A/N: I know this is pitifully short, but I was looking through my old notebooks and I found this! It's a year-and-a-half old, so I obviously wrote it just as I discovered Wicked. My fist fan-fic, in essence. Ah, how sweet. Excuse the quality, I didn't want to ruin it with editing :) Disclaimed.

"Elphie! Oh Elphie, come quickly! Elphie!"

Terrified, blood-curdling screams wafted from the general direction of the dormitory bathroom.

"ELPHIE!"

A thousand horrifying situations ran through Elphaba's head as she crossed the five meter space between her bed and the closed bathroom door. Galinda was hurt; she was bleeding; should she call Morrible? But instead she entered into a scene of perfect normalcy. The room was cloudy, a faint mist of vapour hung in the sweet-smelling air. There was no imposter, no fire, and no blood. Only Galinda, teetering on tenterhooks on the edge of the bathtub, her knees brought close to her heaving chest and towel precariously held-up by shaking hands. She raised her face to Elphaba, a look of almost infantile terror upon it, and pointed weakly to a spot on the floor.

"Kill it!"

Elphaba squinted at the floor tile, trying (and failing) to ignore Galinda's near-nakedness. She laughed upon seeing what 'it' was.

"My sweet, it's just a spider. A very small spider, at that."

"KILL IT! KILL IT! KILL IT!" she screeched in response, disgust colouring her already steam-blushed face. Elphaba walked calmly toward the arachnid, offering her palm for the petrified creature to crawl into.

"EW! Don't touch it, Elphie! It's got an agenda- Just look at it! That one snuck in and tried to eat me mid-shower!" She embodied her speech with an affectionate shudder, drawing the towel up to her chin for protection.

"You mean to tell me," Elphaba spoke, amused, "that this harmless little spider," she raised the creature, now in her palm, to eye level, "was trying to eat you?"

Galinda huffed and nodded jerkily.

"Swet Oz, evil really does embody many forms."

Galinda folded her arms, forgetting at once her terror and her towel. "I know you're being sarcastic, Elphaba Thropp. I'm not completely stupid, you know."

Elphaba averted her eyes. "No, being afraid of a finger-nail sized insect isn't stupid in the least." She smiled at the eight-legged beast. "You're quite a fearsome thing, aren't you?"

Galinda sniffed. "If you won't kill it, I'll call Fiyero."

The words worked their magic. The green-girl conceded with another shake of the head.

"All right, all right, calm yourself. I'll take the tiny assassin outside, where he can't hurt you."

"Please be careful!" Galinda was back to affectionate worry, whimpering. Elphaba shook her head at the girl's tone- she was truly fearful for her life.

Out the dorm, down the stairs and into the courtyard. Elphaba set the spider free amongst the vegetables, and, as she walked away, she could have sworn she heard a little voice speaking animatedly: "Why is it always the small ones that are craziest?!"

Elphaba smirked. She couldn't have agreed more.