Hello everyone! This is my first fanfic in the Wicked fandom, and I've been planning it out since March, so this is very exciting! So I guess you could classify this as an All Human AU, but Oz still exists as if it's a country that exists in out world. In terms of the Titanic aspect of it... it will more or less follow the plot of Titanic 1997, but I will be taking a few creative liberties (for ex: it will be a lot more gay ;)). Quick shoutout to demeterluna for betaing this fic. Thanks so much, friend 3 Happy reading ^-^
April 30, 1997…
Glinda sat in her rocking chair with her eyes closed, listening to the soft music playing on her radio. In her almost 102 years of life, she never thought she'd live to see the day when you could own a music-playing device. She also never thought she'd live long enough to see her great-grandchildren; and yet, there they were.
It's amazing how the world works, isn't it?
She opened her eyes and looked over at her small table filled with photographs. She smiled to herself, letting her mind fill with happy memories; a photo of her late husband, William, on their wedding day, a photo of her daughter graduating from college, a photo of her granddaughter on Christmas. Though when her eyes landed in front of a very old photo of herself in front of the RMS Titanic, "The Ship of Dreams", that happiness started to fade away.
There was one person that she met on the Titanic whom she loved very much, though who would never have a photograph on the table, as there was none that existed. There were only a few mementos she had left of this person, and even those were starting to fade away. The person who changed her forever, who saved her life…
Knock, knock, knock
A soft knocking on her room door brought Glinda out of her thoughts.
"Come in," she called out. The door opened and in walked a young woman in light pink scrubs; her nurse, Molli.
"Good morning, Mrs. Chuffrey," Molli said sweetly. "Your granddaughter is here to see you."
"Oh, how lovely," Glinda replied brightly. She loved it when her granddaughter came to visit; while the staff in the retirement home had always been very sweet, there weren't many folks around here who were willing to make friends in their old age. "Please, send her in."
Molli stepped out, and a few moments later her granddaughter, Melina, walked in.
"Hi, Granny," Melina said smiling, walking towards her to wrap her in a hug.
"Hello, my dear," Glinda replied, returning the hug. Melina then turned to look at her radio.
"What are you listening to, Granny?"
"Oh, just some music I used to enjoy when I was young." Images of an elegant dining room and a string quartet danced in Glinda's mind…
"Do you remember much about your family?" Melina asked, examining the photographs.
"Oh, bits and pieces," Glinda replied. "That's why I keep these photographs; to remember."
She looked back at her table of photographs. Her eyes fell on a photo of her good friend Boq and his wife Milla, both of whom tragically lost their lives when the Titanic sank. She also looked at a photo of her dear parents; her father had died in 1910, which led to her mother becoming cold-hearted, especially towards Glinda herself.
Melina smiled. "Hey, do you want me to put on the TV while I make us some lunch?" She asked, placing a hand on Glinda's shoulder.
"That would be lovely, dear. Take your time," she replied, patting Melina's hand. She turned on the TV with a click to a random news channel and placed the remote on the end table next to her chair. She watched as Melina walked behind her towards the small kitchen: She looks so much like me when I was young, Glinda thought. Her curly hair had turned pure white with age, but she remembered a time when her hair was the color of pure gold.
Glinda turned her head towards the TV and saw something that immediately caught her attention. There was a reporter, and the words under the reporter read "Artifacts Found On Titanic's 84th Anniversary." Her eyes widened in shock.
"Melina, can you help me with something?" She called out.
"What is it, Granny?"
"I need help to make the TV louder. I still haven't figured out how to use this blasted thing!"
She heard Melina chuckle. "Of course. Let me see that," Melina said, and she took the remote to raise the volume.
"That's much better, thank you, dear." The reporter continued speaking, and he sat down to interview a gentleman who looked like he was a scientist of some sort.
"This evening I have the pleasure of speaking with American Marine Archaeologist, Dr. Nathaniel Dillamond, about his findings on a recent expedition to the RMS Titanic. Doctor, tell us what led you to your discovery."
"Thank you very much for having me. So, I originally planned this expedition to attempt to locate the legendary Heart of the Ocean, a precious diamond necklace that is said to have been owned by Lord Fiyero Tigelaar of the Vinkus. The Lord, unfortunately, lost his life when the Titanic sank, and he has no living descendants, so whether or not this necklace actually existed has been met with much debate. But my findings at the wreck have led me to believe we are one step closer to finding it."
Dr. Dillamond reached behind him, and placed a manila folder on his lap.
"Me and my team sent a scope into the wreck to the suite where Lord Tigelaar stayed while on the ship, and we discovered a secure safe, and we thought we had struck gold! We brought the safe up to the surface, and tried to drill it open. What we found inside wasn't the necklace, but something even better…"
He carefully pulled out a sheet of paper from the folder, and Glinda's breath caught in her throat; it was a drawing of a nude woman lounging on a sofa, curly hair spilling down her shoulders, and The Heart of the Ocean resting on her chest.
She hasn't seen that picture in 84 years…
"As you can see here, the drawing is dated April 14, 1912, which means that whoever this woman is was wearing the necklace the night the Titanic sank. So if we can find out who she is, we may finally have answers."
"Well I'll be goddamned!" Glinda exclaimed, leaning so far ahead in her chair she almost fell off. She must have said it louder than she intended, because suddenly Melina was at her side, laughing.
"Be careful, Granny! You're gonna fall," she said, helping her lean back in her chair.
"Melina, look," Glinda said, pointing her shaking hand at the TV screen.
"What is it?" Melina asked, looking concerned.
"That's me! That drawing is a picture of me!"
"Are you feeling okay, Granny? Maybe I should call in Molli…"
"No! No, that won't be necessary, dear. I just need to find a way to contact this man."
"Are you sure you're okay? You haven't been feeling well lately, and the doctor said you need to start taking it easy."
"I promise you I'm fine," she said as she looked into her granddaughter's bright eyes. Glinda directed her gaze back to the television as the interview continued.
"So tell me, Doctor, what it is that makes this necklace so legendary, and how we know it exists at all."
"Great question. Legend has it that Lord Tigelaar had the necklace commissioned to be specially made for his fiancee, whose name has been lost to the Atlantic Ocean and to history. It was made towards the end of the Great Diamond Rush in the Munchkinland province of Oz, and was made from one of the rare diamonds that were mined there. Virtually all diamonds have been mined to extinction in Munchkinland, so if this necklace were to ever be found, it would be extremely valuable. The only evidence we have of the necklace existing is from business correspondence discovered at Tigelaar manor…"
Glinda watched with both amazement and sadness. Any mention of her home country made her heart ache. She missed it so much, but she had realized quickly after the sinking that she could never go back; everyone thinks she died with the rest of her family at the bottom of the ocean, and she knew it was safer that way. But she'd been hiding long enough.
"Thank you very much for your time, Doctor. At the bottom of your screen you'll find a phone number to contact if you have any information regarding the Titanic, or any artifacts relating to the Titanic."
Glinda didn't know what came over her, but she turned towards her granddaughter and started speaking before she could stop herself.
"Melina, dear, please bring that telephone over here. Quickly."
"Here. Are you sure about this, Granny? Maybe you should just rest."
"Yes, I'm sure," she said, determined. "Please dial that number for me, dear."
Melina sighed, and punched the number into the telephone. Glinda, her hand trembling, held up the phone to her ear.
"Dr. Nathaniel Dillamond's office. How may I help you?"
"Hello, my name is Glinda Chuffrey. I have some information regarding the "Heart of the Ocean" that may be of interest to the Doctor."
The secretary was silent for a few moments, and then: "Thank you very much, ma'am. Please hold for a moment."
Glinda took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. I can't believe I'm actually doing this. After all these years…
Melina sat by her side, rubbing her shoulder reassuringly. Just then, the phone picked up again.
"Hello, Mrs. Chuffrey, this is Dr. Dillamond. How can I help you, ma'am?"
"Oh, thank you very much for taking my call, Doctor. You see… My real name is Galinda Arduenna-Upland of Gillikin. The woman in the picture is me."
Five days later…
A few more phone calls and a plane ride later, Melina was pushing Glinda in her wheelchair up a ramp to a large, fancy looking yacht. She had been living in England for so long that she had forgotten what New York City looked like. Of course a lot of it had changed since then she'd been there last (75 years of change, to be exact), but the overall feeling of wonder and dread remained the same.
Dr. Dillamond's secretary told her that they would be taking a trip out to the location of the Titanic wreck site, and she wasn't sure how to feel about it. Once Glinda and Melina arrived on the yacht, they were greeted by two men who looked like they could be college professors.
"Hello, Mrs. Chuffrey! It's so great to finally meet you. I'm Dr. Nathaniel Dillamond," he said, holding out his hand to shake Glinda's frail one. "And this is my colleague, Dr. Oliver NikDik."
"It's lovely to meet you, ma'am," NikDik replied while shaking Glinda's hand.
"Now then, why don't we move this inside? We have a lot to discuss," Dillamond said, leading the way. The ground below them came to life as the yacht started on it's journey to the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
Glinda took a deep breath, and let it out as Melina wheeled her into a lavish sitting room in the main section of the yacht. While her late husband had a great job, and they lived comfortably until his passing, Glinda hadn't been around such luxury like this since 1912. There were two ornate sofas on either side of the room; the doctors sat on one side of the room while Glinda and Melina sat on the other, a glass coffee table in the middle. Dillamond picked up the manila folder that he had on the television interview, and began to open it.
"Let's get down to business now, shall we? Mrs. Chuffery, I believe this may be of interest to you," he said, pulling out the contents of the folder and handing it to Glinda.
"... my God," Glinda replied, cupping one hand over her mouth as she took the picture in her shaking fingers. She traced her fingers over the drawn lines of her intricately drawn figure, and grazed her hand down to the corner paper until she found the signature. "Oh, Elphie," she said, so softly that she could barely hear it herself. Her mind flashed back to a velvet sofa, hands delicately moving a pencil across the paper, her pounding heart…
Melina looked over Glinda's shoulder wide-eyed. "You really believe that was you, Granny?"
"Of course it is! Your granny is a lot more frisky than you thought, huh dear?" Glinda replied, which caused everyone to start laughing. Glinda's laughter caused her to break into a fit of coughs.
"Are you ok?" Melina asked with her hand on her shoulder, concerned.
"I'm fine, dear, don't worry," Glinda said, patting Melina's hand reassuringly.
"So, Mrs. Chuffrey," NikDik began, "why don't we discuss what we came here to talk about?"
"Of course, let's begin."
"Alright then. Based on your phone call with Nathaniel, you declared that your real name is Lady Galinda Arduenna-Upland. Based on my research, the Arduennas and Uplands were wealthy families from the Gillikin province of Oz. Is that correct?"
"Yes, doctor."
"I'm curious, according to the records from the Titanic death toll, it shows that Galinda Arudenna-Upland died on the Titanic with her mother. Our research on you shows that you were born Glinda Thropp and that you worked in New York as an actress until you married William Chuffrey and moved to England."
"That's true, I had changed my name to Thropp when they brought the survivors to New York. I had nowhere else to go, you see, so I took the opportunity to start a new life."
"I see. And if that's you in the drawing that we discovered, that means you were engaged to Lord Fiyero Tigelaar in 1912, correct?"
"Yes, that's also true."
"Ok, so-"
"So that means you've seen The Heart of the Ocean with your own eyes," Dillamond interjected.
"Yes. It was a dreadful, heavy thing. This was the only time I ever wore it," Glinda said, pointing to the drawing. Dillamond turned his attention to Melina.
"Miss, what does the date on the drawing say?"
"April 14, 1912," Melina replied.
"If your Granny is really Galinda Arduenna-Upland, then that means she was wearing The Heart of the Ocean the night the Titanic sank." He turns back to Glinda. "Ma'am, I will gladly compensate you for any information you can give us that can help us locate the necklace."
Glinda thought for a moment, and looked down at her long-lost drawing in her hands. "You may give me this if any information I give you is worthwhile."
"Deal," Dillamond replied. The yacht suddenly came to a stop, and Dr. Dillamond got up to bring over a monitor that showed an image of the ocean floor. "Melina, Mrs. Chuffrey, we are now directly over the site where the Titanic sank 84 years ago." He pushed a button on a remote, and there was live video of the wreck site.
Glinda looked with sadness and fear, her eyes welling up with tears. She'll never forget the sight of innocent people jumping to their deaths, the rising water levels, frozen bodies floating in total darkness. She didn't realize she was actually crying until Melina shook her arm lightly.
"I think that's enough for today, you should get some rest."
"No! No…, I'm fine."
"Are you ready, ma'am?" NikDik asked. Glinda nodded her head silently. He took out an audio recorder, switched it on, and placed it on the table in front of her. "Just start talking whenever you're ready."
Glinda closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "It's been 84 years. I still remember the smell of fresh paint. The sheets had never even been slept in, the china never used. They called it the Ship of Dreams. And it was. It really was…"