"It's an angel!" the minister exclaimed, falling back onto a large bouquet of flowers.
"Hardly," Sabrina muttered under her breath. She tried to hide back her joy at the fact that Puck had indeed showed up, but she couldn't stop a small smile from creeping onto her lips.
"What is this madness?" Bradley breathed. He took Sabrina's hand, pulling her away from Puck's hovering form.
"Hello, stinky," he said with an infuriating grin that strangely made Sabrina's smile grow.
"Who are you and what do you want?" Bradley asked Puck.
"I am the Trickster King and I've come to claim my bride. You didn't really think I'd let you get married without me, did you?" Puck's last question was aimed at Sabrina. Bradley turned to her in confusion.
"Puck, if you really wanted to come that badly, you could have called. We would've sent you a formal invitation and everything. You didn't have to come like this and ruin the church," Sabrina said with a scowl. Her earlier joy at seeing Puck had given way to her anger and frustration.
"You were going to invite this man that flies into a church during my wedding and claims that you can't get married without him? Are you out of your mind, Sabrina?" Bradley's incredulous face told Sabrina that he was truly horrified at the thought.
"Oh, shut up," Puck said as he landed beside Bradley. "I claimed her first, although had I been allowed to just club her and drag her to my cave I would have avoided all this trouble. Now could you just please step aside and let me talk to my wife?"
"She is not…"Bradley started to protest, but he was interrupted by Sabrina.
"Do what he says. He has a sword Bradley."
"What?" Bradley's face turned a shade of pink and his breath started to come in short gasps. Sabrina could tell he was well on his way to losing his sanity. Puck had that effect on most people. "I am not letting you take my almost-wife!" Bradley exclaimed as he lunged at Puck.
"Can't say the lady didn't warn you," Puck said with a laugh. He easily flew out of Bradley's way the poked him in the back with his wooden sword. "Now, can I have a word with my wife, please," Puck asked with exaggerated politeness. Without waiting for an answer, he grabbed Sabrina's hand and flew up into the air. When they were alone, he started talking. "I can't believe you really were getting married without me. What happened to all my wedding plans? The honeymoon in the alligator infested swamp? I thought you were looking forward to that!" Puck looked genuinely hurt.
"First of all, I was being sarcastic when I said that. Second of all, what was I to think when I didn't hear from you in five years, Puck? Five years and I didn't get a letter or and email or even a text. How do you explain that?" Sabrina tried to hold back the tears, but a drop escaped and rolled down her cheek.
"Hey, Grimm, don't cry," Puck said as he wiped away the tear. He flew them to an old oak tree near the church and landed neatly on a large bough. "I have a kingdom to run. It's not easy. But I will admit, five years is a long time. Plus, I had some side missions that were too important of pass up."
Sabrina snorted. "What sort of side missions? Finding the most horrible gunk in existence to prank me with? You know, in the time you were gone, I started to miss the pranks and Puck's Patented Super Glue."
Puck laughed. "You haven't changed a bit. You're the same Sabrina that I fell in love with fourteen years ago. Though now you seem to be mellower. Maybe I've been away too long and you're getting soft, Grimm." He brushed aside a strand of her hair from her face. "Some of missions did involve goop," Puck admitted, answering Sabrina's earlier question, "but I had another mission that was much more important than that. Here, I'll show you."
Puck reached into the pocket of his hoodie and pulled out a velvet box. "Now that you're an everafter, I thought you deserved a ring fit for a fairy queen. When Puck opened the box, inside was the most beautiful ring Sabrina had ever seen. It seemed to be woven of strands of silver and gold thin as a spider's thread. The threads curled around a beautiful diamond, clear as a mountain spring. Puck took Sabrina's hand. Gently, he lifted the ring out of the box and slipped it onto the fourth finger of her right hand. "The ring was originally my mother's. I personalized it for you, though."
Sabrina looked down and saw that there was indeed tiny letters etched into the strands of precious metal. They were all her nicknames, both bad and good: Stinkpot, Grimm, Starfish, Liebling, the Queen of Sneaks. And at the very end, there was a new one. My love. Tears pooled in Sabrina's eyes. She turned to Puck and punched him in the arm. "I really hate you now. You made me cry again. The last time I cried was when I didn't hear anything from you in two years. And now I've reunited with you for a measly thirty minutes and you're making me cry again."
"No, Sabrina, don't cry." Puck cupped her face in his hands and used his thumbs to brush away her tears. "I'm sorry for leaving you guys all those years ago. I didn't mean to hurt you then, and I don't want to hurt you now. Tell me these are happy tears, Grimm."
"Of course they're happy tears, you idiot. When did you get so nice anyways?" Sabrina's eyes narrowed. "What are you planning?"
"I'm not planning anything and this show of softness won't last, so don't worry. By the way, if you were crying happy tears, does that mean you'll keep the gift?" Puck raised an eyebrow and looked at Sabrina in the eye, waiting for her answer.
"Well, Puck, I've seen my future. And it seems that I'm stuck with you for better or for worse. I'll keep it on forever, and I mean that literally. I'm an everafter now."
Puck smiled. "I'm glad." He leaned in and gave Sabrina a soft kiss on the lips. "We should probably go back. Marshmallow will want to know all the juicy details." He grabbed Sabrina's hand and flew towards the church.
"Wait, what do you mean Daphne will want to know the details. Were you two planning something?" Puck just winked at her before he flew back into the church and it was too late for him to answer.
The church was chaotic. Everafters were trying to calm the humans from Bradley's side of the church. Already, sirens could be heard in the distance. In the middle of it all, Daphne was standing with her hands on her hips. When Puck landed in front of her, she ran and gave Sabrina a big hug before turning to Puck. "Well?" she asked.
Puck smiled. "It's settled. We are getting married." Daphne bit her palm and squealed. She hugged Sabrina again then hugged Puck.
"I'm so happy for you guys, even though it took you long enough," Daphne said with a smile. "Oh, by the way," Daphne said to Sabrina, "I took the liberty of calling off the wedding and saved you the embarrassment of having to explain to Bradley. I also told mom and dad and Basil and Uncle Jake about Puck's plan. Speaking of them, hear they come."
Veronica and Henry and Basil and Jake made their way through the madness to join the mini family reunion. "So you really did mean to marry my daughter. I had my doubts when you disappeared for five years. Then Daphne told me about the plan and I thought it was too good to be true. You know, I'm glad you decided that hygiene is important, because I would be much less inclined to give you Sabrina if you still rolled in pig filth," Henry said as he joined the little group.
Puck laughed. "I save that for special occasions. Veronica, good to see you again," Puck said as he hugged Sabrina's mom. He gave Jake a friendly punch and patted Basil on the back. "It's good to see you all again after five long years. You know…" Puck was interrupted by the appearance of Bradley and his family.
"You are a low-down, rotten, filthy, dirtbag!" Bradley growled as his fist connected with Puck's jaw. Puck sprang up again, his sword seeming to materialize in his hand. Before he could retaliate, though, Daphne blew a cloud of pink powder over Bradley and his entire family. Their eyes glazed over and they blinked in confusion.
"You and Sabrina were getting married, but then you felt that you weren't suited for marriage," Daphne explained to fill in the holes in Bradley's memory.
"I'm not suited for marriage," he repeated in a daze. His family members nodded in agreement.
"Nice work, Marshmallow," Puck complemented as he surveyed her handy work. "But perhaps you should do the same thing for this panicked crowd."
Daphne nodded. "You're probably right. Here, take some of this and fly over the humans. Remember to spread it evenly," she said as she handed Puck a pouch of the pink powder. "Mom, dad, Basil, could you go tell the everafters the good news. Just let them know everything is okay and the wedding will proceed. I'll tell the humans the alternate story, and Jake, fix up the roof, would you?"
"Wait," Sabrina exclaimed as everyone turned away to do the jobs. They all turned to look at her. "I don't want to be married here. This place is for human marriages. I want to be married somewhere the everafters can be themselves. I want to be married somewhere magical, somewhere with memories."
Stars glittered overhead and the moon hung low over the Hudson River. Soft music and laughter drifted over the water, and the lap of the waves against the shore created a comforting rhythm. Lights were stung overhead and tables laden with strange foods lined the marina. Everafters of all shapes in sizes walked freely, chatting and laughing together. At the very end of the marina, a magic mirror was propped up.
Inside the mirror, Sabrina and Daphne stood looking out over the crowd. Sabrina was dressed in a pale green wedding dress. Her hair had been carefully arranged by Daphne and Red. "I wonder what's taking Puck so long," Sabrina mused out loud. As if answering her question, loud gasps came from the crowd. Sabrina and Daphne rolled their eyes and rushed out of the mirror and onto the marina. The sky was filled with thousands of tiny pixies, carrying a giant rollercoaster. Puck was at the head of the swarm of pixies, laughing and playing his flute.
"What's a party without the world's most dangerous rollercoaster?" Puck asked as his pixies set the giant structure down on the shore of the Hudson. All the kids cheered, thankful that they would have something to do while the adults talked. Puck flew over to Sabrina after he was satisfied that the rollercoaster had been placed in exactly the right position. "So, Grimm, ready to get married?" he asked with a grin.
"I am, but you're not. What are you even wearing?" Sabrina pointed to his filthy hoodie and ragged jeans. "Thankfully, Mom had the foresight to prepare some clothes for you.' She took Puck's hand and dragged him into the mirror.
"THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING", the council of mirrors boomed. The entire crowd had been ushered into the mirror and to the hall of mirrors. "TODAY WE CELEBRATE THE UNION OF THE TRICKSTER KING AND THE QUEEN OF SNEAKS, ALSO KNOWN AS PUCK AND SABRINA." On cue, Puck flew in, wearing clean suit. The crowd murmured in surprise at his getup. Many had not expected him to look this nice, even for his wedding. The vast majority of teenage girls at the wedding secretly thought that he was hot in a suit and snuck jealous looks at the door the bride would be entering through.
Next, the best man and the bridesmaid came through the door together. Daphne and Mustardseed walked down the aisle, smiling and waving. After them, Pinocchio and Red walked in, arm in arm. Finally, the crowd craned their necks, trying to get a glimpse of the bride.
Then, the door slowly opened and Sabrina walked out. The crowd fell silent. Even the jealous teenage girls couldn't find the heart to hate her. She was just too beautiful. Her whole body seemed to glow and radiate and it looked as if she were floating down the aisle. Cameras flashed, trying to capture the surreal beauty of the moment. Sabrina made her way down the aisle and to the platform that had been set up especially for the wedding.
Puck took Sabrina's hand and together they walked to a trellis of flowers that curved over their heads. The magic mirrors smiled, and some wiped tears from their eyes. "LOVE DOES NOT ALLOW YOU TO MAKE PLANS. IT IS WONDERFUL DISEASE THAT STRIKES YOU AT THE MOST INCONVENIENT TIMES AND HOLDS YOU IN ITS GRASP. LOVE IS A JOURNEY DOWN A DARK ROAD, FILLED WITH UNCERTAINTY, BUT ALSO FILLED WITH WONDERFUL TIMES. LOVE IS, YOU KNOW WHAT, LET'S JUST GET TO THE VOWS." The crowd laughed, and quite a few wiped away tears. " PUCK, YOUR VOWS."
Puck grinned and took Sabrina's hand. "I vow to always save your butt in times of need," Puck began, "and never cease to pull pranks on you. I vow to stick to you like Puck's Patented Superglue, through hard times and good times. And most importantly, I vow to always love and cherish you."
Sabrina smiled and her vows. "I vow to always make sure you are punished for your pranks. And finally, I vow to always love you despite the fact that I may not like you at times. I will stick with you like your stink, forever and always." By now, the majority of the crowd was crying openly. Henry roughly wiped away his tears while Veronica smiled through her tears. Daphne bit her palm, and Basil and Jake just nodded, as if they knew it were always meant to be.
"AND NOW, PUCK, YOU MAY KISS THE BRIDE!" the mirrors proclaimed. The crowd cheered as Puck gently grasped Sabrina's chin and tilted her face upwards.
"Happy to oblige," he whispered before he leaned in and gave Sabrina a soft, passionate kiss. The crowd whistled and whooped. Puck broke off the kiss and took Sabrina's arm in his. Together, they walked through the crowd, accepting congratulations and directing everyone to the reception outside. Soon, they were the last ones left in the room. "Did you really mean what you said?" Puck asked Sabrina as the stood together, savoring the presence of each other.
"I did. Did you?" Sabrina asked, turning to face Puck.
"Of course, Stinky. You didn't really think I would ruin my reputation of being heartless for some fake declaration of love, did you?" Puck looked genuinely hurt.
"I just had to be sure," Sabrina whispered, leaning into his arms.
"You couldn't get rid of me in fourteen years. If that's not love, what is?" Sabrina shrugged. Puck turned her to face him. "Don't ever doubt me when I say I love you, okay, Grimm?" Sabrina nodded and blinked away her tears.
"The same goes for you, Stinkpot." Sabrina sighed and looked around at the council of mirrors. "I'm glad that Bunny fixed them up. The wedding wouldn't have been the same without them."
Puck smiled. "Yeah, I agree. You know what I'm most thankful for, though? It's you."
"Well, like I said before. No matter what I do or where you go, you seem to be there. It's like fate."
Puck laughed. "Well, I guess I'll just have to thank my lucky stars then, won't I?" he said softly as he leaned in to kiss Sabrina.
