Author Notes: This is my first attempt ever at writing fanfiction, so please no flaming. However, I will accept constructive criticism. I do not intend for this to be taken as a Gelphie story. They're just really close friends - you know, the kind that you don't see every day. As for how long this story is going to be, frankly I don't know yet. I've still got the possible later events flowing through my mind. Rating is K+ for now, but that could change as the story develops.

Someone Mourns the Wicked, Chapter 1

It had been six months since the Wicked Witch of the West had met her demise at the hands of Dorothy Gale, a little girl from a place called "Kansas". All of Oz was, except for one, was celebrating.

Glinda stood alone in her bedroom, staring at a simple white pedestal. Upon the pedestal, sat a very old book, the Grimmerie, and at its base sat a tattered black hat. She picked up the Grimmerie and clutched it to her chest. Tears came to her eyes as she slumped to the floor. Glinda didn't care that she was crying so freely, as she was alone and therefore no one would see her in such a state. But but there was someone else in the room, hiding silently in the shadows.

I don't care that the Ozians want me to make an appearance today and comment on today's anniversary. I can't bring myself to do it. Even though I am alone in this, I will mourn her death. She was my best friend and I won't pretend that she was anything else.

A figure, dressed completely in black, watched Glinda weep from the shadows. It stood there for a moment before emerging from the shadow that was its hiding place. The figure slowly approached the weeping Glinda, trying not to make a sound. Though, through their best efforts, Glinda heard the figure's footsteps. Assuming it was one of her guards, Glinda didn't bother looking up.

"Leave me. Your presence isn't needed." Glinda barely managed to keep her voice from cracking as she issued her command.

The figure quickly stopped, fearing that Glinda would turn around and see its face. But upon realizing that Glinda was far too upset to look upon her intruder, the figure continued forward until it stood directly behind the weeping Glinda . The figure placed a gentle hand on Glinda's shoulder.

Startled by the sudden contact, Glinda flinched slightly. No one ever touched her like that… at least, not anymore.

"I said leave me…" Glinda couldn't finish before she was cut off by the figure behind her.

"Glinda."

Glinda's head shot up at the sound of the voice that had so gently said her name. Something about it seemed familiar, like a person, no a friend, from her past. But then again, that person was dead, and today was the anniversary of her death.

"Glinda," the figure said again.

Upon hearing the voice call her name again, Glinda slowly stood up and set the Grimmerie back on its pedestal. She stood for a moment with her back still facing her intruder. The figure watched Glinda, its hand still on her shoulder. It hesitated before gently forcing Glinda to turn around to look upon its face.

"Glinda. . . it's me. . ."

A look of shock came across Glinda's face as she looked at the person standing in front of her. It - it can't be. . . It's just not possible. . .

"El-Elphie?" Glinda's voice quavered as she uttered the figure's name.

The figure remained silent, but then a smile appeared on its face.

"Yes, it's really me Glinda. I'm alive."

"But…but how did you survive that night with Dorothy. I thought that she threw a bucket of water on you and…"

Elphie smirked slightly, though not in a cruel way, at Glinda's confusion.

"What she threw on me was not water, but a very thin oil. Did you really think that someone who is allergic to water would just leave a bucked full of it sitting around?"

The smirk and the sarcasm she had received was enough to convince Glinda that the person standing before her truly was her best friend and not an imposter. She took a step forward and threw her arms around her thought to be dead friend. Caught off guard by Glinda's sudden display of affection, Elphie froze at first before wrapping her arms around her friend, her best friend.

"Oh Elphie! I've missed you so much!" Glinda said through her sobs that were now worse than before Elphie had made herself known.

"I know and I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you sooner that I was alive, but I-I couldn't. I had some… things I had to take care of first."

Elphie and Glinda stood together in an embrace they both had for so long desired to feel again. Eventually, Glinda pulled away and looked Elphie in the face once again.

"I still don't understand how you were able to plan all of this. How did you know that Dorothy was coming to kill you?"

Elphie paused for a moment. She didn't know how to tell this to Glinda, but knew that she deserved. . . no needed to know that he was alive as well.

"Fiyero warned me that they were coming."

"Fiyero!? But I thought he was dead!"

"No, he isn't dead. I was able to save him before the Gale Force killed him. But unfortunately, I turned him into something inhuman," Elphie said before looking away towards the floor.

"Where are you going with this Elphie? What do you mean, 'inhuman'?"

Elphie sighed. She was hoping that Glinda would figure out what she was hinting at.

"Fiyero… Fiyero is the scarecrow that was accompanying Dorothy. He sent me a letter warning me that they were coming to kill me," Elphie said without removing her gaze from the floor below her.

"Is there any way he can be returned to normal?" At this remark, Elphie lifted her eyes off the floor and returned her gaze towards Glinda.

"Glinda, you know as well as I do that there is no reversing a spell. He's like this forever now. Yet, despite what I did to him, he's happy. Happy to be alive… and even more happy that I am alive as well and that we are together."

Elphie smiled slightly, though there was still a hint of sadness in her voice. Glinda barely caught it, but it was there nonetheless. Glinda placed her hand on Elphie's shoulder, like she had done to her not long ago.

"What's wrong Elphie? You're alive and you can be with Fiyero…" Glinda trailed off.

Tears began to well up in Elphie's eyes. Glinda saw them coming and wiped them away before they could burn her. She knew that something had to be wrong. Elphie never cried. Elphie flinched at the contact. No one ever touched her like that. . .at least no one other than Fiyero.

"What's the point of being with the man I love if I can't be near my best friend?" Elphie said as her voice cracked.

Seeing how distraught Elphie was, Glinda led Elphie over to her bed and sat her down before pulling her into another gentle embrace. She hated seeing her friend this upset.

"Elphie, you and Fiyero could always come back to Oz. . ."Glinda gently said as she hugged the clearly distressed Elphie.

"I'm supposed to be dead. I can't just reappear and hope that everyone will treat me differently. Even though everything they've been told about me is a lie, they're never going to see me as anything other than the Wicked Witch of the West."

As this, Glinda giggled slightly. Elphie looked back up at Glinda with a confused expression on her face.

"We'll just see about that. You stay right here. I have something I need to take care of."

Glinda walked out the door, leaving an even more confused Elphie sitting on the foot of her bed.