A special thanks to Fae'sFlower, Elphie'sFavorite, James Birdsong, RavenclawElphaba and the guest for their great reviews. Thanks for reading the story.It makes my day. I do not own Wicked or the characters

XXXXX

Glinda wakes up in the early afternoon and watches Elphaba sleep. She notices Fiyero is gone but doesn't worry much about him. Getting out of bed, she heads to the bathroom and examines her bruises. They aren't too severe, just two marks on her wrist where the man had held her tightly. She doesn't feel any soreness. She splashes water on her face and then goes over to Elphaba to check her injuries. Glinda hovers over Elphaba for a close inspection

Suddenly, Elphaba's eyes fly open, and they both let out a small scream in surprise. Glinda jumps back as Elphaba sits up, clutching the blanket.

"Galinda, what are you doing?" Elphaba asks once she can speak, trying to control her breathing to fend off the dizziness.

Glinda looks at her closely. "Are you still dizzy?" she asks, concerned.

Elphaba tries to stare sternly at Glinda, but everything remains blurry.

"Maybe you should lie back down. At least rest your head against the headboard," Glinda suggests.

Elphaba adjusts herself to a more upright position and rests her head against the headboard. "Thanks," she whispers. She keeps her eyes closed to fight off the dizziness. When she hears nothing, she opens one eye and sees Glinda coming out of the bathroom with a glass of water. "I could have gotten that myself," Elphaba says more harshly than she means.

"Oh really? Then get up," Glinda responds challengingly.

Elphaba bites her lip. "Sorry."

Glinda sighs. "We're both a bit emotional from yesterday." She hands the glass to Elphaba, who takes a sip with trembling hands.

"What happened?" Elphaba asks after three sips.

"What do you remember?" Glinda inquires.

Elphaba shrugs. "We went to the Oz-dust. First, we went dancing, but soon everyone went off with their own friends. You introduced Tibet to me. Later, his friend Crope joined us. It was very nice," she says thoughtfully. She shakes her head. "It's all flashes. I remember flashes of men in an alley, a Deer, and some green lights."

Glinda sits next to Elphaba, taking the glass of water back. She stares at the cool water in her hands. "You went to the alley to save a Deer from five men. Your magic wasn't strong enough. When I came out, I saw Tibet and Crope lying unconscious on the ground. Later, a man said that his friends had done that."

Elphaba gasps. "I don't remember that," she whispers.

"You managed to escape thanks to your magic. You knocked one man unconscious, then walked into a trap. I came to look for you. The men came after me. You got so angry that you knocked out three men with your magic, but the fifth one escaped and came after me. You used too much magic and collapsed. The man had me on the ground when Fiyero arrived."

"Are you okay?" Elphaba asks worriedly. "And the others? Is anyone hurt?"

Glinda smiles. "You asked that right away yesterday too. No one is hurt. Only you're dizzy." She knows it's not entirely true, but she must keep the secret that she knocked down most of the men. As long as everyone thinks it was Elphaba's magic, her secret is safe.

"It will pass," Elphaba says bravely. "How's the Deer?"

"Fine. We treated its wounds and took it to the doctor. It's doing better now."

Elphaba nods in relief. "Thanks for your help. But next time, get help first and don't put yourself in danger."

Glinda places the glass on the nightstand with a thud. She stands up and glares angrily at Elphaba. "Are you kidding me? How dare you accuse me of reckless behavior. Did you not think about your own actions, Miss 'I'm going to an unknown alley to help a strange Animal'? Elphaba Thropp, it could have been much worse. Think about that."

Elphaba is completely speechless at Glinda's outburst. "I wasn't alone; I had my magic," she says mildly.

"Aargh. Elphaba, are you serious? Didn't you listen to my story? The first time, the magic didn't work as you wanted. You succeeded because you thought I was in danger. YOU need to think about your reckless behavior. You're not a superhero. People are stronger and smarter than you think. You're just a young adult. Please Elphie, think before you act, before you know it you'll be...'' Glinda swallows and suddenly stops talking

Elphaba narrows her eyes. ''Before I become what?'' Elphaba asks confused.

''Nothing, you have to be careful, these aren't child's games.''

"I knew what I was doing. I'm not a little child you have to protect from everything. I know how to defend myself."

"Yes, against students. But not against dangerous men who are ten times stronger than you."

Elphaba stands up angrily but quickly falls back onto the bed, hitting her head against the wall.

"This is what I mean," Glinda says, reaching her hand toward Elphaba's head, but Elphaba turns away. "Don't be so childish and let me check for any bleeding."

Elphaba shakes her head but keeps her eyes closed.

Glinda sighs and reaches again. This time, Elphaba allows it. Glinda feels something sticky on the side of Elphaba's head. Her fingers are a bit red. "You need to see a doctor," Glinda says decisively.

"No, it's dried up. There's nothing wrong," Elphaba says as she opens her eyes again. "Please, Galinda, the doctors will ask too many questions, or it could be because of my green skin. How will you explain all these injuries?"

Glinda goes to the bathroom. She washes her hands and hands Elphaba a wet towel. "Hold this to your head."

Elphaba nods carefully and holds the towel to her head.

Glinda falls frustrated onto her own bed. "I have no idea. But if it gets worse, I want to know."

Elphaba nods gratefully and immediately regrets the action.

Glinda puts her earpiece back in when Elphaba closes her eyes for a moment.

"Do I need to help you with anything?"

Elphaba wants to shake her head but then feels dizzy again. "No, thank you," she whispers.

"I'll get some food; do you want anything?" Glinda wants some time for herself and hopes she'll calm down a bit.

"Just get a salad or something. Thank you, Galinda."

Glinda nods. "Don't do anything crazy while I'm gone."

Elphaba smiles. "You know me."

"Exactly," Glinda mumbles as she walks away.

XXXX

Glinda is greeted by various students. She chats with everyone and learns that nothing else has happened at Shiz. However, she hears that five men were found unconscious behind the Oz-dust alley. The Gale Force suspects they drank too much. Glinda is relieved that the men keep quiet. This means she can continue telling her story about Elphaba's magic. She takes an extra walk around campus to organize her thoughts. She hopes to visit Nessa this afternoon to gather some information about Madame Morrible.

Just as she places her food on the tray, she hears her mother's concerned voice in her ear. "Darling, you need to return to your room. We saw Elphaba walk to the bathroom, but she hasn't come out yet. There's a munchkin boy waiting by your door. You need to see what's going on."

Glinda curses under her breath, grabs some food quickly, and heads to the cafeteria lady. She hands over her school ID and exits the cafeteria with the tray.

"Galinda, Galinda," she hears Fiyero calling out.

She turns around and gives him a friendly smile. "Fiyero, how are you? And the other guys?"

"Good. They're naturally shaken up, but they only remember feeling something on their heads, then they were unconscious. How's Elphaba? And how are you?" Fiyero asks.

"Thanks for asking. Elphaba is still very dizzy, so I want to get back to her," Glinda replies.

Fiyero nods. "I'll walk with you."

Glinda rolls her eyes in frustration. "Of course," she says kindly. She turns around and starts walking quickly.

"How did it go with the Deer?" Fiyero asks worriedly. "I didn't hear anything about the Deer, just that the five men were arrested. They'll spend another night in jail."

"I took the Deer home," Glinda says.

"You?" Fiyero looks surprised.

"Yes, me. Is that so strange?" Glinda asks, feeling offended.

"Yes, uhm, no, no," Fiyero says quickly. "It's just that the Deer was seriously injured."

"After you left, the Deer regained consciousness. With my help, he was taken home," Glinda explains.

Fiyero nods thoughtfully. "But why wouldn't the men say anything?"

Glinda laughs. "Fiyero, would you admit to mistreating an Animal and then getting beaten by students?"

Fiyero starts to blush. "But still..."

"Dear Fiyero, you don't need to interrogate me. It happened as it happened. I need to help my roommate come to her senses. Don't worry. Thanks for your help. Enjoy your weekend. Study up; we have a test on Monday."

Fiyero's eyes widen. "What subject?"

"Dr. Dillamond's history—about the Great Drought and the time before the Great Wizard."

Fiyero nods. "I better go. Good luck with Elphaba, make sure she gets better."

Glinda nods. She turns around and quickly walks to her room. She balances the tray and opens the doors. She sees Boq still standing by the door.

"Boq, everything okay?" Glinda asks from the beginning of the hallway.

"Galinda, yes, everything's fine. I've been waiting for you," Boq says.

"What's wrong?" Glinda asks as she approaches Boq.

"I wanted to make sure everything's okay. I heard stories about the Oz-dust alley. I immediately thought of you."

"You're so sweet," Glinda says with her sweetest smile. "Everything's fine."

Boq breathes a sigh of relief. "That's good. I was really worried."

"No need to worry." Glinda positions herself at the door so she can slowly say goodbye to Boq.

"By the way, what did you say to Nessa?" Boq asks, nervously fidgeting.

Glinda shrugs. "Nothing special."

"Well, she's different all of a sudden. She's less bossy with me. She's taking me to the museum this afternoon. She finds museums very boring, but she's doing it for me. She's doing something for someone else, isn't that strange?" Boq says thoughtfully.

Glinda smiles. "Enjoy it. Give her a second chance. I think this is her way of changing her life."

"Do you think so?" Boq asks hopefully. "I mean, I know I don't have a chance with such a beauty like you."

Glinda starts to blush. "Sorry, Boq."

In her ear, she hears her mother again. "Glinda, what are you doing?"

"Galinda?"

"Oh, sorry, Boq, I was lost in thought. What did you ask?"

"Thanks for making an effort for me and for Nessa," Boq says.

Glinda smiles again. "You're welcome. I need to get inside quickly before the food gets cold." She quickly opens the door and goes inside.

Boq looks surprised. "But you only have salads," he says to a closed door. He turns around with a sigh. He inspects his surroundings and sees a small camera. He makes mental notes, someone is watching Galinda and Elphaba's room, he thinks worriedly.

XXXX

Glinda quickly places the food on the desk and calls out for Elphaba. "Elphie?"

"I'm in here," a voice comes from the bathroom.

Glinda hurries to the bathroom, where she sees Elphaba lying in the bathtub. "I can't get out," Elphaba says, her head a dark shade of green.

Glinda bursts out laughing. She takes a few steps back and looks at a camera. She smiles and walks back into the bathroom. "Sweet Oz, Elphie. What did I say? Don't do silly things," Glinda laughs. "This is your own fault."

Elphaba blushes. "Will you help me?"

"Will you listen and be less stubborn?" Glinda says hands on hips and a meaningful look.

Elphaba nods.

''Why don't I believe you?'' Glinda thinks out loud.

"Galinda, please. I'll listen to you more, but I've been in the tub for ten minutes now. I'm dizzy and I feel dirty. So could you please get me out of here?''

Glinda helps Elphaba out of the bath. Elphaba explains that she felt dirty and wanted to wash herself. She had crawled to the bathroom to wash herself with water. But she moved her head too much, making her dizzy again. She stumbled backwards against the bathtub. She could no longer keep her balance and fell into the bathtub. She had to lie down for a long time to get rid of the dizziness. Glinda puts Elphaba on the toilet, with the lid down. She gives her a wet towel and a dry cloth. "If you need help, you have to say it." Glinda leaves the bathroom and looks into the camera again. She gives a small smile to her parents. She's worried about Elphaba. She sometimes hears Elphaba moaning but forces herself not to look too immediately. Elphaba opens the door.

Glinda glares at her. "You should have called me."

Elphaba sighs. ''I'm not a child. Thank you for your help.'' she says while looking intently at Galinda. She has taken care of herself for years, and today will not any different.

Galinda rolls her eyes, but let's Elphaba walk on her own. Elphaba walks very carefully to her bed.

Once in bed, Glinda hands her a bowl of salad and says nothing.

''I'm not hungry,'' says Elphaba, who is afraid that everything will come out again.

"You promised to be less stubborn, remember."

Elphaba bites her lip.

Glinda helps her up and Elphaba lets it happen for once. After the first bite, Elphaba notices that she is quite hungry. "You were probably right about my reckless behavior. Next time, I'll think first," Elphaba says after eating half the salad. The icy silence was too much for her. She also knows that it is largely her fault, so she has to do something to keep the peace between her and Galinda.

Glinda nods happily. "That's all I ask of you. Are you feeling better?"

I feel better already, thanks for asking and taking care of me.'' Elphaba bites her lip, she doesn't know if she should ask, but her curiosity gets the better of her. ''What did you mean earlier, 'I have to be careful what I become?''

Glinda looks surprised. ''I don't know what you mean, maybe you fell harder than I thought. Do we need to see a doctor?''

Elphaba narrows her eyes. She doesn't know if she should push the subject or if she should file the information for later. ''No, I think I'm going to rest for the rest of the day.''

Glinda nods. "I'll step out then. You need your rest." Glinda closes the curtains. She takes the bowl from Elphaba and prepares a fresh glass of water. "We'll do homework tomorrow," Glinda says, tucking the blankets in for Elphaba. She hopes that Elphaba will forget the rest of the day and that her parents won't notice anything, because then she will be completely distracted from her mission.

Elphaba rolls her eyes. "Of course, Mom."

Glinda sticks out her tongue and touches Elphaba's nose with her finger. "As long as you behave."

Elphaba smiles. "You're the best friend I could wish for."

Glinda nods and leaves the room. She feels guilty because she's deceiving Elphaba. "Sorry, Elphie, that I can't be the friend you need," she whispers to a closed door.

XXXX

Elphaba looks sadly at the door. Yes, she means what she says. Galinda is her best friend, but she doesn't fully trust her. In her memories, she has only ever made two people unconscious with her magic. She retrieves a large board from behind her bed and begins to write down the events. There are behaviours of Galinda listed everywhere that don't fit with her personality, like disappearing regularly, using her sports clothes without saying she's been playing sports, asking intelligent questions, and now this story. What is Galinda afraid of that I will become? Is haunting her mind. Elphaba bites her pen. She decides she needs more information about what happened yesterday. She puts the board back behind her bed and closes her eyes. She indeed needs more rest than she would like.

XXXX

Glinda knocks on Nessa's door. After a few moments, Nessa opens the door. "Hi," Nessa says curtly.

Glinda stares at her shoes. "I wanted to apologize. I shouldn't have said those thiWhat is Galinda afraid of that I will become? Is haunting her mindngs yesterday."

Nessa crosses her arms. "I have to say, those were quite hurtful things," Nessa says seriously. But then she softens a bit. "Unfortunately, they were true. Especially the question of what I do for others? It opened my eyes. I'm not there yet, but it's a start."

Glinda looks relieved. ''That's good to hear. But it still wasn't my place to say those things."

Nessa nods. What she wants most is to yell at Galinda. But if she really wants to change, she must forgive Glinda now. After the Oz dust, she thought a lot about Galinda's words. She barely slept. She kept trying to think of examples that would prove Galinda wrong. It frustrated her that she didn't have one. So now she has to prove Galinda wrong.

"So, friends?" Glinda asks cautiously.

Nessa nods. "Yes. How was it at the Oz-dust after Boq and I left?"

Glinda swallows. "It was very pleasant. But I think Elphie should tell you about that later."

Nessa looks confused. "Why?"

"It's not my story to tell."

Nessa nods. "Come in. Why did you come?"

"Um, Elphie isn't feeling well, but she still wanted to know how you are and if you need any help. I offered to come," Glinda says as she steps inside. That seemed like a good excuse to explain her presence

"Oh, well, that's sweet, a bit late as it's almost evening, but still sweet. I don't need any help. Everything's fine."

Glinda nods and looks around the room. The room looks very tidy, and everything exudes an old-fashioned charm. The decoration seems like it's from a hundred years ago.

"Did you manage alone, or did Madame Morrible help?" Glinda asks interestedly, although she really wants to know when Madame Morrible will return.

"I tried on my own. It took longer, but I managed," Nessa says.

Glinda smiles proudly. "I knew you could do it. You're a smart and strong woman."

Nessa blushes.

"Are you alone now? Maybe we can have tea. But if Madame Morrible comes, we can sit somewhere else."

"Yes, I'm alone, but Madame Morrible could return any moment. She's been busy the past few days finding a replacement for Dr. Dillamond. The new professor should start on Monday. As the head of the university, she has to be there to welcome the professor and inform the students. She complains a lot about falling behind in her own classes because of it."

"Dr. Dillamond? Is he sick?" Glinda asks, confused. If there's one professor who dedicates himself to his subject and his students, it's Dr. Dillamond.

Nessa shrugs. "I don't understand it either. It's something to do with the new rules to silence the Animals."

"How strange," Glinda says thoughtfully.

"But I have a date with Boq soon. I need to pick him up; we're going to the museum. I do not have time. I would like to go with you another time. Would you like to thank Elphaba for her concern? And I would like to thank you for coming for me.''

Glinda nods. On the one hand, she sees that Nessa is changing, but that she still has a lot to learn, as she does not ask about her sister's well-being. "isn't the museum closing soon?"

Nessa nods. "Yes, for the general public. I arranged for Boq and me to go after closing time."

Glinda claps her hands in excitement. "That's so sweet."

Nessa blushes again.

"I'll go quickly. Enjoy your date and keep working on becoming more independent." Nessa nods and closes the door behind Glinda. Glinda walks away with a new plan in her head. On Monday, during Dr. Dillamond's class, she'll look for information about Madame Morrible. If the new professor arrives, they won't have a test anyway.

XXXXX

On Sunday, Elphaba and Glinda stay in their room. Elphaba feels much better now. She is still a little tired and stiff, but she is no longer dizzy. In their room, they joke around, do their homework and Glinda also goes outside to meet other friends. But Glinda starts working on her condition again. Since the experience with the men in the alley, she knows that she has to pay more attention to her techniques. The sensation she felt was fantastic, the adrialinne she felt through her body, was indescribable. If all her missions were like that, she would be sold immediately. But she also knows that it is not the goal of her mission. Her feeling still tells her that Madame Morrible is going to make Elphaba Wicked, she just needs to have proof and figure out how she wants to do that.

She talks to the professors to gather information about Madame Morrible. But no one knows anything. No one even knows if she has children. She has not spoken to Dr. Dillamond. He seemed untraceable. Maybe he's already fled, Glinda thinks thoughtfully.

Elphaba uses her time alone to gather her thoughts. She tries to do her homework, but she can't concentrate well. She keeps thinking about Galinda's worried eyes. Why is she telling the story differently than it is? Galinda was also so reluctant when Elphaba suggested studying for tomorrow's history test. She throws herself on her bed in frustration. She groans, because she can still feel her head.

Fiyero also keeps popping into her thoughts. He's so different now. He was so helpful and worried about her. The bouquet of flowers wasn't necessary. Arrg why is everything happening at the same time.

XXXXXX

Elphaba is eager to go back to school. She feels healthy again. She has learned that she'll never go to the pub again. She needs to apologize to Tibet and Crope. If she gets a chance to talk to Fiyero, she can ask him about what really happened. She looks at Galinda, who is still in bed.

"Come on, Galinda, we need to go to class."

Glinda turns around and looks miserable. "I don't feel well," mumbles Glinda. "I'm skipping a class."

Elphaba looks surprised. "Do you want me to stay with you?" she asks, concerned. She walks over to Galinda to feel her forehead.

"No, no," says Glinda quickly, turning away from Elphaba. "I want you to go so you can take notes for me."

"Are you sure? I can ask Boq or Nessa to help, and I'll take care of you. You've taken such good care of me, and I haven't thanked you properly yet." Elphaba tries again, reaching her hand toward Glinda's forehead.

"Yes, I'm sure. I need a day to rest and stay in bed. Elphie you thanked me properly. You helped me with my homework. You don't have to take care of me now it's just something small." says Glinda with a bit more confidence than before.

Elphaba looks suspicious. "Okay, if you're sure. I'll bring some soup during the break."

"I'd appreciate that, Elphie," says Glinda, grateful. She knows she only has the morning. They have history class with Doctor Dillamond in the morning. Madame Morrible will probably be with the new professor longer to make sure everything goes well.

Once Elphaba is gone, Glinda jumps out of bed. She grabs her things and waits for another half hour, making sure everyone is in the cafeteria or heading to class. The bell will ring in two minutes. Elphaba and the others will already be in class, Glinda thinks. She looks at her nightstand where she placed her earpiece. She wants to hear as much ambient sound as possible and not be distracted by her professor's words. Against her better judgment, she decides not to take the listening device with her. She doesn't think much will happen in class anyway, except that Elphaba will probably get angry about the situation but won't do much else.

She pulls her hood further over her ears and quickly walks to Madame Morrible's room. She picks the lock with her burglar's kit. She closes the door behind her, keeping her hood on so Madame Morrible won't recognize her immediately. She searches the desk but finds nothing important. One drawer is locked. She opens the drawer again with her lock-picking kit. She pulls out a stack of papers and quickly reads through them. She sees her own document. She can't help but feel the urge to look into it. It says "spoiled, code 1 maybe 2." At the bottom of the note it says, "Maybe code 4, does she possess magic? I felt something."'

Glinda thinks hard. She can never remember using magic. During Madame Morrible's lessons, she can't show anything. Elphaba makes things fly and moves objects. The only reason she wanted to attend the magic lessons was for Elphaba and to get closer to Madame Morrible. She puts the note back and continues searching. She finds Elphaba's file. "Very powerful. Code 5, to be used?"

Glinda quickly takes out her camera from her bag and holds the paper under it. She hears many voices outside. She looks at the clock and sees that the lesson will last another half hour. She quickly scans through the next few papers, also about Elphaba. She holds the camera above them so she can read them later. She quickly puts everything back. She checks that everything looks the way it did when she arrived. She opens the door slightly; the hallway is empty. She quickly leaves the room, locks the door again, and walks away swiftly. Once outside, she hears that something happened in history class. Doctor Dillamond has been fired, and later, everyone went dancing. She hears other students talking about magic and Elphaba.

"Oh Shiz," Glinda says aloud. "Elphaba did something." SShe runs back to her room, hides all her things and turns on her listening device to listen to where Elphaba might be. She hears a lot of cracking. She collapses on her bed angrily. "What's the point of this equipment if it doesn't work?" Glinda changes her clothes and tries to listen carefully to what is being said. "Don't shake," she hears, and later, "This place in the middle of the forest is a good place." Glinda nods with satisfaction. She feels relieved. She now knows where to look for Elphaba. Her relief quickly disappears, when she also hears another voice. Someone is with Elphie.

She has to know what happened, because it seems important. Something will happen soon and I will be too late, Galinda thinks in panic. She runs to the forest, hoping that she is not too late for who knows what.

XXXX