Question of Utmost Importance by twistedglinda, PG

[twistedglinda]

Title: Question of Utmost Importance
Author: twistedglinda 
Rating: PG
Fandom: Wicked
Pairing: Gelphie
Summary: Bookmusical. Elphaba and Glinda make it to the Emerald City, and they discuss their eventual meeting with the Wizard.
Disclaimer: I do not own Wicked.

 

"What do you want, Liir, if the Wizard could give you anything?"

-Wicked, pg. 387, para. 5, sent. 2 (paperback musical edition)

-( - )-

"Sweet Oz…. Elphie, you have got to come see this!"

The green girl watched her roommate as she bounced down the cobblestone roads of the Emerald City, following a safe distance behind. The City didn't look so fascinating to her—it was just like other cities at this time. The dim moonlight shone down upon the emerald buildings, making them sparkle with a trace of light. It was nothing close to the magnificent sight she had once come across in broad daylight on the way to Shiz. But the perky blonde didn't seem to care—she was in a typical girl's paradise.

Glinda stopped in the middle of the road, right under the Emerald arches that lead to the better part of the City. She then turned toward Elphaba, smiling widely. "Elphie, can we go take a look? Please?" she begged, clasping her hands under her chin hopefully.

Elphaba smiled back, but shook her head. "I don't think they'd want lurkers around their precious shops at this late hour," she said.

The blonde pouted. "But… Elphie, it's dark out. No one will see."

"They'll easily be able to detect a green creature roaming the streets."

"You'll blend right in."

Elphaba once again shook her head. "We'll be back tomorrow, I promise. Now, we must find someplace to rest. That carriage wasn't so forgiving."

Glinda nodded. "Neither were the inns," she remembered, wrinkling her nose in disgust. She quickly caught up with her friend, hurrying away from the perfect life. The blonde latched onto Elphaba's arm and continued walking with her. She smiled when the green girl didn't try to shake her off.

They walked in silence, gazing at the glimmering structures or trying not to fall asleep, as they searched for a hotel of sorts. Elphaba kept glancing down at the girl practically attached to her. She found it somewhat amazing how they could detest each other so greatly upon first meeting each other, and now they were the best of friends. They were two completely different people. How could they possibly be friends?

A strange twist of fate, Elphaba decided with a smile. She herself had found over time feelings toward her blonde roommate, but she wasn't sure what of, exactly. She had never felt so complete with another person in her life. Maybe she really is good for something other than looking pretty.

Of course, during the two months they had been friends, the green girl knew that Glinda really had changed. She was once the snobbish, perky blonde who rarely gave her the time of day and was apparently allergic to studying. But now…. Now that she was Glinda, though she was still too perky for the average person to be at a time, she seemed to have uncovered a sort of respect for Elphaba that she never knew someone could have. She gave up on her friends quicker than a heartbeat and at least attempted to read for more than ten minutes. But Elphaba noticed that her grades were improving all the while.

The green girl suddenly heard Glinda gasp, bringing her into full alert though she didn't know why. She felt the blonde slip away from her and run a little down the road, then come back. "Elphie! I think I found someplace!" she said, looking like a little girl who was bursting to tell a secret.

Elphaba smiled down at her friend. "Well, go on. Lead the way," she said. In that moment, Glinda took her hands and practically dragged her to the place she had located. She rolled her eyes. This girl and her impatience….

-( - )-

Glinda lied down on the bed and let out a sigh of relaxation. Had she ever felt so happy to see a real bed besides right now? She supposed not, but let the feeling sink in. Tonight she was going to actually sleep instead of waking up every few hours like she had been doing, clinging to her roommate for reasons she could not explain. Elphaba didn't seem to have a problem with it, neither did she seem to sleep. Strange….

"Move over," she head Elphaba say, and so she did. The bed shifted as the green girl settled upon it. Elphaba, too, let out a sigh. "Much better," she mumbled.

The blonde giggled. "Glad to see I'm not the only one complaining about the last few nights, she said.

Elphaba glanced over at her, raising an eyebrow in question. "You were complaining just now?" she asked.

"I was thinking my complaint." She caught the look of utter horror on the green girl's face, and she hit her arm. Glinda smiled when Elphaba burst into laughter, then she fought to keep a straight face when the green girl looked back at her. She surprised herself at how well she did so. "Elphie, you really did hurt my feelings," she informed.

The green girl's response was different than what she imagined it would be. "I'm sorry," she said, replacing that usual sarcastic remark she always seemed to have. And her apology seemed genuine. Glinda frowned. Was she feeling alright? Elphaba sat up a little so that she was looking at the blonde at a better angle. "Is there anything I can do to make up for it?"

Glinda smiled sweetly and batted her eyelashes, trying to look as cute and irresistible as she could. "How about a kiss?" she said teasingly.

"And that's where I draw the line," Elphaba said before laying back down.

The blonde looked at her friend, her face falling. She had meant it as a joke. Why was she taking it so seriously? Hell, why am I taking it so seriously? Glinda thought in surprise. She settled back against the mattress and sighed again. She hated these feelings she felt whenever she was around her roomie, yet she loved them as well.

Elphaba rolled over so that she was facing Glinda. Her eyes were closed, masked by a shadow of green. She yawned before folding herself into a more comfortable position. "You ready for tomorrow?" she asked drowsily.

Glinda blinked. "What's tomorrow?" she asked.

"Don't play stupid. Tomorrow we see the Wizard."

"Oh." The blonde rolled onto her back so that she could look at the ceiling as she thought—her roommate wasn't helping with her thinking process. "I don't know what to think," she said truthfully after a moment. "It's your meeting—I'm just a tag-along."

Elphaba finally opened her eyes to look at her friend. "You seriously can't think that. Haven't you always wanted to meet him? Haven't you had any dreams you wanted to fulfill?" she asked.

The blonde turned back to look at the green girl. Her dark eyes were shining with a sort of child-like ambition. It was like she had been waiting for this day to come. Of course, it was promised to her. It was obvious she'd act like this. The only reason Glinda came was to just have the experience of being there. Plus there was the fact that Elphaba had asked her to come…. She shook her head. "The Wizard is great… but I always heard of him to be terrible as well. And dreams…. I wasn't taught to dream. I was taught to get a good education, get married, have children, and be a good wife."

"But what good is life if you don't have any dreams or goals?" Elphaba asked. She took one of the blonde's hands in hers. "Glinda, there is a world of possibilities out there. You just need to learn to access it. The Wizard has the power to create anything we want—to make anything happen!"

Glinda yawned. She settled deeper into the mattress, closing her eyes. "You really believe that?" she asked.

Elphaba smiled. "I know it's true, Glinda. How else would any of this happen if he wasn't Great?" she asked.

The blonde shrugged. She moved closer to her roommate, feeling the warmth radiating from her. She sighed. "Elphie?" she asked after a moment.

"Yeah?"

"If the Wizard was really powerful, if he could give you anything, what would you want?"

Elphaba paused for a moment as she thought. Finally she said, "I'd want to be normal. I'd want to get rid of this green curse and finally get the respect I deserve." She looked down at the blonde that had settled in her arms. "And what would you want, my sweet, if the Wizard could give you anything?"

Glinda didn't answer. The green girl pulled away to see if her roommate was asleep. Her eyes were closed, and she didn't seem to be moving. Elphaba went back, wrapping her arms loosely around the smaller girl. She felt the blonde shift slightly before she heard her response:

"I'd want you…."