This oneshot is written for mochabelle33, the winner of my contest in Revelations Over Summer Vacation. She asked for a Red/Daphne friendship fic, where they play Truth or Dare.
Though I know she wasn't expecting this, I think it turned out alright, in both our opinions.
Rated T for Character Death... (don't flame me, I couldn't help it!)
Fourteen year old Daphne Grimm clenches her fists, trying not to cry. She and Red were at a sleepover at Julie Melphy's house…and it was so not punk-rock… with seven other girls.
"You don't know anything!" Julie taunts.
The other eighth grade girls laugh, with the exception of Red, who was, as usual, quiet.
"I mean, you've never played Truth or Dare Before? Are you from another planet?"
Again the girls laugh, and Daphne is reminded of the hyenas from Disney's The Lion King.
The green-eyed, blond Julie studies Daphne through overly made-up eyes. "You're Sabrina's little sister, right? She's practically the hottest senior around. I mean, have you seen her boyfriend?"
Daphne rolls her eyes and Red hides a smile. "I live with him."
Suddenly, all eyes are on her.
"Really?" McKenzie, Julie's oldest 'B.F.F.' asks, her voice high and excited.
"Have you ever seen him…" the girl pauses, her voice dropping to a whisper, "… naked?"
The teens burst into giggles at the Asian girl's question, but turn to Daphne, expectant for an answer.
Red and the youngest Grimm girl share a glance. Red gives a small, almost imperceptible nod. Daphne turns to Mei, whose dark Oriental eyes were wide, and smirks.
"Ooh," the girls intone.
Blue eyes sparkling, Daphne leans forward on the couch, motioning to the girls to get closer. Red's shoulders shake in silent laughter as the quiet shuffling stops as the girls settle in closer to Daphne.
"Actually," she stretches out the word, "that's…DISGUSTING!"
Her shout bounces off the walls as the girls jump back, their ears ringing.
Julie sneers. "We're not seven anymore, Daphne. Guys don't have cooties. If you knew anything, you'd think he was hot."
"Wait till he belches in your face!" Daphne snaps back. "You wouldn't think he was hot then!"
"Or," Red adds, "he puts worms in your hair!"
The girls scoff, but Daphne and Red were on a roll.
"Or call you a chunky monkey!"
"Or throw food at you."
"Or threaten to make out with your sister just to get you to leave the room!" Daphne says, trying to be serious… and ultimately failing as she high-fived her Everafter friend.
Their hostess's lip curls.
Red sighs and stands. "I want to go home," she says monotonously.
Daphne stops laughing. "Fine."
She mumbles to Julie, "Sorry. See you at school. Bye."
The two youngest girls in the Grimm household (physically speaking, since Red was hundreds of years older than Sabrina) gather their things and exit the crowded home near downtown Ferryport Landing, New York.
"That's the third time since January," Red says, staring up at the stars on the clear, late spring night.
"I know," Daphne replies. "I just hate it when they act so…grown up!"
Red pat's her friend's arm. "You know, when we first met," the brown-haired Everafter draws her red hoodie close, "all you wanted to do was grow up."
Daphne gives a short laugh of self-deprecation. "I've changed. The Master made sure of that."
Red grimaces at the moniker for Mirror. "Yeah."
Daphne nods and cuts through the alley behind Sacred Grounds, pushing her bag further onto her shoulder.
"When we were in the Book of Everafter," she begins, trying to tell Red something profound, something meaningful, as she so many times before, "Granny took Mirror's spirit, and ripped it off of me. Then, she forced him into her own body."
Red nods, but does not interrupt.
"But when we found her and Mirror again, Sabrina was determined to save us all, without Puck's help…without anyone's help. For her, that's what it was all about.
"But, it wasn't up to her." Daphne stops as a car goes by, then crosses the road. She continues, "Mirror separated his spirit from Granny and headed straight for me." Her voice cracks.
Red puts an arm around her friend's shoulder in a half-hug. "You don't have to tell me."
"But I do…" she pauses, thinking to herself, Because, I might not be able to later. "… For me."
She inhales shakily. "Okay. So, Mirror was inside of me. You know the rest; you were the one to save me."
Red grins. "You were my only friend. It's part of the unwritten contract. I mean, all I had to do was use the kazoo."
Daphne laughs. "Yeah."
The girls go up the steps of Relda Grimm's house.
The door opens and Uncle Jake looks down at them in surprise. "Again?"
"I don't want to talk about it," Daphne grumbles.
Sabrina looks at her sister in the mirror. "What do you mean, Daph? Of course you're not normal. We're Grimms…fairytale detectives… does any of this ring a bell?"
Red snorts.
Daphne, on the other hand, huffs. "That's not what I meant. I mean, I'm not a normal girl. I don't like makeup, I could care less about boys, and I've never played Truth or Dare."
The high school senior turns around to look at her younger sister. "Did they make fun of you?"
The hostility in her sister's voice reminded Daphne of Puck, in an especially bad mood.
"No."
Sabrina gives her a tiny smile, one that said 'I can see right through you, sis.'
"Daphne, your friends should be nice to you. They all know about…everything, and all."
"I've been in remission since two weeks before my ninth birthday. That whole be-nice-to-the-girl-with-cancer-because-she-might-die thing has passed. They don't have to be nice."
Her sister smiles, a sad little half-grin. "Mom called. Your doctor's appointment is next week. She and Dad are going to drive down and pick you up, alright?"
"Yeah," Daphne nods. "I just hope…"
Her sentence is cut off by a loud buzzing as Puck flies into the room ad lands on Sabrina's bed with a graceful ease. "What's up, ladies?"
"You're interrupting girl talk," Red tells him.
He turns to face Sabrina, looking green. "Should I leave?"
The blonde laughs and shakes her head. "We're just talking about how Daphne's doctor appointment will be fine. All good news."
Puck turns to his girlfriend's little sister. "Marshmallow, you'll be fine. You're tough stuff."
Daphne grins and Puck laughs.
2 Weeks Later
Dear Red,
So, I know that you can't come to New York City like Sabrina or Uncle Jake, but I'm sure you kinda know what's happening. The doctors say that I tested positive again. Just like last time, they think it will be resistant to chemo, but I start next week.
Maybe Julie's feeling guilty for insulting us.
I don't know if I'm ready to die. There's so much that I've never done, like played Truth or Dare, or pulled a prank, or kissed a guy.
Maybe… never mind, it's stupid. I'll talk to you as soon as I get home.
Your friend,
Daphne Grimm
Sabrina hangs up the telephone, looking at the hopeful faces of those gathered around her, and hating the news she must give them. "Mom says the chemo failed. It looks like Daphne has a couple months."
Puck steps forward and she leans into his arms.
"Oh, Puck."
"She still might make it," the fairy insists. "The marshmallow is a persistent little thing."
The Grimm family smiles, but collectively thinks, But what if she doesn't make it?
Daphne Grimm hated chemotherapy. She lost her hair, something that, thankfully, hadn't happened the first time. Now she was weak and easily became nauseous.
At least she was almost home now.
Her mom pushes her wheelchair through the front door.
Red is the first to greet her, with a large hug and an even bigger smile. Sabrina was next, followed by Granny and Uncle Jake.
"Don't be mad," Red prefaces, "but I was reading your letter, and well…"
"I stole it," Puck chimes in.
Daphne smiles. "Of course you did."
Sabrina elbows her boyfriend's side. "We had an idea."
"I call it," Puck grins, "'Ultimate Truth or Dare.'"
Red and Sabrina echo with "ooh's" and "ah's," and Daphne realizes with a laugh that this interchange was scripted.
"Basically," her sister explains, "we're going to make sure you have played a lot of Truth or Dare, and done everything you've ever wanted, too."
Daphne nods. That was her sister. No beating around the bush; no skirting around the issue of this terminal disease.
"So," Red puts her fingertips together, making a tent, "truth or dare?"
Daphne's face blossoms into an ear-to-ear grin. "Dare!"
In the last three months, Daphne had been dared to prank William Charming (by Puck), sing a love song to Julie Melphy's boyfriend (by Red), actually accept Julie's [ex]boyfriend's offer to go on a date (by Sabrina), and to say something in German every time someone sneezed (by Granny Relda).
Puck, being true to character, always picked dare. The shy one, Ted, consistently picked truth. Her sister and Uncle Jake chose randomly, making them the best players in the family. Granny didn't usually play, which was probably a good thing, since her dares usually involved household chores (like dares to clean the entire house without complaining.)
But now, Daphne could barely get out of bed. The nurses came to the house at least once a day, to check on her vitals and her meds.
"Truth or Dare?" Daphne asks the doctor one day.
"Truth," she replies, used to the teen's questions being phrased as such.
"Am I about to die?"
"I don't know," the doctor replies quietly. "You surprised us last time. You might do it again."
"It's different from last time… I have dreams, where I'm walking with my family, and one by one, they disappear. I'm all alone; it's night, but there are no stars. Do you think that's what death is like, Dr. Jameston?"
The doctor gives her a small smile and sits in the chair next to the bed. "AS a doctor, I'm around death a lot. I'd like to think that our soul stays with the people we love, because they remember us."
Daphne nods, her features serious. "I like that idea. I want Granny, Sabrina and, uh…Robin, Red, and Uncle Jake to always remember me."
The doctor pats her shoulder. "I've only known you a while, and I don't think I'll ever forget you. What makes you think your family would?"
The teen smiles. She leans over, giving the doctor a hug. "Thank you. Could you bring me paper and a few pencils? Oh, and envelopes."
"Sure."
She died at 7:30 p.m. July 10, 2015, just three weeks after her fifteenth birthday.
Daphne, the youngest of the Sisters Grimm, was dead.
The obituary would later tell of her heroic fight with cancer, that she lost mid-June at her grandmother's home in Ferryport Landing, New York. The people reading the papers would never understand their grief for a little girl who had so much life left to live.
Haley Jameston inhales heavily, trying to retrieve her composure. She'd lost it amidst her tears as she turned off the monotone beep that had previously varied with her young patient's heartbeat. She reaches into her pocket and pulls out three envelopes.
She clears her throat as she enters Daphne's bedroom.
The teen's eyes were closed; she'd gone in her sleep.
"She wanted me to give you these," Haley announces to the family gathered around Daphne's bed.
To the grandmother, a vibrant and optimistic woman named Relda, Haley handed the first envelope. Then she turned to Daphne's sister and her boyfriend, and Daphne's best friend.
"She said," her voice wavers and Haley has to start again. "She said you should pick. Red first."
On the bedside table she lays the envelopes. Both were addressed in all capital letters. The one on the left read TRUTH, while on the other DARE was written.
The girl who was Daphne's age, Red, steps forward. Her small hand darts out to grab the envelope on the left.
Sabrina sniffles as her boyfriend—Robin, Haley thinks—hands her the DARE envelope.
Haley smiles as the teenaged boy draws his girl close and puts a hand on Red's shoulder. They almost made a family of their own and yet they were missing one crucial member.
Red looked down at the letter. It was written in sky blue ink, Daphne's favorite color.
Dear Red (if Puck and Sabrina are reading this, trade with her, okay?),
I don't know what day it is, or what time, but I know that, if you're reading this, I'm not here anymore. Don't be sad, because my soul is going to stay with you. You are my best friend, after all. Like you said, it's part of the unwritten contract.
I suppose that this isn't a traditional way of saying one's goodbyes, but I've always liked writing, ever since we started writing diaries for the Grimm family business. I wonder, will Sabrina and Puck's great-great- grandkids ever read my diary? What would they think of me? Would they know that their great-great-great Aunt Daphne had died when she was young? Would that be all they'd think about? Or would they remember me as a great hero? Or…something else?
I guess those are just what-if's now… But this isn't: you are my greatest friend.
No matter where I am, know that I love you, and will always be watching over you.
Daphne
As Red looks up, Sabrina sniffles again, and bursts into tears. "It's not fair," the blonde mutters to Puck. "She's the younger one; she should have been here longer than me. Was it my fault? Could Mirror have gone into me? What if—"
Puck cuts her off with a shake of his head. "Don't do that to yourself, 'Brina. It was her time."
Sabrina looks back down at the paper, her sister's final message.
Sabrina and Puck,
I figured that you, Puck, would pick this one, even if Red hadn't chosen first. (Red, if this is you, trade with my sister, okay? If you are reading this, you surprised me! You never pick dare!)
Now, Sabrina, get a hold of yourself. You don't want my letter to be covered in little spots from your teardrops, do you? (Puck, don't laugh at her.)
I know that I'm not alive any more. I told Dr. Jameston to give this to you only after I die. Maybe… maybe if I make, someday, we'll read this and laugh at my childish wish to live on in at least some form. But maybe, it's not childish.
Sabrina, I love you. I don't think I tell you that much anymore. I used to, but then, I grew up. We both did. I never told you how much it meant to me that you took care of me. You could have called me stupid or been mean, but instead, you took charge and played surrogate mother while our parents were missing. And, I'm sure that I was annoying, and you got mad at me from time to time, but that never stopped you from giving me a hug or telling me a story. I don't know if you remember those stories but I do.
You told me one once, the night Mom and Dad disappeared, about a princess and the way she knew that her family would be okay. I hated you the next morning, because our family wasn't okay. The night after that, the story had changed. The princess was brave and strong, and she'd be that way until her parents came back. I could never tell if that princess was supposed to be me or you, and I'm still not quite sure. But, I want you to know that I think the story has changed. The princess, a.k.a. you, needs to know that she doesn't always have to be the strong one. Because, the little sister of the princess is going to be the strong one now; no one can hurt her, and no one is going to hurt her family. I'm going to make sure of that.
Puck, you're like the brother I never had, up until we found Basil, but I think you'll make a much better brother-in-law. You're just the kind of guy that all the girls from my school fawn over (Yes, Sabrina, you can tell him not to let it go to his head, but let's face it, it already has.); you're the kind of guy that is going to take care of my sister, as long as you're not the one driving her to insanity… or murder.
I love you both. Don't miss me too much. I'll always be with you in the ways that matter.
Love,
Daphne
P.S. I love you all so much!
P.P.S. If you two don't get married sometime in the future, my ghost will haunt you until you die!
P.P.P.S. I'm not kidding.
P.P.P.P.S. You know that I'm right about you two anyways!
Sabrina Grimm folds up the letter, the creases and folds so worn that the paper was nearly ripped apart. She presses a kiss to the outside of the letter as her husband enters the room, looking ruggedly handsome.
"Good morning, beautiful," he says, kissing her cheek. "How are you today?"
She smiles up at him. "I'm okay. It's always a hard day." She presses a hand to his cheek. "I love you, Puck."
The blonde fairy smiles. "I love you too, my 'Brina."
Three little heads peek in through the door, and the eldest says, "Eww!"
The couple laughs, and Sabrina sets her little sister's letter inside the drawer, where she'd always kept it. "Good morning!" she exclaims.
The children rush towards her, her arms spread for a hug. She presses a kiss her oldest son's forehead.
"Mom," he smiles, his grin very much like his father's. "Stop."
Sabrina beams at him, looking like the proud mother she was. "Hayden Goodfellow, you are lucky that you don't live with your great-granny Relda. She'd have smothered you to death with liebling's by now."
The fifteen year old gives his mother a placating smile. His hair was dark, like Daphne's, and Sabrina was surprised, when she first held her son nearly sixteen years ago, how much he reminded her of her little sister.
"Mama," her downy-haired daughter asks, climbing onto her lap to see into the drawer, "whatcha readin'?"
The girl's twin, a boy with similar blonde features leans against his father's legs. "Story!"
Sabrina sighs happily. This was her family. "I'll tell you a story, Caleb," she promises, "but this is a real story. There are dragons, and princes, and fairies—" she shares a meaningful glance with her husband "— but it all really happened."
The blonde mother leans back into her pillows, looking down at her daughter's head. Savannah Daphne Goodfellow was going to be a beauty, one the boys would soon chase after.
Her family all sits on the bed, and she begins the story.
"It all started on a dark and stormy night, but it ended as a game of Truth or Dare. There were two girls, named Sabrina and Daphne. They were the Sisters Grimm…"
Review!