Chapter Text
Galinda smiled softly as she looked around the museum. It was empty aside from her security detail; she had made sure to rent the space out. Even after all these years, the museum owner still let them. Her eyes returned to the painting, as it did every year since it was hung.
“Unlimited” was still known as an anonymous work. After the election, Elphaba had brought her back here, a brand new plaque in her hands. Galinda had no idea when she’d had the time to get it made, and her heart had warmed at the sight. But she knew in her heart it wasn’t meant to be. She turned to the other girl and smiled.
“It’s not mine,” she had said. “It’s all of ours. I don’t want it to ever just belong to me.”
And Elphaba had beamed at her and tossed the plaque aside, making her laugh.
Each year, they returned to sit side by side in front of it. Sometimes they spoke quietly about all they had seen and done. Other times they sat without talking, simply enjoying the silence they were so rarely afforded. It had become one of her favorite rituals.
She turned as she heard the door opening a crack, one of the guards blocking the entrance.
“Excuse me,” a familiar voice said. “I’m here to see my wife.”
Galinda giggled as the guard apologized profusely. “Sorry, ma’am. I didn’t see it was you.”
She still felt a rush go through her when she heard Elphaba call her that. She let her mind wander for a moment and a smile ghosted across her lips.
—-
“Elphie, what in Oz are we doing out here?”
Elphaba had insisted she join her for a ride but wouldn’t tell her where they were going. She had even blindfolded her; it reminded her of their date at the museum.
They were standing at the edge of a playground looking out at a field of flowers. In the distance, she could hear the bustle of people going about their days. Her heart twitched as she realized they were in the town they first met in–the place where this winding journey began.
“Remember that day when you came and formally introduced yourself to me?” Elphaba asked, her eyes dancing.
Galinda giggled. “I told you we were going to be friends. Forced you, practically.”
“Best friends,” Elphaba corrected, her smile growing. “I am so lucky that you came and sat next to me that day.”
Galinda felt her chest ache. “Even when I made you wear the flower crown?”
Elphaba laughed. “Even then.”
She interlaced their fingers and looked out at the field for a long moment. Galinda could feel the energy in the air around them shift and when Elphaba looked back at her, her eyes glowed.
“I’m lucky, too, Elphie,” she whispered. She rested a hand to her cheek. “What is going on?”
Elphaba’s cheeks flushed and she looked down for a moment. After taking a deep breath, she looked back up.
“Marry me?”
Galinda’s heart sped up and her head spun. “I’m sorry?” she blurted out.
Elphaba took another deep breath, then slowly knelt.
“A few years ago, you told me that I’d have to come up with a much better proposal. You also told me I may have to kneel for appearances sake.” Her eyes danced and Galinda laughed.
“I always felt like a comet pulled from orbit; I never quite fit in and my path wasn’t clear,” she continued. “But then I met you. And in every moment of my life since that day, I realized that I wasn’t being pulled out of orbit. I was being pulled into yours.”
Galinda felt tears fall down her cheeks and she placed her hands on either side of Elphaba’s face.
“Elphie…” she whispered. But Elphaba cut her off.
“Let me finish,” she said, laughing. “Oz, you’re so impatient.”
Galinda giggled and Elphaba continued, her eyes glowing so brightly they were hard to look at. But Galinda couldn’t look away.
“My wildest dreaming could not foresee all the things you and I have done together,” she said, her voice going soft. “The adventures we’ve taken, the trials and tribulations. Dreams, the way we planned them.”
Galinda knelt so they were at eye level. She didn’t even care that her dress would be covered in dirt and grass. She wrapped her arms around Elphaba’s neck.
“But this has been the greatest adventure of all,” Elphaba said, her voice barely a whisper. “You and I.”
Galinda’s chest ached and she leaned forward and kissed her. She couldn’t help it; this beautiful, perfect person.
Elphaba laughed and pulled back, cocking her head. “Is that a yes?”
Galinda hummed and pretended to think for a moment. “Can you ask me again? I don’t remember the question.”
Elphaba grinned. “Will you marry me?”
She pressed their lips together, smiling against Elphaba as she squeezed her arms around her as tight as she could.
“Yes.”
—-
Galinda ran a finger across the gold band on her finger. It had poppies engraved around it and the lines were worn from every time she’d touched it over the years.
“Hey, you.”
She turned, a smile already on her face. Elphaba came and sat beside her, planting a kiss on her cheek.
“Sorry I’m late, class ran long.”
Elphaba had recently accepted a teaching position at Shiz; she was taking over for Dr. Dillamond in the history department as a part-time professor. She was an excellent policy advisor, but eventually realized she missed being out in the field, debating philosophies and shaping minds. What better place than school to do that?
“That’s alright, love,” she said. “You were molding the next generation.” She interlaced their fingers as they stared at the painting together.
“You really have a gift,” Elphaba said softly. Galinda smiled.
“I have to tell you something.”
Elphaba frowned and turned to her. Galinda traced a finger down her cheek.
“Don’t fret,” she said. “It’s good.” The other woman cocked her head, waiting.
“I’m stepping down.”
Elphaba frowned again. “I’m sorry?”
Galinda laughed lightly. “I’m not going to run again. I think it’s time for new ideas, new faces to lead Oz. And, this way, there will be a precedent; no more dictators in Oz.”
Elphaba stared at her for a long moment. Then she smiled.
“They really never did give you enough credit when we were kids,” she said. “You’re smarter than the rest of Oz.”
Galinda laughed. “I literally got the idea from you! You wouldn’t stop talking about peaceful transfers of power for weeks after you made your students read that book.”
Elphaba flushed. “Alright, maybe you’re smarter than most of Oz then.” Galinda laughed again as Elphaba continued. “But, I still think you’re amazing and I’m proud of you. The country is a better place because of you. And, I like the idea of having you all to myself for once.”
Galinda’s heart fluttered and she turned back to the painting. “Maybe now we can finally live in peace. No more late nights, no more crises, no more speeches. Just you and I.”
Elphaba kissed her softly, then pulled back, her breath ghosting over her lips. “Dreams the way we plan them.”
They stayed that way for a long time, their eyes on “Unlimited” and their hands interlocked, even as the sun went down.