After the Last Page Had Turned and the Curtain Had Fallen (2/?)
Title: After the Last Page Had Turned and the Curtain Had Fallen (2/?)
Fandom: Wicked (Bookverse & Musicalverse)
Characters & Pairings: Elphaba/Glinda
Rating: PG-13 for now
Disclaimer: I don’t own Wicked
Summary: Under the Emperor Apostle Glinda is a prisoner in her own home but when a suspicious package is left on her balcony her life changes once again.
Notes: This was a bit rushed as I have been so busy this week, hope it’s still okay!
“I’ll come.” Glinda said. “But there are conditions.”
Elphaba nodded dumbly. She had been on the receiving end of requests from Glinda in the past and she almost always didn’t like them.
“I need my own space, for me and Melena.” Glinda said.
“Done.” Elphaba nodded again.
“And you’re not forgiven.” Glinda said sternly.
“Is that a condition?” Elphaba asked, slightly amused.
Glinda pinched her eyes in annoyance. “No it’s a fact.”
Elphaba held up her hands in placation. “The rest of your conditions?”
But Glinda seemed not to hear her. She was lost in a sort of confusion, her head tilted to the side as if things would be clearer from that angle. “How did you get here?”
“I flew.” Elphaba stated.
“You don’t have your broom.” Glinda accused.
“I came by Bird.” Elphaba clarified.
Horror struck Glinda’s eyes. “Absolutely not!” She said in a tone that managed to be a shout without being loud enough to wake Melena. Elphaba supposed it was a mother’s skill. “I will not go an one of those filthy things and risk being dropped! And with a baby too!”
“Glinda...” Elphaba said in a tone that suggested she was well practiced in talking the blonde woman down from a rant.
“Never, nope, not!” Glinda said, firmly closing her mouth afterwards, signifying the end of the argument.
But she did.
The flight to the cottage was as uneventful as flying in a giant Goose could be. This was, as far as Glinda was concerned, far too eventful. There was a great view of Oz, or so Elphaba told her, but Glinda found it very hard to enjoy from behind her eyelids. She was far too concerned with gripping Melena as tightly as was possible without killing the poor child. It would be very inconvenient to have to dive after her, Glinda wasn’t all together sure she could or indeed would.
They touched down in a green and pleasant garden, a thing of wonder that was so far removed from anything in the Emerald City that it took Glinda’s breath quite away. There were flowers like tea cups with long spun gold stems that rose from beads of rich brown with a hint of fuchsia soil that Glinda recognised a Gillikinese.
“We really are in Gillikin.” Glinda said in wonder, rocking the baby absently at her breast. She roamed her gaze to the opposite flower bed, noting the silver bingle berries on the horthaw bush and the butterfly crocuses. There were so many rare flowers in the garden that it would have taken her all day to identify and call to mind the names of them all. One thing she knew for sure was that they were all of them from different parts of Oz. “How are they all growing together in Gillikin soil?” She asked, turning to Elphaba for the first time since they had landed.
“Magic.” Elphaba said.
“But you don’t have the Grimmerie.” Glinda scrunched her nose when a butterfly attempted to land on it.
“I picked up enough from it.” Elphaba said, “Although I do miss studying it.”
“It’s in my bag.” Said Glinda, distracted again by various garden pretties. It was the path now that held her attention, a miniature road of purple brick that meandered up to the violet front door of the pale yellow-pink cottage. “Gillikin architecture.” She commented.
“I mentioned we were in Gillikin, yes?” Elphaba smirked.
“I know, it’s just been so long since I‘ve been in real rural Gillikin.” Glinda murmured as the door was opened and she stepped into shadowy kitchen. “It’s exactly as I remember it.”
“I bought the place from a young couple who were moving to Shiz, hoping for a better chance of getting their eldest into the university.” Elphaba explained, waiting for Glinda’s eyes to adjust to the inside of the cottage.
“A young couple already worried about their child getting into university.” Glinda murmured, peering into the sitting room.
“The child is 16.” Elphaba responded, following Glinda and wondering why commented on the cottage’s interior yet.
Glinda whirled around. “16?”
Elphaba nodded. “An unfortunate accident whilst both were still in university.”
“I forget sometimes,” Glinda said, “that you too have a grown up child.”
The small blonde disappeared around a corner.
“What do you think?” Called Elphaba.
“I think that it was stupid of you to put yourself in that situation, getting pregnant.” Glinda called back a little sharply.
Elphaba frowned. “I meant the cottage.”
“Where are my quarters?” Glinda called, the sound of heels on stairs almost drowning her out.
“It is a cottage Glinda.” Elphaba reminded her.
More heels on stairs and Glinda was suddenly in the kitchen again. “You promised.” She said, narrowing her eyes.
“There are two beds they just happen to be in the same room.” Elphaba said, turning a shade darker.
Glinda’s eyes went wide. “Elphaba!”
“I’ll sleep in the sitting room.” Elphaba said.
“Quite right too.” Glinda said, blowing a stray curl out of her face.
“Where’s Melena?” Elphaba asked, only now noticing that the baby wasn’t in Glinda’s arms.
“Cot in the bedroom.” Glinda said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “What did you think I would do with the Grimmerie? Use it as a doorstop?”
Elphaba made a sound that Glinda supposed was meant to signify her being impressed. “Is that why you only brought a few things with you?”
Glinda twisted a self satisfied smirk. “Yes.”
“I’m impressed.” Elphaba said, humour threatening behind the cool facade of her eyes.
“So you should be.” Glinda said, humour doing more than just threatening with her. “I’ve grown up a lot since our days at Shiz.”
In some respects, Elphaba thought.
There had always been an aura of purity around Glinda in Elphaba’s eyes, a bright pure white light that had somehow managed to cling to Glinda as she grew. The light was a little dimmer now, she had seen so many thing that Elphaba wished she could have spared her from, but the light was still there. She was still innocent.
Standing there in Elphaba’s kitchen Glinda looked glorious. It was as if the innocence transformed within her to be a strength instead of a weakness. She looked all powerful, and as far as Elphaba was concerned she was.
“I know.” Elphaba said. “We both have.”
Glinda shook her head. “Your still doing thing without thinking about the consequences.”
“I thought long and hard before coming to see you, before bringing you here.” Elphaba defended, being sure to keep her voice neutral as she knew this wasn’t an argument.
“Liir.” Glinda countered, “Fiyero. Nessarose. Sarima, yes I know about her, and her family.”
Elphaba turned away.
“How can I be sure that you won’t bring disaster to me and Melena?” Glinda asked.
“Because I love you.” Elphaba whispered, so quiet she knew Glinda wouldn’t be able to hear her. She wasn’t sure she wanted Glinda to hear her.
“What?” Glinda asked, her eyes wide as her head tried to process what her heart had already heard.
“Because I love you.” Elphaba said, turning to face Glinda. “I love you and I would never let anything happen to you.”
“Didn’t you love Nessa?” Glinda asked, her heart fluttering wildly in her chest, like a butterfly that had just emerged from its chrysalis and was taking its first heady flight.
“Of course...” Elphaba said, wishing Glinda would react to her impromptu declaration.
“And Fiyero?” Glinda asked, voice cracking.
“I never loved Fiyero.” Elphaba said. “Not really.”
“Then why did you...”
“He was a means to an end.” Elphaba said, not meaning it as cruel as it sounded. Then again, she never meant things the way they sounded, words had a way of doing thing of their own accord from Elphaba’s mouth. “Not all of us are as strong as you.”
“And not all of us are as lucky as you to have that choice! I don’t!” Glinda said, annoyed now. “I never had that choice, the mere thought of it... “ She shook her head. “Do you have any idea how hard it was to find a husband who understood that and even then have to fight off his advances daily?”
Elphaba stood, shocked. “Glinda I...”
“Don’t.” Glinda said. “Don’t you dare.”
And with that she turned and ran up the stairs.