Glinda stood in the snow in the mountains, keeping her tears at bay. She didn't want to cry anymore, she didn't want to feel anymore, and she didn't want to think anymore. She had the first two down so far; she kept her tears from coming and falling all over her cheeks and she had been in the cold so long, she couldn't feel the sharp wind on her arms anymore. However, she couldn't stop thinking about anything and everything. The most prominent thought in her mind was that Dr. Dillamond was dead. She continued to think that she'd never see him again; she'd never be able to run up and hug him at the train station when he came to pick her up.

She'd also have other passing thoughts in her mind like how she was probably making Nessa all worried. Glinda hoped the governess wouldn't search for her as she didn't need Nessa dying in the mountains; she already lost Dr. Dillamond. She thought about being locked up again, but this time, in a mental institution. She wasn't stupid. Glinda knew she was an unstable mess and she wished she could control her actions. If anything, she wished to be normal again. Glinda didn't want to live in fear anymore, which was her constant state of being.

Morrible had terrified her, yet again. She imagined what the doctors and nurses would do to her, and she shivered. Glinda was starting to feel the cold air again, and she wished she couldn't feel it. The wind was sharp and gusting all around her. She was glad it wasn't snowing, but she should have worn boots as her feet were absolutely freezing in her heels. Glinda closed her eyes, and she could see Elphaba's face as clear as day.

Only, it wasn't a pleasant face, but the green woman had a look of utter fear in her eyes when she looked at Glinda. The blonde cursed at herself for making Elphaba afraid of her when she was about to kill-murder someone. "Sweet Oz," Glinda said, opening her eyes. "I was going to take a life…I would have if Elphie hadn't said anything." Glinda couldn't help but think about the men who she had killed, and she began to wonder if it was worth it. "If I didn't," she contemplated. "I would have suffered more. And I can't suffer anymore, I just can't."

Her justification wasn't good enough for her. She imagined the men's families, and she felt her heart break when she realized the pain she felt when she lost Dr. Dillamond was probably what she had caused for those people who knew those men, and she was disgusted with herself. "I hope I freeze. I need to die so that other people can live."

Glinda thought about how she had taken away Nessa's life; the brunette was forced to take care of her as Glinda could no longer care for herself. She couldn't even sleep by herself, and that made Glinda so angry. She should have been able to sleep- she should have fallen asleep and woken up when Nessa came home from that political party. None of this would have happened if she just went to sleep!

Glinda fell down into the snow, her exhaustion and hunger taking over. She knelt there, waiting for the inevitable. Maybe if Elphaba was wrong, she'd go into the afterlife and see Dr. Dillamond and then she could be happy again. She'd be away from everyone and everything, just like the Shiz professor. Maybe he was right and that this was the only way to solve the torment that shook her very soul. However, Elphaba was usually right and there probably wasn't an afterlife. Either way, whether there was an afterlife or nothingness, anything would be better than what she was enduring while alive.

The blonde whipped her head to the left when she heard her name, or she thought she heard her name. Regardless, she pulled herself up to her feet and looked in the direction. Absentmindedly, she turned back around and stared, not wanting to be found if there was a voice. "Glinda!" she heard, and she wished she had energy to run or do any kind of magic. "There you are." The voice was much closer, just right behind her. If there was a snowstorm, she thought, she would have been lost forever. "Glinda, you're…alive. Sweet Oz, that's a relief. Come with me and we'll get off this mountain."

"No," Glinda replied. "You can go if you wish it, but I wish to stay here."

"I can't imagine why you'd want to stay here."

"Because I can die here," Glinda replied truthfully.

"My sweet, please, come with me."

"Elphie?" Glinda turned around to confirm that it was Elphaba. The green skin didn't lie; nor did the sharp facial features and those beautiful brown eyes with amber speckled in them, something Glinda always had loved about her eyes.

"I'm right here," Elphaba replied and stepped forward, making Glinda take a step back.

"You should go," Glinda said to her. "Please, leave me be."

"I can't leave you here," Elphaba said, continuing to step closer, only resulting in Glinda stepping backwards. Funny, Elphaba used to be the one who stepped away while Glinda was the one who always wanted to get closer. It was funny, Glinda thought, how the roles had reversed.

"It's for the best. This way, I can't hurt anyone else," Glinda said, closing her eyes as her tears were leaking from her eyes.

"Please come with me, my sweet," Elphaba tried. "Let me take you back to the hotel. Nessa's there waiting for us. I'm sure she has a fire going."

"Elphie," Glinda cried as she opened up her blue eyes.

"I'm right here."

"Dr. Dillamond's dead," Glinda sniffed and looked down at her feet. "He was going through almost the same thing I did-I am. He said in his letter that I need to continue living and not do what he did, but why not do what he did? It makes the pain go away…" Words poured from her mouth and she had no idea why she could easily reveal her feelings so easily. It's because she's Elphie Glinda thought.

"Glinda, I understand what you're feeling right now is hard-"

"You don't understand, Elphaba. You never will. The only person alive I knew who did was Dr. Dillamond. But now he's gone and now it's just me," Glinda cried harder. She began to fall forward, but was caught in strong arms. Elphaba had opened up her coat and wrapped Glinda in it, pressing the blonde into her chest. Glinda flinched at the contact at first, but for some strange reason unknown to herself, she let herself cry into Elphaba. Her cold hands gripped onto the fabric of Elphaba's dress, as if it was a lifeline. Her head was tucked safely underneath the other woman's chin. "Don't go away, Elphie. Don't go away," she pleaded, gripping the dress tighter.

"I'm never going away," Elphaba assured as she held the poor girl tightly.

"You can't leave."

"My sweet Glinda," Elphaba said before kissing the top of her head. "I'm never leaving."

"I don't want to be this way anymore. I-I know I'm losing my mind, and I know that I'm breaking, but I can't stop these thoughts and this…this fear."

"You've been through a lot," Elphaba replied calmly, which was calming Glinda down. "It's okay; everything will be all right in the end. I am going to do everything in my power to make you unafraid. I'm going to help you enjoy life and dry those tears, I promise you that."

"Dr. Dillamond's dead," Glinda cried again.

"I know, I know," Elphaba said. Glinda felt herself getting warmer in the embrace. "It's horrible, but you will be okay. Death is a strange thing. We grieve, but then we are okay once time passes. You won't forget him, but you'll remember the happy times you two had together and laugh about the funny moments. It'll get easier."

"Nothing's ever easy anymore," Glinda admitted. "Every day is a struggle, and this just makes me feel like I'm drowning. Elphie…"

"I'll make everything better," Elphaba said. Glinda heard the slight quiver in her voice. Was she crying? She didn't dare to ask as Elphaba hated crying and rarely ever did so. "I promise, Glinda. You're too precious to me to let you keep living every day as if it's impossible."

"I'm ready," Glinda spoke up just loud enough to hear. "Take me off the mountain, please."

"Of course," Elphaba replied. "Anything for you, my sweet, my Glinda."

Sorry again for the wait! I'm glad I was able to get this up a day earlier than I planned :) Thanks to everyone who reads and reviews!