Fiyero and Elphaba found themselves seated across from Nessarose and her husband on a plush couch in one of the mansion's many sitting rooms. Gallien was positioned across from them in an armchair, with Nessarose's wheelchair perched beside it. The doors had been locked to bar any of the staff from accidentally wandering in and catching sight of the governor's rather unconventional choice of company.

Gallien fidgeted in his seat, still eyeing Elphaba with nervous apprehension but otherwise subdued. He seemed to have sensed that his wife held the real power in this situation and had deferred to her for the time being. Nessarose herself sat stock-still in her chair, a stern expression of displeasure on her face. "Well," she said, glancing between Elphaba and Fiyero, "You've asked for an audience with the governor, and I've granted you one. So talk."

Fiyero looked over at Elphaba first, but when she made no move to obey her sister's request, he took the initiative instead. "The Wizard is a liar and a fraud. He's oppressing an entire group of Ozians just to distract people from that fact. That's what your sister has been fighting against."

Nessarose did not seem swayed by Fiyero's appeal as she responded, "And why is that any of our concern? The Wizard has caused no harm to the citizens of Munchkinland. Why would we want to stand against him?"

"Are there no Animal citizens of Munchkinland?" Elphaba asked irritably, speaking for the first time since they'd entered the sitting room. Her sister's frown deepened at her words, but Elphaba went on, "And why are you so sure that the Wizard won't set his sights on the Munchkins next, once the Animals have been all but eradicated?"

"Don't be so dramatic, Elphaba," Nessarose said, rolling her eyes at her sister.

Elphaba leaned forward in her chair at her sister's flippant response. "Dramatic?" she asked, disbelief evident in her voice. "You think I'm being dramatic. Surely it can't have escaped you that Animal presence in all corners of Oz has been dwindling for years. Why do you think that is?"

"I'm sure that any Animals who have found themselves on the wrong side of the bans are those who were sentenced justly by the Wizard," Nessarose said with a good deal of self-righteousness.

"No," Fiyero said softly. He ducked his head away as the two sisters turned to look at him, unable to meet Elphaba's eyes as he spoke. "I've seen it firsthand, back when I used to work for the Wizard. I've…been complicit in it. The Animals are being rounded up indiscriminately. It doesn't matter if they're perfectly law-abiding citizens, they end up in cages just the same."

Nessarose seemed to grow further irritated that he was taking Elphaba's side. She turned to her skittish husband with indignation and said, "Gallian, what about those clients of yours? That Cheetah couple? The Rossens?"

Nessa's husband startled at having suddenly been addressed. He fidgeted with the wedding ring on his finger as he answered, "Oh er…well no, I actually haven't seen them in some time. I believe their house was on the market a couple of months ago."

Nessarose didn't seem to have a response to that, and the surprise at her husband's statement showed plainly on her face. Elphaba took this as a cue to continue her appeal. "This isn't something I'm just making up, Nessa. Do you think I've let my entire life be destroyed on a whim?" she asked bitterly.

Nessarose schooled her expression back into a scowl as she answered, "Well, you certainly never did know when to quit, Elphaba. Do you think I was surprised when the Wizard's press secretary made the announcement about you? There goes Elphaba again, doing whatever she pleases and never stopping to think about how her actions affect anyone else!"

Fiyero was surprised by the amount of vitriol in Nessarose's statement. From what little he knew of Elphaba's family life, he'd gathered that it hadn't been the warmest, but the amount of spite her sister was leveling at her seemed excessive. Elphaba's penchant for self-deprecation was suddenly starting to make some sense.

Elphaba had balled her hands into fists at her sister's words and seemed to be doing her best to control her temper. "Oh, I'm the selfish one, am I?" she asked through gritted teeth. "I spent my entire life doting on you and doing anything you asked of me, and apparently that still wasn't enough."

"And where were you when I needed you these last four years?" Nessarose asked, wheeling herself forward towards her sister.

Elphaba was on her feet now. "Fighting for my life against a tyrant who would see me dead," she bit back angrily. She took a step towards Nessa and her voice took on a note of pleading as she continued, "Do you not understand how very sincerely they want me dead, Nessa? If they capture me, they will execute me."

This at least seemed to shock Nessarose into temporary silence. Fiyero stood up and placed a hand on Elphaba's shoulder. She was still breathing heavily, but allowed herself to be guided back down onto the couch as Fiyero turned to address Nessarose again. "This is about the Animals, but it's about your sister's life too. As long as the Wizard is in power, she will never be safe."

Elphaba was staring pointedly at the ground as Fiyero spoke. He knew that she would never ask for help on her own account, but she also had to acknowledge the truth in his words. Fiyero continued, "Please, if you care about your sister's wellbeing at all, help us stand against the Wizard."

Silence hung in the air between them, before Nessarose begrudgingly asked, "And what would have me do?" Elphaba's head shot up in surprise at her sister's words. She clearly had never expected Nessarose to even consider their request.

Nessa's husband seemed equally baffled by his wife's acquiescence. "Darling, you can't seriously be considering this," he said nervously, chancing another glance in Elphaba's direction.

Fiyero was ready with his response. "We're planning to harbor displaced Animals in the Vinkus, against the Wizard's orders. The Wizard will likely call on the rest of Oz to turn against us when the time comes. We ask that Munchkinland stand in support of us instead. We're going to try to work with Glinda to garner sympathy for our cause in the Emerald City as well."

"Glinda the Good?" Gallien asked, turning his attention to Fiyero. He seemed unsurprised that his earlier objections had gone unnoticed. Fiyero was beginning to suspect that the man didn't typically have much say in his wife's decisions as governor.

"We haven't actually asked her yet," Elphaba grumbled, clearly intending to remind Fiyero of that fact.

Fiyero waved his hand in front of his face to dismiss her concerns. "She'll help us," he said confidently.

"Isn't she your ex-fiancée?" Nessarose asked skeptically.

"She's a very forgiving person," Fiyero said decisively, "and she'll want to help Elphaba, regardless."

At Gallien's look of confusion, Nessarose reluctantly acknowledged, "She and my sister roomed together in college."

Gallien turned to look at Elphaba again with wide eyes, clearly not yet accustomed to the rapid succession in which he was receiving these mind-blowing revelations. He was further mystified when Elphaba simply crossed her arms and said, "She snores."

Nessarose did not seem amused by her sister's antics, but her earlier anger seemed to have dissipated somewhat. Returning to more important matters, she asked, "So, you wouldn't need us to make any sort of declaration or official statement regarding this agreement?"

"Not verbally," Fiyero responded. "At least not right away. I may need some sort of written agreement to bring before the king and queen, but we can sort that out later." He paused thoughtfully and then added, "Although it would be best if you could cease any public denouncement of the Wicked Witch of the West."

At Elphaba's wounded look, Nessarose flinched, then said angrily, "Well what would you have had me do, Elphaba? I couldn't be seen as supporting a wanted fugitive, I'm an unelected official! People knew we were related. They were watching us very closely."

"You don't need to come out in overt support," Fiyero said. "Just maybe take a more neutral stance on the subject for the time being."

Nessarose seemed to consider his words, then, rather reluctantly, she nodded her assent. She was still glancing between Elphaba and Fiyero with a questioning look in her eyes, and after a moment she turned her attention to Fiyero and asked, "Why are you working with my sister, anyway? I was under the impression that 'of the West' was a misnomer."

Fiyero thought this over for a moment while Elphaba began to fidget nervously beside him at her sister's question. He had, in fact, always wondered why she'd been associated with the Vinkus from the early days of her infamy. As though sensing his unspoken question, Elphaba said, "I spent a lot of time hiding out in the mountains when I first went on the run. I imagine the fun alliteration helped the name stick."

Fiyero smiled slightly at the exasperation in her voice, then realized that they hadn't answered Nessarose's question. In truth, he wasn't quite sure how to. The truth was several leagues more ridiculous than any lie he could possibly construct.

"We met at work," he said carefully. He could tell by Nessarose's dubious expression that she had already seen through the thin veneer of truth around his words. Undaunted, he went on, "I was impressed by her work with the Animals. Once I realized that all of the Wicked Witch propaganda was lies, it was easy to get behind the cause.

Fiyero could tell that both Nessarose and her husband knew he was leaving out a great deal of pertinent information, but neither pressed the issue. Gallien was clearly still uncomfortable with the situation, but the fact that Elphaba had not yet turned him into a horned toad or set the sitting room on fire seemed to have eased his nerves considerably.

Nessarose looked Fiyero up and down, then did the same to Elphaba. After a moment she let out a sigh and said, "Very well, if it comes down to it, you'll have our support." Gallien said nothing at Nessa's declaration but fixed her with a look that suggested they would have words once their unwanted guests had departed.

Elphaba seemed overwhelmed by her sister's support. She rose from her place on the couch to crouch beside Nessarose's wheelchair, one hand placed on the armrest and the other on her sister's knee. "Thank you, Nessa," said affectionately. Nessarose seemed to be trying to keep her expression stony in the face of her sister's gratitude, but it was clear that she was pleased by it.

Fiyero rose to his feet as well. "On behalf of the royal family of the Vinkus, I thank you for your support. If there's ever any way we can come to your aid, please let us know."

Seeing that their business was all but concluded, Elphaba stood from her place at her sister's side. She looked back down at Nessarose and said, "For what it's worth, I have missed you dearly."

Nessarose turned her head away at her sister's words, but then grumbled, "I suppose it is nice to have confirmation that you haven't gone completely feral over these past few years."

Elphaba seemed to take her sister's words as the closest thing she would get to true reconciliation for the time being. She leaned down and placed a kiss upon her sister's cheek, then rose back to her full height once more. She set her sights on Gallien, who had risen from his seat as well and looked as though he was wishing to suddenly wake up and find that he'd dreamed this entire affair. Elphaba took a step towards him, and he took a nervous step back in kind.

"As for you," she said, with a glare that had no real menace behind it. She took another step closer, and then her expression softened. "Take care of my sister."

Gallien let out a strangled sound and nodded at that, clearly not a fan of being under Elphaba's direct scrutiny. Apparently satisfied by his response, Elphaba turned and crossed the room, her cloak whipping behind her.

Fiyero took that as his cue as well. "Well," he said jovially, holding out his hand for Gallien to shake once more. "It was a pleasure meeting you. You too, Madame Governor. We should all really do this again sometime."

With that he crossed the room to stand at Elphaba's side, and in a plume of red smoke, they were gone.