AN: Hello all! I'm back! Or, well... I hope to be, but that will all depend on whether or not I will have wifi at my hotel in Rome! (Don't worry, I probably will.) Everything is packed and I'm leaving tomorrow. First time there, so I'm really excited!

1.

"Aren't you tired of always running?" the Wizard asked her. "You've been so strong through all of this, Elphaba. Aren't you tired of being the strong one?"

Yes. Of course she was. But how could she not be strong when she had no-one left to turn to?

"Don't you want someone to take care of you for once?"

She gritted her teeth. He was only trying to sway her. He was just sweet-talking her into working with him, but she wouldn't do it. She wouldn't give in.

He said her name and she looked up. He didn't look manipulative or evil – no more than the first time she'd met him. He just looked like a normal man, with friendly eyes and an outstretched hand.

She looked at his top hat still sitting on the handle of her broom and she hesitated. It was so tempting, what he was promising her. It would be so easy to accept his offer; to work with him, rather than against him. She could accomplish so much more and perhaps she could even... dare she imagine it? Perhaps she could even be loved.

The Wizard was looking at her expectantly now, still seeming so kind, and she wondered what it would be like to have a family. A real one – one that loved her. She recalled the Wizard's words about always having wanted to be a father ad she wondered if he was like that to Glinda now. Was he treating the blonde like a daughter? Maybe he had just been misguided – he had made mistakes and now he was trying to set them right. She could relate to that. He obviously wasn't patented on making mistakes or she wouldn't be here right now, a wanted fugitive trying to set free a bunch of Monkeys she had accidentally mutilated and in the meantime secretly hoping to catch a glimpse of her former best friend's fiancé, whom she had been in love with for nearly three years. She thought wryly that it sounded even more pathetic when she put it like that in her head.

She shook her head in an attempt to clear it. What was she thinking? She couldn't work with the man who had ruined her life, no matter how many promises he made her!

"You could be wonderful," he pressed on. "They call me wonderful and I can't even do anything special. Imagine the way you could be, Elphaba. With your powers and with me backing you up, the people will love you. With my help, you could be wonderful, too."

Despite herself, she was intrigued. "I could be wonderful," she echoed softly. It sounded too good to be true, but she'd seen for herself what the Wizard could do, even without any powers. Sometimes political power was all a man needed and he had plenty of that. The people loved him. What if he could make the people love her, too?

He nodded. "Please consider it, Elphaba."

She could work from the inside. Could she ever betray her values, her cause, and everything she believed in? No. Never. She'd rather go back to being a fugitive than pretend not to see what was being done to the Animals – or worse, helping the Wizard in making it happen. But perhaps she could work something out with him.

"I won't help you suppress the Animals," she said. "If you want me to join you, I have some conditions."

He nodded calmly. "Bring them on."

"First, you're going to set those Monkeys free." She pointed at the cage.

"I will," he said.

"You'll stop spreading propaganda and treating the Animals with any less respect than they deserve," she said. "All Animals in captivity will be freed and they will go back to being ordinary citizens of Oz again, just like everyone else. And you will build rehabilitation centres where the hurt ones can live and learn how to speak again."

He kept on nodding. "I will, Elphaba. I promise. I've made many mistakes in the past and I am willing to set them right now," he said. "I will even put you in charge of the Animal rehabilitation project."

She was surprised at his willingness to give in, but she didn't let it show.

"As for you," he continued, slowly moving closer to her, "I will introduce you as my promising new pupil. I'll let you take care of the Animals and you'll be part of the government. I would even degreenify you," he said and her head snapped up.

"You can't," she said sharply. "You can't even read the Grimmerie. You don't have any magical powers."

"That is true," he acknowledged, "but the Grimmerie is not the only magical book in Oz and you are not the only person with magical powers. Madame Morrible and I have found a potion that will strip you of the distinct green colour of your skin, leaving you looking like everybody else."

She remembered how horrible Glinda – back when she had still been Galinda – had always found the idea of looking like everybody else. She had always been determined to stand out – although not quite in the way Elphaba always had. To the green girl, the idea of looking like everybody else seemed like the most beautiful thing in the world. It was the one thing she had always wanted, but never thought she could have.

"No-one would recognise you," the Wizard said. "You wouldn't have to hide anymore. No-one would even suspect you to be the Wicked Witch of the West."

She frowned, uncertain. "Wait. No-one will know I was the Wicked Witch of the West? You're not going to clear my name?"

"I could try, but that would be a long and difficult process," he explained, "and the people would never fully accept a former fugitive in their midst. It will be easier if you were to pretend to be someone else. You could be an orphan from the Vinkus or a wealthy girl from Gillikin. You could be anyone you wanted to be. It'll be a fresh start, Elphaba. A chance for you to start over... to be loved by the people around you and adored by the Ozians. You'll fit right in and you'll be able to make good."

Make good.

She bit her lip, sorely tempted, but feeling like there had to be something he wasn't telling her. "What's the catch?"

He smiled at her. "There is only one condition."

She narrowed her eyes and he put his hands behind his back, slowly walking back and forth. "Since I cannot clear your name thoroughly enough, Elphaba, and your skin would no longer be green, there will not be a Wicked Witch of the West anymore. The Wicked Witch will have to die."

Her eyes widened.

"It's the only way," he said. "With you by my side, people might get suspicious when the Witch suddenly does not show her face anymore. I will make an announcement that the Gale Force has found the Wicked Witch and that, since she was resisting and threatening my men's lives, they had to kill her. The Wicked Witch of the West will be dead; Elphaba Thropp will be dead... and you will be someone else."

"But..." She tried to grasp the idea of her being stripped of her identity. It wasn't such a high price to pay for freedom, safety, love, and everything else she had always wanted; but she still did not like it. "Hardly anyone knows the Witch even has a name. Can't I still be Elphaba Thropp?"

He shook his head. "It's too risky. There only has to be a single person who does know that Elphaba Thropp and the Witch of the West are the same person and everything would be ruined," he said not unkindly. "Elphaba Thropp has to go, just like the Witch. Only then will you be truly safe."

She understood the logic behind his reasoning and she knew he was right. Everything he told her sounded wonderful and all the reasons he gave her made sense. Despite that, though, she still felt a little uncomfortable, although she couldn't tell why that was. She felt like kicking herself for it. What was she even hesitating about? This was her dream. It had been her dream ever since she had been a little girl: working with the Wizard, making good in Oz, and being degreenified. All her hopes were coming true, so why would there even be a sliver of doubt?

But she knew why. She thought of Glinda and Fiyero and she asked quietly, "Could really no-one know? Who I really am?"

He sighed. "There are the people, of course, who were once close to you and might recognise you even with a different skin colour," he acknowledged. "Do you think there are a lot of those people?"

She shook her head. "I haven't been close to anyone in years," she said. "No-one would recognise me without my green skin... except for a handful of people."

He nodded slowly. "I think I could guess who those people are."

"My sister Nessarose, Fiyero, and Glinda," she summed up.

"Yes." He started pacing back and forth again. "But we could work that problem out. Perhaps we could find a glamour spell that will disguise you and make you look completely different..."

"No," she said sharply. It was bad enough that she would have to give up her name and her past. She was not going to give up everything else that was familiar about her.

He nodded, unfazed by her fierce reaction. "Fair enough. I understand that."

"Nessarose will probably never see me again," she said. "I am not returning to Munchkinland and she is not likely to come here. She won't be a problem. Glinda and Fiyero might recognise me, but... couldn't we just tell them the truth?" She sounded a little too hopeful for her own liking.

"No. No-one can know. We don't know who can be trusted." He looked at her. "Prince Fiyero is our Captain of the Guard, Elphaba," he said gently. "I do not think he would react positively to this situation. Glinda might, but she is too chatty – she might accidentally betray you to someone else. If we are going to do this, we will have to hide your identity from everyone. No-one but you and I can know... well, and Madame Morrible, since she will have to perform the spell. Okay?"

"Okay," she whispered. She had to. She wanted this – she wanted a change. The Wizard was right about Fiyero – if he knew who she was, he would probably shoot her on the spot. She would just pretend to be someone else. She'd still see him and Glinda. Perhaps she could even befriend them again in time. They could never know it was her, though. "I could change my hair colour. That would make it less likely for them to recognise me."

He nodded approvingly. "That is a good idea, Elphaba. Between your looking different and the announcement of the death of the Witch, even Glinda and Fiyero should not suspect anything." He looked her over. "Does that mean you are in?"

She nodded, firmer this time. "I'm in."

"Good." He smiled. "I will prepare the announcement and I will find Madame Morrible to perform the degreenifying spell straight away." He touched her arm. "Everything will work out perfectly, Elphaba. Just you wait and see. You made the right decision today."

She nodded. He was right. This was a new start and she was going to make the best of it. From now on, Elphaba Thropp – the Wicked Witch of the West – was dead.

I hope you guys like it so far. I'll warn you in advance - even if I do have wifi, my updates probably won't be very regular, but I'll try.

Let me know what you think! (You know, if you want me to keep writing or if you want me to lock myself in the Colosseum and never come out again :P.)