Glinda awoke to the clanging of machinery. Her eyes fluttered open, and she thought about lying on the floor a little longer, reveling in the soreness between her legs. But there was no way to lie down comfortably, especially with nothing but his discarded jacket to use as a blanket. With an achy stretch, she stood up and buttoned the jacket around her.
They kept having more and more nights like that. Nights when she was lonely and wandered around the palace until she found him working on one of his projects. And one thing would lead to another, as it so often did, and she always seemed to wind up on his work bench or on the floor of that awful, mechanical head, with her legs spread and her skirt around her waist.
"Hi…Oscar." She still wasn't used to calling him that bizarre name, but he'd told her she could when they were together in private, and she certainly wasn't going to reject such a privilege.
"Hey, Baby." He was tinkering with some gears and levers work and…things like that. He'd tried to explain the mechanics to her, how he got the parts to move, how he kept the pyrotechnics safe, despite how terrifying they looked. But she had no head for that kind of thing, and he quickly gave up trying to teach her. She liked watching him, though. He was so focused, so determined, testing every gear and lever, willing to spend hours getting the tiniest details just perfect. With a pang, she realized he reminded her of Elphie when he was like that. If only Elphie had stayed, he'd like her so much; Glinda just knew it. Elphie could help him with things like that, content to just work alongside him and not try to distract him into more interesting activities. And if Elphie came back, then Fiyero could stay, and the three of them would be back together, the way it was supposed to be.
"What's on your mind?" The Wizard asked, not taking his eyes off the machinery.
"I was just thinking…you don't have to kill her. I think maybe you shouldn't" she blurted out.
"How do you figure?" He didn't need to ask who she was referring to.
"She's a girl, a young girl. People wouldn't like it if she was killed. But if we got her to work for us—for you, it'd look better, wouldn't it? You'd get to be kind and merciful, and anyone who sides with her will side with you too. You probably won't have to do much. She must be so lonely and scared wherever she is. If we find her, or if she comes back, just…I don't know, release some of the animals, some of the good ones. Then she'll be on our side. Just…maybe think about it?"
He still didn't look at her, but she could tell he was thinking about what she said, even as he oiled the machinery. But that was better than dismissing her out of hand.
Finally, he met her eye and granted her a little smile, the one that still made her melt. "You know, you're not always as dumb as you look."
"Thank you!" She smiled and tossed her hair.
"Oh, gosh, I can't believe I forgot to tell you; you're getting married. So, uh, congratulations to you and, uh, what's-his-name."
"What?" She hadn't seen Fiyero in so long, and things still seemed different between them. But obviously this meant he still loved her. Of course he still loved her, she shouldn't have doubted that for a second. And asking The Wizard for permission; that seemed to adorably old-fashioned of him. "Fiyero…talked to you?"
"Oh, he does't know yet. Madame Morrible and I decided; folks like big weddings, y'know?"
"Right." She nodded, unsure of what to say next. She should have known; she was still so naive sometimes.
He turned toward her, unbuttoned the jacket, and it slid off her. "But, uh, as long as you're still single..."