A/N: Thank you for the reviews! I decided to continue this story, it will probably only be 2 chapters unless I think there's more I can add.

That task was a lot easier said than done, as Glinda learned over the next few months. Every night she would lie awake for hours, trying desperately to keep her thoughts in check, but all her efforts never seemed to pay off. It became so unendurable that at some point in the first week, she resorted to taking pills to put her to sleep.

She told herself that it was only temporary, that after a little while she would be able to sleep through the night with no trouble at all. But she didn't really believe that. In all honesty, Glinda knew that this wasn't a solution; it was just a way of convincing herself she was getting better.

And still she didn't stop. Every night it was 'just one more time', but that one more time was never enough. Nothing would ever be enough to make her face the truth.

She told herself that she was making improvements. She counted all the little things: a day with no tears, or a mention of the infamous Witch that didn't send a spear right through her heart. She collected these moments and stored them away in her brain, a reminder that she was on the right track. Or perhaps an excuse not to change her ways.

Why was it so hard for her? She had heard the stories; of people who had lost their love and been able to move on. So why couldn't she?

Initially she had assumed that she was just weak. It was plausible, given the way her life had played out, and she clung to this, desperate for a simple explanation. But recently she had been reflecting more on what had gone wrong, and it was getting more and more obvious that the truth was far less simple than that.

This pain had dug deep into her skin, so much that it felt like a parasite, feeding on her many regrets and draining her of all that she was, until she was left with just dark, empty grief. It made her sick, but the truth was she had spent too long ignoring her feelings, and they had developed far beyond her control.

This scared her, however this time it didn't make her want to run. Actually, it was possible that this realisation made her more determined than ever.

She had always been in control, even if it didn't seem like it. And it wasn't just socially; she had control of her life. Or she thought she did. When did that change? A stupid question. The answer was obvious.

The day she met Elphaba.

So it was with this newfound strength that Glinda finally started to take back her life. She stopped the medication and found that, eventually, she was able to sleep at night. There were still times when it all came flooding back, of course, and on multiple occasions she almost reverted to her old ways. Sometimes it was only the knowledge that she had come too far to lose it all again, that helped her stay afloat.

And sometimes she doubted herself. In a way it felt like a betrayal to Elphaba, moving on. Did she really want to be happy without her? In a world where there were no deep brown eyes and vibrant green skin to keep her alive?

But she was never coming back. And Glinda had to accept that. It's not like she would ever forget the time she had had with Elphaba, all the laughter and heartbreak and love. She would have to settle for a tolerable life, but surprisingly, this didn't fill her with dread. She had been suffering for far too long and it was refreshing to finally see a way out.

I promise my next fic will be more different