Once upon a time there was a prince. He met a princess. They fell madly, deeply in love. And then, one day, the prince turns into a wolf, and imprints on the princess's best friend, her cousin. And they all live happily ever after.
His voice was a knife to my heart. These words, he couldn't mean them. It had to be a joke. A cruel twisted joke. Oh, dear god please let it be a joke. When I lifted my eyes to his, I found it wasn't. He was dead serious.
I didn't let the tears over take me. I wouldn't cry. I always thought I was strong. Turns out I was deluding myself. He was looking at me still. There wasn't love in his, eyes. There was guilt. It was like he knew how much this hurt.
But he never would. I would make sure of that. I would suffer inside myself. I bit my lip, hoping to stop the flood of tears that threatened to spill. My teeth pierced the flesh of my lip, and a warm metallic liquid filled my mouth.
I wouldn't cry.
I left, disgusted at the sight of him. My Sam never would have done something like that to me. This was unbelievable. What did I do to deserve this? They betrayed me. The two people I had given my heart to. My wonderful cousin, and the love of my life, they both betrayed me for each other.
For the next month or so, I made sure only to cry when I was sure everyone else was asleep. I was hiding my emotions from everyone, and it was making me bitter. I tried not to talk, but I couldn't,
Because along came another prince. And the stupid princess fell in love again.
His name was Paul. He was a few years younger than me, granted. But, that's not important. He helped me. He helped fill the void. He couldn't replace Sam, but he knew what it felt like. He knew there were just things that could never go back to being the same.
There were things about him that were so Sam. They way he held me in his arms, and let me fall asleep (Only if we both weren't going to be on patrol), the way he ate the cookies I baked, even when I accidentally mixed up the sugar and the salt.
But things were different, too. He let me take risks; he let me do things that might involve me getting hurt (to hell with healing powers. It was freedom damnit) he wouldn't just sit with me in silence.
And we argued. We argued a lot. I guess that's what happens when you get with someone that's too much like you. And it didn't help that we couldn't keep things from each other. I could see and hear every thought that ran through his head when we were phased, and vice versa.
That would bother even the most in love couple. I mean, I'm all for honesty and no secrets, but that doesn't mean that I have to let him know everything I think.
And I know it wasn't his fault. He couldn't help it. None of us could, we didn't ask to be wolf freaks. Our grandfathers didn't, nor theirs before them. It was a gift, and it was a curse.
And that's where the fairy tale starts to fall apart.
The prince was supposed to be able to use the gift to counter the curse.
But when the gift and the curse are one and the same, there is a slight problem.
We couldn't stand spending all of our time together, little things about each other would get under our skin, and we'd end up in a fight.
Now, don't get me wrong, Paul, he's a gift. I don't think I would have survived without him. But, does he ever have some annoying habits.
And me, I bite my nails. I hum. I do things with my hands. I can see why this is annoying.
We managed to stick it out a few months. Those months were bliss, no matter what I ever say against him. And not all my baking attempts were failures. He actually got some okay cookies out of that. Hey, I ever said I was an Emily.
So, what happens after the prince defeats the curse, usually? There's a happily ever after. Usually.
So, I admit it. My story's never going to have that fairytale ending. And I can't hold it against anyone. As much as I'd love to hate Sam, it's not going to happen. And as much as I wish I could say Paul was my happily ever after, he never could be.
There was something missing in both of us. And we weren't the cure to each other. We just added to the empty hole. There was a part of both of us that was missing, which made our love unable to be the romantic, happily ever after.
And it hurt to acknowledge that. I didn't want to have lost them both. And I did, but in a way, I didn't.
We eventually just said to each other straight out that it wasn't going to work.
And like I said, that hurt. It may have added to the empty part, but we knew that it just wasn't there.
And though I lost two princes, I gained two brothers. Well, okay, one brother and one man I'd just love to hate… But I can't because no matter how much he hurt me, how happy he makes Em just cancels it out.
I guess fairy-tales aren't for everyone.