuffrey by a gentle grab of her arm by his hand, "We should get going."

Glinda shook her head, her coiffed curls bouncing in the action, "No," she said commandingly.

Without her gaze on him, she heard him sigh for the umpteenth time that day. Agitation and frustration welled up inside of her.

"Glinda," he whispered in her ear lowly as the last couples trickled out of the room, "Let's go. You can talk with her later."

"No," insisted Glinda as she ripped her arm out of his grasp. She took a step forward; to get away from him when something gripped her forearm so tightly she was sure that it was too break if more pressure was added to it.

Biting back a shriek, she whirled around and saw that Chuffrey had snaked his pudgy hand around her small arm once more, but this time with more force, more aggression.

Her eyes met his in fear and in surprise.

Of course, she thought to herself, it was all an act. She scolded herself for being so trustworthy, so believing of his change of character, his change of heart. She should have seen that this disguise of loving understanding was just as she had described it. A disguise was all it was.

Glinda briefly wondered if Chuffrey had planned to avoid Elphaba for the rest of the time he was with Glinda.

Too angry to say anything, she tried to free herself of his hurtful grasp around her tiny wrist.

Her cold eyes bore into his and neither of them said anything for the longest time. They were now alone in the room; everyone else had left a few minutes ago before Chuffrey had grabbed her arm. So there was no one to see if something happened to her…

"Chuffrey, let me go," articulated the blonde as she took a step back from him.

"No, I can't do that," uttered her husband.

"I don't care if you can or cannot, you will let go of me," she half shrieked, half whispered.

His grip only tightened at those words and Glinda bit back a scream as harsh pain radiated and expanded from her wrist up to her shoulder.

"I won't lose you to her. It's not right," he muttered as he dragged her closer to him. Glinda felt her stomach drop as she got mere centimeters away from the man she had married those many, many years ago.

"Oh, why do you care?" she snapped at him, sick of his over-protective antics.

"Because you're mine!" he roared at her as his hand collided with her face.

Cheek stinging and her pride crumbling, Glinda rubbed her now sore cheek as she stumbled away from him.

"Not anymore," she snarled at him and her heels clicked as she began to walk away from him.

"You wouldn't do that!"

His words stopped her. They stopped her cold because deep down she knew it was true. She knew that she needed the limelight, she needed the adoration of people but she would give it all up for Elphaba now. In a heartbeat she would throw away her dresses, her money, and her title for the chance to still be with Elphaba.

"Watch me," she warned as she whirled around to glare at him.

Chuffrey merely smirked at her, his eyes glinting in whatever satisfaction he got out of torturing her.

"And if she refuses you, what will you do then? That Dorothy girl is on her way to kill her, and if she succeeds Elphaba will be dead. Who will you go back to then? I'll gladly take you back, my dear…"

His whispering words shuddered and swirled around her body and ears, making her feel slightly horrified by his tone.

Words bubbled inside of her but she refused to let them out. Those words were the truth and for once Glinda would not let him win.

"She will not die, and she will not refuse me," shouted Glinda as she briskly walked to the door, "And I will never give up my pride just to crawl back to a monster like you!"

She slammed the door behind her but not before she heard his words.

"Just you wait, my dear. You'll come…"

After leaving the funeral home, Glinda found herself walking aimlessly near Colwen Grounds. After the things that had happened here last time, Glinda was a bit apprehensive about strolling through the gardens once more but she needed to clear her head.

The words that Chuffrey had left her were echoing in her head. They would not leave her mind.

The sky felt like a huge boulder that was pressing down on her. As she walked, Glinda realized that she was not alone.

Footsteps that were not her own resonated along the pathway, and Glinda looked up at the horizon to find Elphaba walking on the opposite side of the path.

Resisting the urge to run into her arms and cry, Glinda avoided her gaze and sped up her pace, hoping to catch the green woman's eye.

But to her utter dismay and disappointment, Elphaba purposely avoided her and walked along as if she had seen nothing.

Glinda stopped dead in her tracks after Elphaba had passed her, her heart breaking as she realized that Chuffrey had been right. But summoning up her inner courage, she turned determined not to let anyone else be right about the affairs of her heart.

"Oh, Elphie," she cried, hoping for a response from the woman.

But Elphaba or the Witch as she was now called did not turn around. She did say that she forgave Glinda nor did she acknowledge her presence. All she did was flinch as if Glinda's voice caused her pain and continue walking without a second glance.

"Elphie?" Glinda's voice lingered in the tense air between them as Elphaba soon became nothing but a shadow in the light.

With no tears left to fall from her eyes, and sadness filling her Glinda's mouth trembled with quivering sobs making quiet noises but nothing more.

In that moment Glinda promised herself and Elphaba that she would not let her walk out of her life that easily.

She would follow her to the ends of the earth to be with her, to keep her safe from the murdering girl she had sent her way, to confess her love for her.

"I'll find you again, this won't be the last time we see each other," swore Glinda to the open air, only hoping, wishing, and imagining that Elphaba was listening to her.

Sorry for the late update but I found inspiration today by listening to Disney's Hunchback Of Notre Dame soundtrack. Hope you all liked it!

Bubble