Hey everybody! This is my first Wicked fic, so don't be too hard on me. I kind of know where I want to go with this, so bare with me. It's loosely based on the novel, more so than the musical.

Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked...blablabla...you've heard it all before.

I hope you sort of enjoy this first chapter, review and tell me about it. Thanks!

Chapter 1

After Doctor Dillamond's death, everyone was a bit unnerved. Especially Elphaba, who had been one of his closest friends. She knew something was unjust, not right. She was yet to uncover the truth behind the matter, but she could tell that something malodorous was going on at Shiz. Elphaba, who had stolen Doctor Dillamond's notes from his room after his death, would stay up late at night, reading through paper after paper. She couldn't make much out of it, but she did know that he had been on to something, something Shiz obviously wanted to cover up. She had a strange feeling about Madame Morrible, after all the strange encounters she had shared with her. Not to mention how frightened Glinda (now pronounced without the Gah) became when she happened to pass by Madame Morrible.

Glinda. Elphaba had forgotten how distraught and resigned Glinda had become after Dillamond's death. She'd gone through mourning for him, even changing her name to say it the way he said it. Elphaba of course found this a ridiculous way to commemorate him, but she held her tongue. What sort of tie had Galinda with Dillamond? Elphaba had only ever seen her asking him obscure questions during class.

Tonight, Elphaba was perched on her bed, her nose stuck in a book, waiting for Glinda to retire for the night so that she could pull out the coveted notes of Doctor Dillamond. However, Glinda didn't seem to be able to sleep. She had hardly said a word since the day Dillamond had been discovered, also the day her Ama had been hospitalized. She'd wept mercilessly almost every night, which became tiresome for Elphaba, who only wanted to read. It was hard for one to concentrate while ones roomie was going on with a tirade of tears.

This night, Glinda had not cried as of yet, but she also was unable to sleep. She was evidentially fearful, of something. She finally rolled over on to her back and defiantly crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes wide open. Elphaba could tell in the dim firelight of her candle that the girl was not asleep. She hoped her candle had not been the source of Glinda's inability to sleep. She supposed she could retire for the night, if that was what was bothering Glinda. So she gently placed her book down, her head not really in the book anyway, since it was more focused on what ever was wrong with Glinda, and went to extinguish the flame when a small voice stopped her.

"Elphie, you don't have to stop reading on account of me." Glinda huffed, obviously annoyed about something.

"Oh, well I thought my light was bothering you."

"Not at all." Glinda shook her head. She made several grunting noises as if to say well-aren't-you-going-to-ask-me-what's-wrong?

Sure Elphaba would have, but she wasn't sure she cared or wanted to know. After all Galinda was still Glinda no matter what. Sure Glinda's fascination with the better girls was beginning to fade, but did that mean she had changed? Slowly, as if she found the words hard to articulate, Elphaba, out of politeness, inquired, "What's wrong, Glinda?"

Glinda sighed, relieved that Elphaba had finally asked. "Oh, Elphie, everything is wrong!" She rolled over so that she was facing Elphaba. Elphie couldn't escape this discussion.

"I'm sure it's not that bad." Elphaba said flatly.

"Oh, but it is." Glinda sobbed, the tears forming in her eyes. Had Elphaba known she would extract such exaggerated emotions from the girl, she wouldn't have even asked.

"What is?" Elphaba suddenly had an idea. Maybe this breakdown of Glinda's would give her insight in to why Glinda was so distraught over her Ama.

Glinda sat up in her bed, feeling miles away from Elphaba. She couldn't very well expound a secret to her when she was that far away, however she doubted the likeliness of Elphaba offering her to join her on her bed. But to her surprise, Elphaba was in a rare mood that evening and patted an empty spot she had created next to her on her bed. She could see that the Gillikinese girl was squeamish and needed someone. Usually her Ama was there to care for her, but obviously not then.

Glinda grabbed her favorite blanket and walked to Elphaba's bed, climbing in beside her. "Thank you." Glinda played with a loose thread in her blanket.

Elphaba didn't move a bit, she only waited for what Glinda had to tell her. She was curious to see what the blonde girl was thinking about.

"Well, Elphie, as you know my Ama is in a strange sort of state." Glinda began. "I know you're not going to believe me, but I think I had some part in making her that way." Glinda was teary-eyed once again.

"How?" Elphaba inquired, quite perplexed as to how Glinda could have had any part in this strange disease.

"Elphie, I made up that disease." Glinda looked down, with her right hand she waved it at Elphaba as if to say it-was-nothing. "I made it up to get rid of you as a roommate." She said bluntly, feeling horribly.

Elphaba seemed unchanged by this revelation. Probably because deep down she had always known that Galinda had abhorred her. "So how did your Ama actually contract this disease you created?"

Glinda looked at Elphaba, surprised by her reaction. "Well…um…" It took a moment for Glinda to regain herself, but then she went on. "I went to talk to Madame Morrible, thinking I could somehow cajole her in to allowing me to room with someone else. Thank Lurline she didn't move me. I would have been stuck with Pfannee, or Shenshen, or some other brainless girl." Glinda added this for good measure, just to make sure she hadn't offended Elphaba, the girl she had her eyes set on for a new friend.

"So you created this strange disease and you only told it to Madame Morrible and now your Ama has actually contracted this disease?" Elphaba clarified; wanting to make sure she had this right.

Glinda nodded, knowing that Elphaba could link it together.

"So you think that Madame Morrible had something to do with this?" Elphaba glanced at the window. A flash of lightening could be seen off in the distance and she felt Glinda shudder beside her. The storm had her unnerved, as she always was during storms; Elphaba had noticed.

The blonde nodded her approval of the evidence she had been withholding from everyone. She found it quite strange and all the more sad, giving her another reason to begin crying once again. She had brought this upon herself.

"Oh, stop crying, you silly girl." Elphaba scolded, just as one of Glinda's tears fell from her cheek and landed right on Elphaba's arm.

Elphaba reared back, the spot of skin the salty tear had dropped on burning as if someone had placed a candle near it. She cursed loudly, and this frightened the timid girl beside her. She jumped out of the bed and raced to her oils which she used as ointment. Once the spot had been treated she began pacing.

Glinda could only watch the green girl, half scared of what might happen next. She desperately wanted Elphie to return to the bed, it was freezing in the dorm room, but she was also afraid that Elphaba would lash out at her if she insisted she do anything.

"There's something strange going on here at Shiz." Elphaba began formulating, seeming to forget the incident which had just occurred. Glinda wondered if she should return to her own bed and curl up, or stay put. Just as she was about to place a foot down on the ground to hoist herself up, Elphaba turned to face her. "Stay; I'm sorry I lashed out at you. It's not your fault; you didn't know what water would do."

"Oh!" Glinda exclaimed, quickly rearranging herself on Elphaba's bed.

Elphaba seemed to examine Glinda, as if she had noticed her for the first time. The girl looked pale, a ghastly pale color in the dim firelight. Her small figure was hidden beneath her blanket, but the outline of her comely body could still be seen. She appeared to be shaking like a frightened animal. "Oh, you poor dear." Elphaba said sympathetically, outwardly her demeanor not changing a bit, but something breaking on the inside. She felt for this poor, frightened girl, and she wanted to protect her. It was as if she had deliberately been led to help Glinda.

Elphaba retraced her steps to the bed, and gently slid in beside Glinda as the storm began sputtering rain drops on their bedroom window. Elphie, having no previous knowledge of how to correctly share ones bed, was relieved when Glinda pressed her back to Elphie's stomach and curled her legs up. It seemed that in an instant the Gillikin girl was fast asleep. Elphaba, on the other hand could not sleep. Her mind was teetering between thoughts of Madame Morrible and Glinda.

She wondered if in the morning, when Glinda awoke, she would be embarrassed by having shared a bed with the green girl. She wondered if she would make jokes about it to her friends, or if she would genuinely keep it to herself.

Well whatever happened, Elphaba felt the need to examine Madame Morrible the next day. She had noticed the woman was quite frightening and seemed to linger over everything. She had so much power, but how much power was it possible for her to hold, and how would she use it? Yes, there was something amiss, but what? What was happening?

TBC...