Chapter Thirteen:

Someone was trying to scare her. That's the conclusion she had come to. That's what she had told Fiyero after she had called hotel security and the police.

He sat with her on the bed and comforted her, which mostly included Elphaba leaning her head on his shoulder, not saying anything.

"I just don't understand," she said softly after a long period of silence had lingered in the hotel room. The police and detectives had been gone for hours now but Fiyero had stayed with her through it all. "Who would do such a thing?"

Fiyero had no answer to give her. "Someone who is jealous, maybe it was one of the paparazzi or something, trying to get fuel more publicity. Whoever it is, you can't let them scare you. They are just a coward with a tube of lipstick."

She looked at him. Her brown eyes were unsure.

"I can't help but think that this is going to lead to something even worse..." she confessed, "First it will be a message in lipstick, next I'll end up dead in an alley somewhere."

Fiyero grabbed her hands, "Hey, hey don't talk like that. They're going to catch whoever did this."

She glanced at his face, "Alright," she said resigned. She didn't sound fully convinced.

"Are you planning to go to work today?" he asked, glancing at his phone, "It's nearly one o'clock in the morning now."

Elphaba groaned and fell back against the bed, her eyes were now greeted with the sight of the ceiling.

"I don't know..." she trailed off, chewing on her bottom lip.

"Do you want me to stay here with you?" Fiyero asked next, hesitantly.

"Would you mind?" her voice was small.

He smiled at her and brushed back a piece of hair from her face.

"Not at all."

She gave him a gracious smile. And he fell back against the back with his hand intertwined with hers.

They laid there in silence, just holding hands. There seemed to be a whole conversation brewing between them but it was only in their minds.

"Do you miss her?" suddenly Fiyero asked.

He could hear Elphaba sigh besides him.

"Course, I do. She was my best friend. How can I not miss her?"

He glanced at her, she was still staring up at the ceiling while he had turned on his side.

There was another moment of silence before he spoke again. This time, it was in a quiet tone.

"The police said that she was stabbed to death. Maybe a knife or something. There were no fingerprints, no leftover clues. Someone had been planning to kill her. The security cameras had been infiltrated to show nothing."

It was a second before Elphaba turned to her side and looked at him straight in the eyes.

"When were you planning on telling me all of this? When did you find all this out?" she asked softly, carefully.

"The police told me after the funeral. But I was too busy dealing with all that paparazzi stuff... and I didn't know how to tell you."

Her features softened.

"Fiyero I'm so-"

"No, please don't say it. I swear if I ever hear those three words again, I'll scream," he interjected, "But... there is one thing I could use your help doing."

She sat up. "Sure, Fiyero. Anything."

He slowly sat up as well, supporting himself with his hands.

"The police have already done an investigation at Glinda's studio. They've already labeled things and taken what they need to use for evidence. Now they want me to take her stuff out... I don't know exactly what's going to happen to the company but... they just need her stuff out... and I was wondering... if you would come with me?"

He glanced at her shyly, "You don't have to if you don't want to. I understand if you don't. Especially after what you have just been through."

She shook her head, "No, no I'll come with you."

He smiled at her and squeezed her hand.

"Thank you."

It took no time for them to get to Glinda's studio after Elphaba had called in sick to work. It was an easy ride, one filled with silence though. The building too was silent, empty with its logo in the front glowing with neon lights:

Pretty In Pink

Elphaba just smirked and chuckled to herself. Fiyero couldn't help but notice.

"Something funny?" he asked as he pulled the door open. It was just about seven in the morning now, the sun fully rising in the sky.

"Nothing... it's just... it's just so Glinda," she commented.

He smiled at her and glanced at the sign once more.

"Yeah, yeah it is."

She held a smile on her face as she walked through the doors, admiring the sight.

Glinda may have not been the smartest student but she had grown into a meticulous and savvy business woman. She knew how to make things look professional. She had always had that knack.

The walls gleamed a crisp white color, almost chrome like. Plants adorned the entrance way, like a typical business office would have. Roses and such. Elphaba expected nothing less.

"Her studio is on the third floor," Fiyero interrupted her reverie by pressing the elevator button.

The doors opened and they both stepped inside.

"How many floors does her building have?" asked Elphaba, adjusting her purse strap on her shoulder.

"Five. The first floor is full of secretaries and the lunch rooms. The second is for finances. The third is the designing floor, fourth is for production, and the fifth floor is reserved for meetings and the bosses."

"Wow, it sounds like she created quite a company," praised Elphaba as she brushed a lock of hair back from her hair. In truth, she was sort of jealous of Glinda's success. A brilliant, beautiful fashion designer and an Editor in Chief of her own company.

"It was very impressive," Fiyero said with a sad smile.

"Why didn't she ever decide to become the boss here? After all, it was her company?" pointed out Elphaba. If she had been in Glinda's position, she would have.

Fiyero shrugged, "Glinda had the ambition and drive to design, not to sit behind a desk and sign papers. She was too creative to be chained to such work... and besides," Fiyero cracked a smile at this, "She hated dealing with numbers and figures... she wouldn't have done well there."

"So she was just a designer?"

The elevator stopped at the third floor and opened up its doors.

Fiyero stepped out first, followed by Elphaba.

"Yup. And she loved it, Elphaba. She was so happy here. You can't imagine how free she felt doing this type of work... it was what she was meant to do."

Looking around the room, Elphaba could sense that. Glinda's studio was her own. Covered in photographs and pin ups of whatever new design she was working on, her inspiration was all over the walls.

Her tables seemed to be in a messy order with sketches and pencils everywhere, post it notes on swatches of fabric, needles and pens scattered around.

But everything about it screamed Glinda. This wasn't anyone else's studio, it was hers and hers alone.

Elphaba smiled, feeling proud of what the blonde had accomplished. But then her smile dimmed, remembering what had been said about Glinda when she had first heard of her death.

RUTHLESS FASHION DESIGNER.

"Fiyero," Elphaba began as she glanced at one of the work tables, "Did Glinda have any enemies at work?"

Fiyero paused at Glinda's desk.

"I don't believe so. I mean, naturally she made enemies because of her success but I don't know of anyone who sticks out in my mind. I can ask the staff if she was having any trouble with anyone."

Elphaba sighed, "No, no the police probably have already done that in their investigation. I was just wondering if you knew of anything."

Fiyero looked at her curiously.

"Why do you ask?"

She turned towards him and bit her lip slowly.

"I... I just... I may have read something that said that she could be pretty ruthless on her staff... but it sounded ridiculous to me..." she stuttered.

Fiyero swallowed hard.

"No, no it's not ridiculous. You remember how she used to get when she lost her temper. She didn't do it often, but when she did, she'd explode. She could be pretty cold towards them, hell she could be cold to me too. But I don't think anyone would kill her over it."

"Do you think it was the pressure that got to her?" Elphaba asked.

Fiyero sighed, his hand resting on the desk, his eyes looking at her.

"I don't know. I know she was stressed, but it wasn't because of work... or at least not solely."

Elphaba lifted up an eyebrow in piqued curiosity.

"Was something going on?"

He sighed again, running his hands through his hair.

"Yeah, yeah," he looked down at his feet, "There was something."

A beat of silence passed.

"We were..." he sniffled, "We were trying to start a family..." he said quietly.

Elphaba felt her heart drop at his words.

"Oh, Fiyero," She tried to reach out to him, but he turned away from her.

"It wasn't working and she was getting so upset and frustrated... so I guess on top of all that, maybe she could have been having problems at work."

He glanced up at her, his eyes shining.

"I'm so sorry, Fiyero," was all she could get out.

"It's fine," he said but she could tell that it wasn't.

She then intertwined her hand with his softly.

He locked eyes with her.

"Let's... let's just find her things and go," he said at last.

Elphaba pursed her lips, wanting to say something but she didn't know what. So she kept her mouth closed and just nodded her head.

Sorry I haven't updated in a while. Been pretty busy. But summer is now approaching so I should have some more time to write.

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