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Tweak says, "it was love to me"

Elphaba isn't the wicked witch you're looking for (tothewesternsky) wrote in wariscoming,
@ 2011-10-08 00:19:00

Entry tags:

elena gilbert, elphaba

Who: Elena and Elphie
What: A sudden return to Kansas
When: BACKDATED to the night the AU plot ended
Where: Some unpopulated area of Lawrence, possibly a park or undeveloped spot of land
Warnings: References to torture, bleeding torture victim, possibly some language.

Elphaba didn't know how much more torture she could take. Every day her body was torn, wounds from the previous day being viciously reopened and aggravated. The pain was all consuming, flooding nearly everything else from her mind. Her thoughts were non-existent now, her ability to focus nearly shattered. It was all she could do to just stare at the ceiling. The Gale Force knew what they were doing, and they were exceptional at it. Even clinging to her love was starting to get very difficult to achieve. They were stripping everything away from her little by little. Elphaba needed to get out of there, to escape, but what could she do? She didn't have the strength to cast any spells and she was certain she couldn't walk under her own power either. So she was trapped, doomed to die one way or another in that dark dungeon.

The only thing she thought could save her would be if she were pulled back to Kansas, or back to her own Oz. She seriously hoped either of those scenarios would happen sooner rather than later. The witch didn't want Morrible getting what she wanted, but even Elphaba had a limit of just how much she could take. Elphaba closed her eyes, desperately keeping her tears at bay. A scream of pain broke the silence as the torturer tore into her again. Her body convulsed, recoiling from the pain, trying desperately to free itself with its waning strength. Elphaba had never felt so exhausted before in her life. It was hard to just keep herself conscious most times now. Perhaps if she just let herself slip unconscious then she wouldn't feel any of this pain anymore.

And then it happened.

Suddenly it felt as though her ankles and wrists were free of the iron shackles that had held her to that table for what seemed like years. She realized she was lying on something softer than the table that was drenched with her own blood. She opened her eyes, her vision blurry at first, but as it cleared she realized she was outside. Elphaba laid there, trying to make some sort of sense of her surroundings. There was a tree a couple feet to her right. And something was poking her in the back. Using whatever strength she had left, Elphaba forced herself to sit up. She looked behind her and saw there was a bush there, a branch of it had been poking her in the back.

"What the..." She muttered, feeling confused. Though she wasn't sure if she was dreaming, hallucinating or dead. No, she wasn't dead because she hurt too much for that. A hallucination? Perhaps. Or was this actually happening? It was difficult to say. Deciding to push her luck, the survival instinct kicked in and Elphaba struggled to get to her feet. It was long and difficult and very painful, but Elphaba was determined to get as far away as she could. She didn't want the Gale Force showing up and dragging her back to that dungeon. But the instant she was on her feet, her weak legs gave out and she collapsed in a heap on the ground with a whimper of pain.

It was then that Elphaba started whimpering, letting her pain actually show. Tears filled her eyes but didn't fall yet. Her black dress was little more than rags now from all the cuts and tears it carried. It was a miracle the fabric even still clung to Elphaba's body. Her long dark hair was tangled and had dried blood in it. Her skin was a horrific blend of emerald green and ruby red, with the ruby red being the more dominant color.

"Help me," she whimpered softly, her voice hoarse from screaming. She couldn't move, couldn't get away. Her only hope was that some benevolent soul was nearby and would help her. Elphaba didn't even have the energy to cast the spell to change her skin color. All she could do was hope whoever found her wouldn't be horrified by the green skin and would just help her. "Please Oz, help me..."

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naturaldisaster
2011-10-08 06:04 am UTC (link)

Elena knew that what she was doing was stupid. Really, she was what, seventeen going on eighteen? What sane and rational teenaged girl went out in the middle of the night to investigate mysterious disappearances and deaths? Certainly there was a completely logical reason behind it. Creep serial killer or something like that. Just because this was Lawrence didn't mean it had to be supernatural. There were bad people out there.... and here she was, armed with a can of mace and pepper to throw in a wanna be killer's eyes.

So, it was with that in which Elena decided to turn into the undeveloped part of land. She really hoped she didn't come across a dead body or stumble upon said creep serial killer's burial ground of the missing girls. Okay. Maybe this wasn't that smart of an idea. But Elena was from Mystic Falls... these sort of things? Not normal. And Lawrence also wasn't normal, so really, she needed to know so she could let the others know. And promptly be yelled at for being reckless but at least she was doing something and not just sitting around. Not to mention that with random versions of the witches here, Elena was worried. She didn't know where her friends had been sent or if they were all right. There was enough to worry about already.

But then she heard movement and the brunette tensed and slowly made her way towards the sound. Yes, she would die in a slasher film. It was because her friends had powers or were vampires that she was alive. Elena had no delusions of self grandeur. In the long run? She was just Elena Gilbert. A teenaged girl surrounded by amazing people. Still, she went to investigate, gripping her mace tightly before she heard the comment about Oz.

"Ohmigod....Elphie!" Dropping the can of mace, Elena rushed over to the witch and knelt beside her, brushing her face from her face worriedly, "Oh god, what happened, no, it doesn't matter. You're alive that's all that matters..."

Okay, so Elena didn't know if this was her Elphie, or yet another version of her, or what, but she still needed to help the green skinned woman.

"C'mon, we're going to get you to Damon's." With that, Elena slowly eased Elphie up, pausing whenever it seemed she needed it. First things first, jacket. Yes, it was cool out, but Elphie was in need of the jacket far more than she was. With Elphie doing that, Elena quickly posted to the comms with her phone informing Damon and Fiyero of the plan. Well. It was vague. Just that she was taking Elphie to Damon's to be alone. Really, she was in no condition to deal with Fiyero. And hopefully Galinda would be back to normal and at Damon's.

Unless the blond was in a similar state. No. She couldn't think that. Eyes narrowing in determination, Elena placed Elphie's arm around her shoulders while she herself put her arm around Elphie's waist and started slowly towards Damon's.

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tothewesternsky
2011-10-08 06:58 am UTC (link)

Elphie couldn't tell how fast or slow time was moving. She measured time by how much her body hurt. Her eyes closed again as she lay there whimpering in pain. The open wounds were throbbing, and now she had some dirt mixed into a few of them. It stung, but it hurt less than the rest of her wounds so she didn't exactly care about the dirt. Not right now, anyway. All Elphie wanted was help, someone to pass by and find her before she bled to death.

Then she heard a familiar voice. It was almost like a choir of angels singing. Elphie opened her eyes and saw Elena looming above her. Perhaps the Unnamed God had heard her and sent her friend to help her. Elphie managed a faint smile.

"Elena," she rasped. She then saved her voice until Elena had her on her feet. Elphie grimaced and made noises of pain more times than she could count as Elena helped her up. Once on her feet, she leaned against Elena as though she were a limp ragdoll. If she was dreaming, this was definitely a good dream. It was still difficult for her to tell the difference between reality and dreams. Both had weaved together almost seamlessly, bordered only by the pain she was in. Elphie didn't even notice the cold, her body was in a state of shock. But even so, she was grateful for the jacket if only because she knew her dress was barely covering her anymore. She managed to walk slowly with Elena's help, though it was painful and her legs didn't take kindly to the movement.

"You are a sight for sore eyes." Elphie made a sound that was supposed to be a chuckle, but it perhaps sounded more like a whimper. "Ironic really, my eyes are the only part of my body that doesn't hurt." Her eyes were perhaps on the dry side and a little bloodshot, but otherwise they were untouched by the torture she'd been put through. "Please tell me I'm not dreaming. Or dead. I feel like I could be dead. And if I'm dead I'm fairly certain Galinda would find my body and scold me for dying on her." Despite the fact her voice was scratchy at best, Elphie was talking simply because she could. And she was trying to make humor because otherwise she'd just be a complete mess and Elena would probably think was on death's doorstep. Which actually wasn't far from the truth. Elphie most likely was half dead at the moment, but she wasn't going to let go and die on Elena like this.

"And you'd be furious with me for dying and leaving Galinda alone. You'd probably find some way to summon my soul or something and glare at me." So Elphie wasn't exactly fully aware of what was coming out of her mouth, but she was aware that she was now crying. The tears were streaming down her cheeks freely, just letting them fall. She let down her guard and let out the fact that she was in incredible amounts of pain. Elphie leaned her head forward and sniffed. "It hurts. But you know what? I didn't break. I didn't let her break me. Didn't let her see the pain. She didn't win." So perhaps a better explanation for the rambling Elphie was currently doing was from blood loss and the relief that she was with someone who wouldn't cause her further pain. Though it was undoubtedly better that Elphie was talking because she otherwise would be completely unconscious which could be potentially dangerous and life-threatening.

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naturaldisaster
2011-10-08 04:12 pm UTC (link)

Oh, Elena was worried, that much was certain. Only this time, there was no one for her to fight, there was no rescue party to get Elphie safe like there had been with Bonnie. No. Those who had hurt Elphie were locked safely away in their own reality. Would the Elphie who had been here be sent back to that? Elena hoped not. Sure, she didn't really know that one as much, she'd been colder and less inclined to talk so she said nothing as she knew what was going on by that point. Still, no one deserved it.

"You're not dreaming, Elphie. You're back in Lawrence and I'm here and taking you to Damon's." She didn't mention Galinda because honestly, she didn't know which Galinda they would be met with. Still, Elphie needed those healing potions and while Elena could help with that, she knew it was the two Ozian witches who had made them. Hopefully, even if the Galinda there wasn't from here, she'd at least know something to help. Because while Elphie could probably help her make it by telling her what she needed, it would be better to have someone more aware of things. And while Galinda could be extremely flighty, she knew the blond was also determined when it came to helping Elphie and wouldn't be distracted.

"Yes, I would be furious with you for dying. I don't like friends dying and I really don't think Damon and I could handle a broken hearted Galinda. There would be much glaring." Oh, Damon could compel Galinda to forget, but Elena had already seen what that could do if somehow Galinda found out. No. That wasn't the answer. But she didn't need a plan for dealing with that because it wasn't going to happen. "But you're not going to die so we really don't need to worry about that. We just need to get you back to Damon's where you can rest and heal without.. disturbances." Should she feel bad that she was referring to Fiyero in such a way? Perhaps. But the fact remained that the Winkie prince was just that. He played both the witches, wouldn't let up even when it was spelled out for him. He would want to help of course, but Elphie needed rest, not stress. Which was why, along with being closer, Damon's penthouse really was the better option.

Then Elphie was talking about hurting and not breaking and Elena felt her heart break. So she paused and gently hugged the green skinned woman.

"Of course you didn't break, you're too strong for that. But don't worry, we'll get you taken care of and you won't hurt so much. We just have to get to Damon's, okay?"

Smiling in what she hoped was a reassuring way, Elena shifted back to how they'd been and started moving again. She was wary, there was still that random killer on the loose, but she had more pressing matters to worry about now. Thankfully, there were no hitches in getting to Damon's and once there, Elena had Elphie go to her room and sit down before she went and got antiseptics and bandages and water. That done, Elena blinked as she noticed Cheese Puff curled up on Elphie's lap. Okay, that was cute but right now, the kitten was in the way. She felt bad for the orange fluff ball as she kept moving and thus new surroundings but no matter. Picking Cheese Puff up and placing her next to Elphie, Elena looked to her best friend.

"You need to get out of your dress so I can take care of your injuries. You can borrow something of mine or Damon's if my clothes don't fit."

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tothewesternsky
2011-10-09 09:38 pm UTC (link)

Not dreaming, that was good. That meant she wouldn't suddenly wake up and find herself still in the grasp of the Gale Force and Madame Morrible. It hadn't taken her long to deduce the version of herself in that world had been a very bad girl. And from what she'd gathered upon meeting her mother and sister in that world, it was an intentional kind of bad. No doubt her other self was very very upset right now. But she didn't care. She was just happy it wasn't her being tortured. She'd had enough of that to last for a lifetime.

Elphie knew the instant Galinda saw her, the blonde would fret over her. But for once the fretting would not be met with resistance. This may be the only time where Elphie would not fight a pink makeover. She'd just be happy to be with her friends again. And then there was Fiyero. While she spent more time being upset at him lately, she'd probably hug him the next time she saw him simply because she could. The witch could have easily died in that other world and none of them would have known what had happened to her. Elphie really didn't know what to expect, but she was very glad for this chance at life. It seemed that she kept getting these second chances, and this time she would take full advantage of it for better or worse, she wouldn't live with regrets and would've-could've-should've's.

When Elena paused to hug her, Elphie returned the hug as best as she could. Hugging felt absolutely wonderful. She liked hugs. Especially right now.

"Okay. Damon's place is getting a lot of use now. Is Galinda still there?" Now her mind was starting to jump topics quicker than she could really focus on any of them. But that was okay, she wasn't supposed to have a lot of focus right now after what she'd been through. She lumbered along with Elena, hoping the poor girl wouldn't fall over. After all, Elphie was on the tall side of life. Ironic for being half-Munchkin, but genetics are funny. But they managed to make it without any trouble.

It was almost the instant Elphie sat down on Elena's bed that Cheese Puff leapt up and made herself home on it. Elphie smiled at the cat, gently petting her. "Hey Cheese Puff, did you miss me?" She was fairly certain her monkeys and kitty were driving Fiyero up the wall by now. But they would have to wait a little longer before seeing her. When Elena returned, Elphie took a deep breath and nodded. First off came the coat. That was the easiest to remove. Now the hard part. Elphie reached behind her, grimacing a bit at the pain, and managed to grab hold of the zipper. Slowly, she got to her feet and shed her dress, now leaving her red and green exposed.

The sight was horrifying. Open wounds, some with evidence of healing then being brutally re-opened. There were burns, and something that looked more like a brand than a wound or burn was on her hip. Elphie didn't dare look down at herself, she just kept her gaze on Elena. Though to Elena, she probably resembled someone from some slasher movie that refused to die. Or else she looked like she'd just escaped a medieval dungeon.

"I saw my mother in that other place. She looked exactly how I remember her. Except she hated me in that world." Elphie was still crying, now moreso for talking about her mother. She knew Elena would know how much of an impact that would have on her. And right now, Elphie didn't have a filter between her brain and her mouth for talking about what had happened in that other Oz. "I saw Nessa, too. They were the reason I ended up like this." The one thing she wouldn't touch on was how the other her was actually wicked and had done several terrible things. Elena would probably be the only one to know about the fact she saw her mother and sister. Unless she decided to tell Galinda, but that wasn't a conversation she wanted to put on the blonde right then. It was too heavy, too emotional. Elphie just wanted to focus on the joy of being alive, not what almost killed her.

Unable to keep her feet anymore, Elphie sunk back onto the bed, whimpering in pain. Oh it hurt. Every movement she made hurt. Sniffing, she looked up at Elena, her dark eyes full of intense pain and tears. "I missed you."

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naturaldisaster
2011-10-09 09:55 pm UTC (link)

The question about Galinda wasn't unexpected, after all, Elena was privy to that particular secret. It was one she enjoyed teasing Elphie about quite a lot, but now wasn't the time for that. No. Elphie needed comfort. But she also needed the truth.

"She was switched out as well, I'm not sure if she's returned or not. But if she has, she'll be here at some point."

The fact that Elena managed to not visibly recoil at the sight of the injuries was astonishing. Because really? She didn't know how Elphie was still talking or moving or anything with them. Still, she had to be strong. It wasn't exactly a new role for her. The one who took care of the others. It was tiring at times, but it was worth it. Because it was something she could do. Maybe the only thing she could do when surrounded by those with so much more than her.

As she started to gently start cleaning the wounds, Elphie was talking about her mother and Nessa, which gave the brunette a moment of pause. That.. well, that wasn't going to make things better. She had gone through that. Believing one thing only to find out it was a lie. Finding out she was adopted. Meeting Isobel... It was a lot to take in. And for the woman who had loved Elphie to hate her, for her sister... well, Elena had been on the receiving end of that when Jeremy had found out about the compulsion.

Having looked down at the words, Elena had gone back to what she'd been doing when Elphie sunk back onto the bed. Pressing her lips together, Elena hugged her again, mindful of her injuries.

"I missed you, too. But you're safe now, okay?" For how long, Elena didn't know. This place... nothing was certain. But for now, she was safe and that was all that mattered.

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tothewesternsky
2011-10-11 01:21 am UTC (link)

Elphie nodded as Elena told her about Galinda. Even in her current state, Elphie was far more worried about the blonde witch than herself. She hoped Galinda was okay. She knew how trusting Galinda was, even when she shouldn't be. If anything happened to her and she wasn't there to help her, she didn't know what she'd do.

When Elena started cleaning her wounds, Elphie clenched her teeth, but managed to keep herself from making much noise louder than a whimper. Yes, it stung, but it wasn't anything worse than she'd suffered through to get the wounds. It was possible that a few of the wounds would be scars, but Elphie wasn't concerned with that right now. She wasn't even thinking about the healing potions her and Galinda had made a while back. She was just going with the flow at the moment.

Returning Elena's hug, Elphie closed her eyes. She was so tired, and her body was starting to feel as though it were made out of lead. Even though she was calm right now, the instant her body and mind were clear of the physical pain, she'd then have to deal with the emotional pain. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Elphie knew she'd have a hard time getting over the version of her mother and sister that she'd met. No amount of anyone telling her they weren't her mother and sister would keep her from lamenting the fact they destroyed any hopes she'd had of them being different. Well, moreso her mother since she knew Nessa well enough.

"Safe, that's a strange word to hear." She opened her eyes and looked at Elena. She knew Damon and Elena wouldn't let anything happen to her. And Galinda would probably just stick her in a bubble if something did happen. "When I recover, I think I'll tell Galinda how I feel. The only thing I could think of while being tortured was how I never told her how I felt. She was the only thing that kept me going, kept me hanging on." Of course she didn't know how Galinda would even take to that confession, but she wanted the blonde to know. And if she was rejected, at least Elphie could go to her grave knowing she had been open about her feelings. And for the moment, she'd completely forgotten that Galinda even had a boyfriend. Though to be honest, everything outside of Galinda and this room was largely forgotten by her right now.

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naturaldisaster
2011-10-11 01:37 am UTC (link)

Elena really hoped that Galinda was back to normal. Mostly because it wouldn't be fair to Elphie to have a Galinda there who was in a relationship with another Elphie only for her to potentially disappear. Not to mention, would it really be Elphie's Galinda? It was all so confusing. So all she could do was hope that with Elphie back, Galinda would be back as well. Because Elena knew more than anything, Galinda was the one Elphie needed right now. But she would do her best. Because that was what best friends did.

Still, she felt bad whenever she heard the slight whimpers even if she didn't stop what she was doing. Well, at least until she had hugged the green skinned woman. So when Elphie started talking about telling Galinda how she felt, Elena just blinked. Was that really a good idea? They knew that Galinda had no issue with Elphie liking women as well... but with everything the blond was going through in regards to Fiyero and his games as well as this boyfriend she was seeing and had her acting peculiar, Elena didn't know if hearing that would help or make things worse. Still, even as she worried her lower lip, all Elena did was nod.

"At least you had that...." Sighing, Elena then went back to what she was doing. She was worried. Worried about everything. Damon told her to take time for herself, but she knew that wouldn't happen. Especially right now. Not with so much going on.

After a time, Elena eventually finished with the cleansing of the wounds and bandaging of them. Okay, that would do for now. Moving to her closet, the brunette scrunched her nose up and looked for something that might fit Elphie. Okay. Nothing.

"I'll be right back." With that, Elena slipped out of her room and went first to Galinda's to see if she was there. No, she wasn't. Okay, now to Damon's room. Slipping in, the teen moved to his dresser and quickly found a t-shirt and some pajama bottoms with a drawstring and returned to her room.

"Here you go."

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tothewesternsky
2011-10-14 03:33 am UTC (link)

Despite being with Elena, Elphie couldn't help but have the nagging feeling a guard would come through the door at any moment to drag her back into the torture room. Or a whole battalion of Gale Force would burst in and arrest them all. No, that wouldn't be good. Fiyero would then probably swing in and try to save her only to lose his life in the process. To say she was now paranoid that she was putting everyone she cared about in jeopardy of being killed just for protecting her was an understatement.

When Elena finished tending to the wounds, Elphie wrapped her arms around her middle mostly due to the fact she was paranoid. She didn't want to be strung out on that table again. She didn't want to be hurt. She didn't want Madam Morrible to win at the game she was playing. Elphie wasn't that strong anymore. Being in Kansas, she'd let down her guard, little by little, when she didn't have to worry about people hunting her down. She'd grown out of having to protect herself from the Gale Force. That was why she'd been captured in that other world. Once the Gale Force had been alerted by her mother and sister, Elphie wasn't able to hide her trail well enough and she was caught. It was uncharacteristic of her, but the Gale Force in that world also seemed more ruthless than she'd known them in hers.

Elphie almost stopped Elena from leaving. She really didn't want to be alone right now. If she was alone, they could get her again. She couldn't let that happen. She'd do anything to ensure she wasn't caught again. The last thing she needed was for Galinda, Elena, Fiyero and Damon and whoever else going up against the Gale Force for her. She knew what happened when people stood up to the Gale Force in her name, and she'd be damned if she let any of them get themselves killed for her. She'd die first. When Elena stepped back into the room, she breathed in relief.

"Thank you." She putt the t-shirt and pajama pants on, grateful for the clothing. She looked at Elena for a few moments before she spoke. "I don't want you to take this the wrong way or think it's weird, but I'd rather not be in a room by myself right now." There was a slight waver to her voice as she spoke, evidence that she was shaken to the core. Considering she was still in a state of shock and light-headed from blood loss and who knew what else, Elphie wasn't exactly realizing just how deeply she'd been affected by the torture. But once she was of clearer mind, she'd realize that it would take her a while to get over this. It had been a traumatic experience, but she'd survived it. Now she just had to pick up the pieces and put them back together and hope she'd been changed for the better.

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naturaldisaster
2011-10-14 04:01 am UTC (link)

Hearing the thanks, Elena gave a small smile to show it was nothing. Really, Elena would do anything she could to help Elphie. Be it tend to her wounds, get her clothes, whatever. She was worried about the green skinned witch. This was her best friend... Bonnie was gone and Caroline was, Elena really didn't know. But it felt like the vampire was pulling away from her and Elena couldn't understand why or what she had done wrong... Truthfully? It hurt. A lot. After all, Caroline was her best friend from home, knew her better than anyone besides like, Bonnie or Jeremy. But neither of them were here. And Caroline was.. Elena didn't know. But like hell was she going to abandon any of her friends.

Of course, when Elphie said she didn't want to be alone, Elena gave a small nod.

"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere." Well, she would have to leave on Monday for school, but Damon or Galinda, or she hoped Galinda at least, would be around so Elphie wouldn't be alone. But for now, Elena just moved to her closet to change into her own pajama pants and a pajama top before moving to the bed and just sat down, shifting so Elphie could rest against her. That done, Elena just stroked her hair soothingly.

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