Note: I do not own any of these characters much to my disappointment. They are the brainchild of one Gregory Maguire.

Elphaba pulled the ebony cape tighter around her body. She was standing in an empty doorway just behind the large crowd. They were all anxiously awaiting the arrival of Madame Morrible. Elphaba was waiting for Morrible as well, but for a very different reason. She was there to assassinate her. Morrible's close council with the Wizard earned her the honor of death, a death for the greater good of Oz.

Elphaba's instructions were simple. The detonator was in her hands, hidden in the great folds of the cape. The dark purple and gold scarf Fiyero gave her and her pointed, wide-brimmed hat kept her face sufficiently masked. No one would know who triggered the bomb that was strapped beneath Morrible's carriage. All she had to do was wait for Morrible to set one foot outside the carriage, then she could detonate the explosive.

The crowd began to buzz with excitement. Elphaba focused her attention down the street. She could faintly hear the clip-clop of the horses' hooves. She flexed her gloved fingers in anticipation and poised her thumb above the button.

Slowly, the grand carriage came into view. The golden accents made it shine, despite the overcast skies, like the holy light of the Unnamed God. The hushed voices of the crowd grew louder as the carriage drew closer. Their elation sickened Elphaba, but soon it would all be over. Their joy would be turned to horror as a ball of fire, flesh, and blood burned into their memories.

The carriage rolled to a stop in front of the theater, The Lady's Mystique. The crowd started to cheer before Morrible even opened the door. Suddenly, the front doors of the neighboring school flew open and a small crowd of young girls spilled out in a wave of frothy naiveté.

Elphaba stood frozen, her eyes wide. She had not anticipated this. She knew there would be circumstantial victims. She never expected them to be children. Surely, this was a test of her dedication to the operation.

Elphaba debated with herself. Her mind screamed at her to run away while her thumb twitched above the button. A light sweat formed on her furrowed brow sending tiny slivers of discomfort through her skin.

Morrible was blissfully unaware of the green woman who held her fate in her hands as she worked the crowd. In the end, Elphaba fled down the side street and into the shadows.

She had missed the opportunity to change the course of history. They would be coming for her now. She fled to the only safe place she knew of. She hoped Fiyero had heeded her warning and fled to the shelter of another woman's arms. A flame of jealously flared, but Elphaba quickly extinguished it. Her time with him was over. She couldn't afford anymore distractions. She needed to survive and survive she would.