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“They're coming for you.”
“Go away!”
“Let the little girl go. They're just shoes, let it go! Elphaba, you can't go on like this.”
They argued back and forth and Elphaba felt more desperate the longer they continued. Galinda needed to get out of there before she got in the middle of what would come next. Elphaba wouldn’t be able to do this if Galinda was in danger.
“You must leave.” She had been resolved, but seeing her face begging Elphaba to change, made her waver for the first time in as long as she could remember. She had always been the only thing that could pick apart her morals and judgement, and make everything seem insignificant compared to the thought of them being by each other's side once again.
“No! Elphie, I'll tell them everything.”
“No! They'll only turn against you.”
“I don't care!” The way Galinda’s voice rose in defiance told Elphaba she was thinking of doing something stupid and stubborn and beautiful. She had no doubt that in a less serious situation Galinda would be stomping her foot and the thought almost brought a smile to her face. But nothing about the choice they faced in this moment was funny.
“I do!” She fought back just as hard, trying to make her understand. “Promise me, promise me, you won't try to clear my name... promise.”
“Alright, I promise.” Galinda looked close to tears and Elphaba was loathe to know it was her fault, but there was nothing she could do to change this or make it easier. She wished they had more time. “But I don't understand.”
Elphaba looked at her sadly. She wanted to reach out and hold her, to make her understand how important she was. How much she could accomplish and how she didn’t need Elphaba for any of it.
“Galinda, look at me.” She gestured to herself, losing her anger and just feeling sad and hopeless. Like everything she had done meant nothing. But it could. Galinda could make it mean something. “I’m limited. But you can do everything I couldn’t!”
She knew Galinda didn’t understand as the girl just looked at her, lost and helpless. She didn’t want this the same way that Elphaba didn’t. But it was beyond them both now. The choices they made led them here and if Elphaba could, she would make sure they had the chance to make it right again one day. Together. But for now, Galinda would have to do it on her own.
“Here. Go on. Take this.” She handed her the Grimmerie, sliding it into her hands without any further explanation.
“Elphie, you know I can't read it.”
“Well then, you'll have to learn. It’s up to you for both of us now Galinda.”
She took a deep breath and stepped closer to her. She didn’t want to leave things on an argument or harsh or rushed words. They both deserved better than that.
She stared at her friend for a moment and let all of the regret and lost moments well up inside her.
“You're the only friend I've ever had.” It paled in comparison to the words she wanted to say, but anything more felt like acid in her stomach at the thought of voicing any more of the words in her head and then having to leave Galinda regardless. It wasn’t fair to either of them to bring those feelings to the surface.
“And I've had so many friends... but only one that mattered.” Her words lingered softly in the air between them, neither wanting to move though they knew they wouldn’t have a choice soon. For now, there was silence outside the doors and the undisturbed moment made Galinda’s chest swell and she felt a sudden desperation claw through her.
She stepped forward, eyebrows drawing together as she tried to keep from crying. She reached out for Elphaba’s hand like she had so many times before, intwining their fingers and squeezing.
“Please Elphie, I’m not ready yet. I just-“ She swallowed and could feel the tears about to fall. “I just want to stay with you.”
Elphaba stepped closer and raised her free hand. The backs of her fingers brushed, feather light, over Galinda’s cheek where a tear had finally escaped. Her face was soft with so much affection Galinda could hardly bear to keep looking at her.
“I can’t stop what’s about to happen.” Galinda’s head dropped and her shoulders shook. “But-“
She looked back up at her friend with hopeful eyes.
“I might be able to slow it down a little.”
Galinda watched, full of curiosity, as Elphaba closed her eyes and pulled her hand away. Her fingers and arms began making strange motions Galinda had seen before and the Grimmerie in her arms quivered and glowed in response. Mumbled words in the language of magic spilled from Elphaba’s lips and Galinda gasped as the room around them began to shift.
At first everything slowed. Chistery, who had been shuffling anxiously in the corner of the room while they said their goodbyes, was moving as though each second took five, every movement weightier, longer. The air in the room seemed to still and everything was silent.
Not trusting her eyes Galinda blinked, and gasped. In the split second her eyelids had closed they were transported to a place they both knew well. It was a meadow that stretched beyond on the edges of the territory that Shiz stood upon. They used to come here with the others in between classes, before they lost everything.
After looking around at her, taking in the poppies that littered the grasses and the massive tree that stretched into the sky behind them, Galinda looked back to Elphaba to see the woman looking at her once more.
Though Elphaba smiled, there was tension behind her expression. Not enough to be obvious, but Galinda had spent years memorising her face and learning to understand her.
She reached for her again and swiped a thumb softly along her hair line where tiny beads of sweat had gathered. A question was in her eyes.
Elphaba knew her as well and responded without her having to ask aloud.
“We’re not really here, it’s just a projection. I slowed things down a bit but it’s difficult.” She reached up and took Galinda’s hand that still rested against her face. She stepped backwards and knelt on the ground without breaking eye contact with the blonde girl, shifting around until she sat with her legs folded under her and pulling Galinda down with her along the way until they were settled next to each other in the soft grass, looking towards the setting sun. She took a deep breath, feeling the strain in her very veins as the magic sapped her strength. But she knew she wouldn’t need it when she got back, and she wanted this as much as Galinda did. Any spare moment with the other girl she could get, she would take, and she would keep them here until she couldn’t bare it any longer.
They sat in silence for a while, Galinda’s head resting on her shoulder, eyes closed and beautiful smile on her lips. Elphaba soaked in the moment.
“I’ll keep us here as long as I can.”
Galinda hummed happily next to her and kicked out her feet in a purely Galinda way that made Elphaba smile.
“It doesn’t change anything Galinda. We’re still there, they are still coming for me. We won’t be here for long.”
Galinda huffed loudly and spun in the grass to face her. “Elphie, just once, couldn’t you just lie to me.” She spoke in a joking tone, but there was a begging note to her voice and expression that made Elphaba happy and sad all at once.
“I’m sorry,” she said with a smile. She squeezed the hand in hers tightly. “I have figured out time-travel and we are safe and sound. We have all the time in the world and will be able to fix everything we broke.” She had started by playing into the joke, but the longer she spoke the more choked she felt. For a reason she couldn’t quite describe, she found herself continuing, feeling Galinda’s sad eyes on her the whole time.
“We’ll be able to stop the Wizard and Morrible from every horrible thing they’ll do. All the animals will be free. We can keep Boq and Nessa and Fiyero safe.” She swallowed and felt sorrow overtaking her again. “We can be friends from the day we meet. You can teach me how to toss my hair, and I can teach you how to float a coin.” She could hear Galinda’s breath hitching next to her and flicked her eyes over to her face.
As always, as soon as their eyes met Elphaba was trapped in her gaze. She felt brave in a way she hadn’t before, and she knew that there was nothing to lose anymore. Her emotions shone through strongly on her face as she once again raised a palm to Galinda’s cheek and brushed away the escaping tears.
“We can stay together, move to the Emerald City. Go out and dance every day, go home together every night. Fall asleep together.” She was barely whispering now.
Galinda made a tiny noise in the back of her throat and leaned into her touch.
“Would you hold me?”
Elphaba nodded. “Every night. And I’d tell you the truth every day.”
“The truth?”
“About how much I need you by my side. That you make me a better person. That you changed me for good and in so many ways... That I love you.”
Galinda sobbed, so far past words that all she could do was cover Elphaba’s hand with her own and hold it frantically against her cheek.
“That I’ve never loved anyone the way I love you and I never will again.”
“Elphie.” The word sounded torturous. Quiet, barely there, and filled with pain. She couldn’t let her continue but she also couldn’t speak. So, she did the only thing she could; she slid a hand through Elphaba’s loose braids and pulled her forward, capturing her lips with her own.
They both tasted like tears and the smoke from the lit torches all those in Oz were wielding against Elphaba at that very moment. But nothing had ever been sweeter.
They held the press of their lips still for a moment. They fell apart a millimetre when Galinda took a small gasping breath and a desperate noise escaped her when Elphaba immediately pulled her forward again and pushed harder against her, tongue running along her bottom lip. She was still soft and caring and careful, but the kiss took on a searching, rushed edge as they tried to adsorb as much of each other as they could before their time ran out.
Their lips and tongues slid against each other, for once nothing being held back. Galinda needed her to know, needed her to understand, how loved she was. How much Galinda needed her.
They hadn’t even fully pulled away before Galinda was crying and begging, head against her shoulder and gasping for breath as the words tumbled out, though she already knew they were pointless.
“Please. Please Elphie, don’t make me live without you. I don’t want to do this. I can’t do this. Please my darling, I can’t pretend to hate you anymore. Just run, run with me. We can go away somewhere no one will ever find us. We can leave Oz.”
Elphaba’s hands still cupped her cheeks as Galinda held herself against her, grip strong on the back of Elphaba’s shoulders.
“We can’t Galinda. You know that. You are the only one who can change things now. I will die.” She pushed through despite Galinda’s sobs increasing. “And you will use it to usher in a new age in all of Oz. You can show them the way, show them what Morrible and the Wizard have done.”
“Then you go!” Galinda yelled, pulling away. “You run, don’t let them get you.”
Elphaba almost broke then. Almost told her that’s exactly what she was planning on doing. But she still had no idea if her plan would work and if it didn’t, she would have given Galinda hope for nothing. So instead, she took another deep breath and shook her head, breaking both their hearts.
“I can’t. They need to see me die. They need to feel like they’ve won so that you can finally change things and make them see the truth. The Wizard wanted them to have an enemy and that’s me. Let yourself become their saviour and then make things better.”
Galinda gave up and crumbled against her. So lost she was in her distraught that she didn’t notice at first when the dark, dank room melted back into place around them.
They stayed wrapped in each other until the banging started at the door.
That was all it took for the panic to take over Elphaba. She wrenched them both up and pulled Galinda over to a closet, opening the door and shoving the slight girl inside.
Galinda’s eyes were wide and red, locked onto her and so devastated that Elphaba felt like doing the opposite of what she said and running where no one could find them.
She was so sick of having to sacrifice. But she kept quiet and resolved to follow through on her plan. If all went well she would make sure they would find each other again, no matter what Fiyero thought about disappearing forever. Once the Wizard and Morrible were gone and Galinda had fixed things she would find a way back to her, whatever it took.
“You have to hide. No one can know you were here.”
Galinda looked like she was about to protest so Elphaba grabbed her by the waist and pressed their lips together one last time. She pulled away and trailed her lips across her cheek to her ear, hand cradling the back of her head.
“You can do this my sweet. I will always love you.”
Without waiting for a reply she pulled away, slammed the door closed and tried to ignore the gut-wrenching sobs that emanated from the closet for the second before she cast a silencing spell over it and Dorothy burst into the room with her bucket of water and blood-thirsty backup on her heels.
“We will see each other again,” she whispered an almost silent promise before she put on the performance of a lifetime and broke both their hearts.