Disclaimer- I don't own Wicked or Rent.

A/N- Just so you know, this is a sequel to my Wicked/Rent story, "If You Fear the Storm Ahead". This story will be very confusing if you haven't read that, so I'd suggest reading that first. This chapter starts out as Rent but it'll get to Wicked by the end. As always, I really appreciate reviews.

The moon was already high in the night sky, piercing the darkness that threatened to cover the streets. Joanne Jefferson's heels clicked on the pavement as she walked up to her apartment building. The clicking noise ceased as she stepped onto the carpet, however it was poorly kept up. After climbing one set of stairs, she reached the door that led to her apartment.

Joanne slid her key into the keyhole, turned it, and pushed inside. She closed the door behind her and placed her bag on a shelf near the door.

"I'm back." Joanne announced to the other occupant of her apartment.

Mark appeared in the doorway to the kitchen, his camera clutched in his right hand. "Hey Joanne. How was work?"

"How is it usually?" Joanne mumbled. "Boring. It was very boring."

"Do you remember what today is?" Mark asked her.

She nodded grimly. "It's Maureen's birthday. Or was. If she hadn't left without even a letter we would know if she's even still alive."

"It's been almost five years since she left. She could have gotten a job or something somewhere else." Mark replied.

Joanne shrugged. "I don't really care that much. She obviously didn't care about us…any of us. She just took off."

Joanne's bitterness was due to the events that had recently taken place. It started when Mimi passed away about four years ago. Collins never came back for her funeral. Joanne was reading a paper later on, and found his name in a Boston obituary. He had been ill at the time of her funeral. Following Mimi's funeral, Mark convinced Roger to move to California. That was where he began to perform again. His first album was entitled, 'Meems'.

Mark and Joanne were the only two Boho's left in Alphabet City. There was no point in trying to pay two rents, so Mark moved out of the loft and into Joanne's apartment. Their friendship had strengthened due to what they had endured together, but it remained just that, a friendship, nothing more.

"What's that noise?" Joanne asked suddenly.

"What noise?"

Joanne waited for a second until the sound started up again. "That noise."

Mark eventually heard it too, but he was just as confused as Joanne. "I think they're voices."

"No, really?" Joanne added sarcastically. She sighed. "Oh great. We're hearing things now? I knew we were going to lose it sooner or later."

Within minutes, the voices got stronger. Mark and Joanne moved about the apartment, trying to discover where the voices were coming from and what they were saying. It sounded like gibberish or another language…and it sounded like children.

Suddenly, the floor beneath them began to rumble. Instinctively, he and Joanne grabbed each other's hand to stay together. Then the floor dropped away into nothingness. Neither Mark's nor Joanne's mind was capable of dealing with this situation. They both passed out.

--

Mark felt himself rouse from whatever sleep he had previously been in. Before he even had the chance to open his eyes, he heard two people talking…two little girls.

"Why are they asleep?"

"'Cause we did it wrong! What if one of our mommies finds out? Do you know how much trouble we'd be in?"

The filmmaker opened his eyes, curiosity and confusion flooding his mind.

"Look, Emmy! He's awake!" One voice said happily.

Mark's voice was raspy. "What…?"

He looked at the two girls; his quality of observation taking over immediately.

Both girls looked to be about four years old. The one on the right had fair skin, sapphire eyes, and stunningly silky, long black hair. The girl on the left, however, surprised Mark the most. She had the same black hair with brown eyes, and green skin.

The green-skinned girl cocked her head a bit, her voice innocent. "What're you staring at?"

Mark fumbled to come up with an answer. "Um, well, you're…uh…"

A groan coming from Joanne's stirring form stopped Mark from continuing. She lifted her head slowly. However, her attention was immediately captured once she took in the scene before her.

"Mark…what the hell is going on?" She eyed the little girls with some fascination, but her voice remained on-task. "We were just in the apartment…but now…"

Both of the four-year-olds were grinning at this point.

The green girl spoke first, "It worked, Elfie! My Mommy's friends are here!"

"Um…Who's your Mommy?" Mark asked, trying to make at least a little sense out of the situation.

"Mommy." The girl answered.

"I think he means, what's her name?" Elfie elaborated.

"Her name is Mommy, of course."

Elfie elbowed the little green girl in the ribs lightly. "Well, some people call your Mommy 'Queen'."

"Your mother's a Queen? The queen of what country?" Joanne's brain seemed to be spouting out questions.

Mark put a hand on her shoulder and looked at Joanne. "They're only little girls, not prosecutors in a courtroom. Take it easy."

Joanne softened her tone. "Wait, why do you have all that green makeup on?"

The girls looked at each other, not seeming to understand.

Joanne rubbed her temples.

Mark continued talking, "Okay, what are your names?"

The light-skinned girl smiled politely. "I'm Elfie, and this is my cousin, Emaurie."

A voice came from the hallway…a somewhat familiar voice to Mark and Joanne. "Girls?"

Elphaba entered the room, but stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Mark and Joanne.

"Maureen?!" Joanne and Mark were utterly and completely baffled.

Joanne took in her appearance. "You're…green."

Elphaba eyed the two strangers carefully; they both seemed strangely familiar. Then it hit her—she recognized them from the mirror.

"I'm not Maureen." Elphaba said to clear up their confusion, at least for now.

"But you look—" Joanne started.

"I know." Elphaba cut her off, and then turned to the little girls, her voice softening a bit. "Did you two do this?"

Both of them nodded and grinned. Emaurie spoke up, "We brought them here for Mommy's birthday!"

Elphaba sighed, but smiled in amusement anyway. She turned back toward the newcomers. "Alright, so, you're two of Maureen's friends from New York, right?"

Joanne, who was now standing, replied, "Um…yes? We knew her from New York."

"Where are we?" Mark asked after he had examined the large and slightly ornate room around them.

"Maybe it's best if Maureen explains everything to you two. There will be a lot of explaining, though."

"Are you mad, Mama?" Elfie asked, staring up at Elphaba.

Elphaba closed her eyes and shook her head slowly. "There are times that I think so. Then again, no…never mind. No, I'm not mad. I'm just… interested. I'm not sure about your Aunt Reena, though." Elphaba looked at the two Bohemians. "Come with me. I'm sure Maureen would want to know you're here."