A/N: Uh. Hi. So sorry. Again. I will finish this story. Promise. This chapter has been written for ages, and I was hoping to post this when I got the next chapter written, but that isn't happening. I'm posting this now just because I feel terrible. Look for the next update hopefully within the next century...

Chapter 11: A Comedy of Errors

After several hours of quiet and hidden surveillance both Elphaba and Fiyero deemed it time to enter the palace yard. They quietly stalked to the palace gate. Fiyero deftly unlatching a hidden mechanism and they slipped into the palace fore-yard. Moving swiftly along the vine covered wall they crouched down to catch their breath beneath their hidden entrance. It was a chilly night and their breathing produced small puffs in the cold night air.

"So far so good," Fiyero whispered and Elphaba winced putting a finger to her lips. She merely nodded. Sliding cautiously into the small outdoor room Fiyero opened the chute floor as Elphaba ducked inside and he quickly followed. A loud bang erupted as soon as the chute door closed.

He could feel Elphaba's icy glare in the darkness and soon after he felt a hard pinch on his bicep.

"My heart just fell through my foot, would you like to pick it up for me?" She hissed.

He winced. "Sorry," He paused again, "Alright up we go."

Making their way up the chute was tedious task, much like climbing a giant slide. The situation would have been quite comical had their mission not been so serious.

So there they were, climbing relentlessly. Elphaba's arms felt like they were going to fall off from all the pressure needed to maintain her position. She was about to voice her fatigue when her head hit something solid. She felt Fiyero halt behind her. Slowly pushing with one hand she peered into the hallway by a small open sliver and noted that it seemed to be empty. Saying a small note of thanks in her head she climbed out of the chute, and Fiyero quickly followed, both moving down the dimly lit hallway.

Elphaba felt like she couldn't breathe. From nerves, or being back in the Emerald Palace, she didn't know. She followed Fiyero as he quickened the pace down the corridor.

After hearing a small rustle and what sounded like footsteps beginning up the staircase. Fiyero stopped short and Elphaba stumbled into his back. Quickly looking around he saw a door several feet away and pulled Elphaba into the dim room closing the door silently behind them.

They turned at the exact same time inspecting the room. Praying it was empty.

"I don't believe it." Fiyero whispered to no one for Elphaba was already beside the wooden crib.

Tears pricked his eyes as he saw his son sleeping peacefully.

"Oh," Elphaba breathed and sniffled next to him. Never in a million years would she have guessed their luck in stumbling across this room. Their plans had just been simplified.

Carefully she reached out, hesitated, and then stroked her son's cheek. He had grown a bit since they'd last seen him, she noted watching the small boy stir.

Liir reacted to her touch. He lazily opened his eyes and gave a small cry of discontent from being roused. Pushing himself up in a sitting position he reached his small arms up in habit as he began to loudly cry.

"Well hello." Elphaba managed softly as she lifted him up and kissed his head, "You're getting so big." Fiyero lowered his face and kissed the boys forehead from behind one of her shoulders.

The familiar scent and touch of his mother washed over the baby and he calmed, immediately curling into her embrace, his body falling limp as he nodded off again. Elphaba held him to her tightly; she let herself forget for just a moment where they were and reveled in the feeling of having him safe and back in her arms again.

"I hate to break the moment." Fiyero whispered again lightly tugging her back into reality, "But anyone could have heard that."

Elphaba nodded grabbing with her free hand the blanket from the crib and wrapped it around the baby the best she could. "Let's go."

Fiyero opened the window of the castle into the courtyard below. It was about a two story climb down. "Not this way." He closed the window again and the pair warily made their way back to the door both of them freezing as they heard footsteps nearing the door on the other side.

Making a quick dash Elphaba plunked Liir back in the crib, only to have him begin wailing at the top of his lungs. The pair scrambled to find a suitable hiding spot. Deeming the long window treatment as the best they could do in the situation both hid not daring to breath. Just as the curtains stopped fluttering did the door to the nursery open.

"What's wrong little one?" A sleepy voice asked and both Elphaba and Fiyero silently gasped. It was Glinda.

Liir was not a happy baby. As Glinda picked him up to try and comfort him his cries only increased in volume. He kept squirming away from her, beating at her, and basically throwing a tantrum the best a seven-month-old baby could.

"It's okay Liir." Glinda desperately held him to her not sure at the cause of his distress. She could feel the energy in the room begin to shift, and before she could stop it various objects in the room started to rattle and shake. "Oh not this again, sweetheart, I'm here its okay." She rocked him back and forth trying in vain to calm him before something exploded like the last time.

As a mother Elphaba could take the escalating cries of her own child no more. Not caring the consequences, she rushed out from behind the curtain, Fiyero unable to stop her. At the same time Glinda turned towards the sound at the window; the two nearly colliding in the middle of the room, as Elphaba took the baby from her arms. Glinda opened her mouth in a silent scream, swooning.

"Oh sweet Oz, he's brought you back from the dead!" Glinda gasped.

Elphaba paused for a moment at her reaction, her eyes widening as Glinda promptly fainted.

Fiyero rushed forward and tried to wake the crumpled heap on the floor.

"This is not going well," Fiyero whispered.

"No kidding," Elphaba sighed as she rummaged around the room looking for something to calm Liir. Stumbling across the changing table she held a pacifier and stuck it in his mouth, holding her finger to keep him from spitting it out. "Okay peace and quiet, is she alright?"

"I think she's okay, just a small bump on the head." He said as he examined her.

"We have to wake her."

"Grab some water."

"Where?" She hissed not knowing her way around the room.

"I don't know!" He hissed back.

"This was a terrible idea. What were we thinking? We should have waited and planned a little better. In fact, planning is something I'm good at. Ooomph." She paused as she moved a small stool out of her way. "We're like two bulls in a damn china shop," She whispered, somewhat to herself, as she stumbled into more things looking for a basin of water.

"You didn't have to go along with my idea," Fiyero whispered back. "Oz, Elphaba stop making so much damn noise."

"It's dark. Don't you dare start with me."

Fiyero glared at her, both their tempers flaring. Glinda groaned, silencing the couple. Rousing out of her stupor she blinked a few times to let the room come back into focus. Her eyes met Fiyero's concerned gaze.

"Glinda?"

She blinked again then promptly opened her mouth to scream. Fiyero quickly clamped his hand over her mouth tightly.

"Don't scream," Elphaba exclaimed exasperated. "Fiyero let her breath for Oz-sake."

Glinda looked at both of them with wide eyes as Fiyero slowly lowered his hand. "What in the hell is going on?"

"It's good to see you too." Elphaba added sarcastically, but secretly enjoying Glinda's colorful choice of language.

At her sarcastic comment Glinda gasped, "It really is you!"

Elphaba knelt by Glinda's side, "Yes, barring several major death defying instances, we're really here."

Glinda looked astonished for a moment then launched herself at both of them hugging them to her. Quickly she pulled herself away, "You need to get out of here. If Morrible finds out something is amiss she'll have," she paused, "Well it won't be pleasant that's for sure."

Fiyero nodded, "We need to get out of Oz."

Elphaba added, "Not just the Palace. We need the Grimmerie do you still have it?"

Glinda's lower lip trembled, "No."

"No?"

"Morrible has taken it, along with everything else." Glinda sighed distraught.

Elphaba looked at her, really looked at her friend, and saw just how beaten she appeared. "Glinda, it wasn't your fault," Glinda looked away, "No, you look at me you ninny. Morrible is to blame not you, not me, not Fiyero. Morrible."

Glinda just nodded weakly, "I'm so happy you're alright."

Elphaba sighed, "Now I have no idea what we're going to do." She rubbed her temples and bit her lip. "I'm at a complete loss as to anything any more."