This came to me in a dream. Okay, not really but I like how philosophical it makes me sound. "My subconscious and I, in our infinite wisdom, have created something again!" ~Insert maniacal laugh~

This story is about Sabrina having to choose between two things that she loves. This chapter kind of prefaces the danger in both choices. It's a catch twenty two, and in a few chapters I'd like to know what you would do in her situation. Any how, I hope you enjoy it! I'm always welcome for people to tell me when my grammar or writing is lacking, so feel free to review and yell at me. I mean, the worst you can do is use Caps Lock... ^.^

Cancer Chapter 1: Falling

"We're back!" Sabrina Grimm called through the house as she and Puck stumbled through the door.

"Oh Sabrina," her mother said stepping from the kitchen, "I was starting to get worried..." her voice trailed off as she looked at the teens. Sabrina was covered in dust with leaves strewn in her tangled hair and a scowl firmly planted on her lips, and Puck had a fresh hole in his hoodie, which was seemed minuscule compared to the fact that half of his body was bruising. He slammed the door causing the whole house to shake and making Sabrina wince before throwing a deadly glare his way.

Mrs. Grimm dropped her spoon and rushed over to the two of them, feverish hands fretting over every bump and scratch. Words babbled out of her mouth as she checked each of her babies over, making sure that they were more or less intact.

Sabrina gently pushed Veronica's hands away. "Mom, we're fine."

Puck scoffed, "Speak for yourself." She stuck out her tongue.

"Wow... what happened?" Daphne asked coming from the stairs. Her bunny slippers flopped with her pigtails as she came up and gently hugged them both.

"Puck dropped us in the middle of the forest," Sabrina grumbled, shooting another glare at the fairy.

Puck rolled his eyes. "I fell!"

"Yeah right, you did it so you could make fun of me," Sabrina growled walking past her family and into the kitchen.

Puck was right on her heels. "Do you think I would've risked hurting my beautiful face for a laugh? I seriously fell."

Sabrina narrowed her eyes at him as she beat the dust off of her clothes. "Seriously?"

The fairy nodded. "Yes!"

"Just like you were serious when you told Daphne that a troll was going to come and steal her socks?"

"Oh that's cold," Puck winced shaking his head. "A guy makes one mistake and he's pegged for life."

"I wouldn't actually call it one mistake," Daphne added, "You've been telling me giblets like that since we first came to Ferryport landing."

"Number one, that's not true; number two... giblets?" Puck protested.

Daphne beamed. "It's my new word! It kind of replaces 'stuff' you know?"

"Well then," the blonde girl sneered as she walked up the stairs, "I'm gonna go take a shower to try and get all these... 'giblets' out of my hair. Try not to fall before I get back."

Puck scoffed and rolled his eyes as he snatched something out of the fridge, plopped down at the table, and ripped off the lid angrily shoveling the food into his mouth.

"Honestly Puck," Veronica chided wiping her hands on the blue apron round her waist, "you're getting older. It's time for you start maturing."

Puck slammed the bowl down and let out a loud burp. "I'm not getting older."

"Oh, just admit it," Daphne said as she picked up the bowl and started eating the goop herself. With a full mouth she taunted, "You're getting older because you love Sabrina."

"No marshmallow, you don't understand. I'll admit, I was getting older, but I've stopped growing." Puck fiddled with his flute, passing it from hand to hand absentmindedly with a thoughtful frown on his face.

Mrs. Grimm frowned and touched the back of her hand to his forehead. "Are you okay, Hun? Do you feel alright?"

"You know I don't get sick lady," Puck said brushing her hand away. "I'm perfectly fine. Just... tired. I'm going to my room." Puck popped out his wings and looked at the stairs. Glancing at the tear in his hoodie and shuddering at the memory, he put his wings away and instead walked up the steps, wincing as he moved.

"Mommy," Daphne paused tapping her fork on the side of the bowl, "Do you think he really fell?"

"You know Puck. It was probably just a prank," her mother assured the small girl.

Daphne chewed on her bottom lip. "Yeah... but that prank wasn't really Puck's style. I mean, he didn't brag one time about how ingenious his joke was. And, while Sabrina had a few scratches, Puck looked like he fell a lot harder. It wouldn't be a very good trick if he got hurt while it was... executed."

Veronica smiled at her little girl, resisting the urge to ruffle her hair. "Now," she said dropping an oxen eye into her pot for one of Relda's recipes, "You're thinking like a detective."

Daphne's eyes brightened. "You think there's something up with Puck?"

"I think a Grimm can never be too careful."

"Unless you're so careful that you get maranoia."

"That's paranoia hunny," her mother corrected.

"Oh... that does sound closer to what Uncle Jake was mumbling about dad."

Veronica laughed, and turned the heat down on her stew. As the middle-aged woman brought the wooden spoon up to her lips to taste, she couldn't help but glance at the stairs. Brooding on the situation was pointless, especially since she didn't have any reason to suspect something was wrong. Still, her heart felt heavy, as if it was weighed down with a grief she had yet to discover.

~Sisters Grimm~

Sabrina shampooed her hair, frowning at all the tangles she would have to brush out. Why did Puck have to be such a jerk? There was no reason for dropping her into the trees; she hadn't said anything wrong. Or had she? Sabrina furrowed her brow and thought back to earlier that day.

Sabrina clasped onto Puck's worn hoddie as they flew over Ferryport landing, the chilled winter air biting at the tips of her ears.

"Why on earth would you pick Pirates?" Sabrina asked with a frown. The debate of Pirates vs. Ninja was the subject of the hour.

Puck scoffed, "Ninjas are dumb! All they do is make karate sounds and flail their arms in the air."

"Wrong! Ninjas don't make sounds. Unlike Pirates who yell at each other till their half deaf!"

"You mean like your yelling right now?" Puck smirked.

Sabrina rolled her eyes. "A ninja would cut a pirates head off without the pirate even knowing he was in the room."

"Which means that the ninja can't take credit for it! And if you can't prove a ninja killed the man, then who's to say the ninja did anything?"

"If the guy's dead he's not going to tell anyone who killed him even if he did know! Isn't that one of your pirate things? 'Dead men tell no tales'?"

"Yeah, but-" Puck stopped mid sentence his eyes widening. Sabrina could feel the muscles in his arms go rigid and she gave him a concerned glance.

"Puck," she started, lowering her voice. "Are you oka-"

He shuddered suddenly, causing her grip to slip, and his eyes rolled to the back of his head as his wings stopped beating, causing both of them to plummet towards the earth.

The wind whistled as her hair whipped around her face. She was breathless for one second, then blatantly aware of the earth rushing towards her the next.

"Puck!"

The fairy groaned as his vision came back into focus. His green eyes filled with a rapid clarity and he grabbed Sabrina's arm, pulling her over him at the last moment. They hit the trees tumbling, and branches whipped Sabrina in the face as her hair was tugged away from her scalp. Screaming, they slammed to the ground hard, knocking heads together.

There was a moment of eerie silence as Sabrina was numb with fear. Then the pain started throbbing through her body. Sabrina rolled off of Puck and clutched her head. Glancing over at the fairy laying beside her, she noticed that he was breathing heavy and was as pale as a ghost.

"Puck?" She asked cautiously, putting a hand on his shoulder. His eyes flew open and he sat up, looking towards the sky. He regathered himself quickly, rubbing the back of his neck and throwing a shy look towards Sabrina. "Oops?"

Sabrina scowled, feeling stupid for actually caring if he was okay. "You did that on purpose," She grumbled. He gave a nervous laugh and stood up, hiding a wince. He offered her his hand, which she slapped away.

"How about we walk from here?" Puck asked with a glint in his eyes.

"Hmph!" Sabrina pouted and trudged on with her arms crossed. "Stupid pirate," she muttered.

"Hey, it's not my fault that you and all your ninja skills couldn't predict the future..."

Nope, she thought as she watched the now brownish water run down the drain, she didn't say anything to make him mad enough to drop her. Turning off the shower and stepping out of the steam she tried to think about anything other than Puck. There was no denying that he had been acting weird, but if she ruminated on it too much she might find herself actually worrying about him. Tying her hair, still wet and dripping, up into a ponytail she slipped on some pajama pants and a stray shirt lying on the floor. When she opened the door to the bathroom she ran into Uncle Jake.

He exchanged the words: "Family meeting," then pushed past her into the bathroom. There was something about him... something in his aura that made Sabrina cringe and start downstairs. Dumping her old clothes into the hamper she knocked twice on Puck's door which meant for him to come down, and then headed to the family meeting.

When she got to the bottom step she heard her mother and her father talking softly. Knowing all about the art of sneaks she could tell that her parents were trying to hide something and, in her opinion, failing miserably. She strained her ear but couldn't hear what they were discussing.

Stealthily Sabrina made her way closer to the kitchen, stepping only on the floor boards close to the wall to prevent them from creaking and timing her footfalls carefully. When she had almost made it to the kitchen she felt, and smelled, a presence behind her. Turning, she saw Puck hovering over her with that stupid grin on his face.

"Why are you sneaking?" Puck asked quietly, letting the light glint in his eye.

Sabrina glanced back towards the kitchen to make sure her parents hadn't spotted them yet. "I'm not sneaking."

"I've known you too long. I know that you're sneaking," he said, smile widening.

"Yeah, well I see your wings are working just fine now. Maybe I should tell mom that you did drop me on purpose."

Something cracked the arrogant mask he wore, though Sabrina couldn't figure out what, and he put his wings away, dropping to the floor. The floor boards creaked under his weight and the hushed conversation her parents were having immediately ceased.

"Sabrina? Puck?" Veronica called from the kitchen.

Glaring at the fairy Sabrina turned the corner and sat at the table looking away from the pointed look her mother was giving her. Puck walked into the kitchen as well and leaned against the wall, smirk back on his face.

Daphne came bouncing down the steps in her "Hello Kitty" pajamas and Elvis followed her with a rubber hot dog toy in his mouth. She sat down at the table, a little ball of energy, and suddenly Sabrina was jealous. Her body still ached from the fall and she hadn't been sleeping well. Dreams filled with longing and guilt towards Granny Relda that infiltrated her head kept her tossing and turning, and Daphne was still shining like there wasn't a care in the world.

Finally Uncle Jake walked into the room, the stubble of a dirty beard and bloodshot blue eyes earning a pitying look from Henry. Jake had never fully recovered from Briar's death.

"I guess your wondering why I called you all here," Uncle Jake began. When no one said anything he continued. "As you all know, Relda has been..." he seemed to struggle for the right word, "possessed by the soul of Mirror. Red has gone to stay with Mr. Clay to see if she can remember anything important. The three fairy godmothers are watching little Basil with their protection spells, and Prince Charming's evil twin brother is somewhere plotting the destruction of the world."

"Yup," Puck said joining the group at the table, "death, destruction, pandemonium, and turmoil. That's the Grimm motto."

No one laughed at his joke.

"Did you call us down to depress us, or is there something else we need to know?" Sabrina asked her Uncle.

"Well, the good news is I found a way to kill Mirror," Uncle Jake said with a weak smile.

"And... the bad news?" Daphne asked rubbing Elvis between the ears.

Jake bit his lip. "Bunny said that the only way to get rid of him is to replace him. Think of the mirror like a computer, and it's guardian like software. Uploading a new software erases the old things without destroying your computer. The only way to free Granny Relda is to find someone to take Mirror's place."

"The problem," Veronica added, "is that we can't find anyone willing to replace him."

Daphne frowned. "What about Mr. Canis? Oh, I mean Mr. Clay."

"That ain't gonna happen Marshmallow," Puck said as he put his feet on the table, "that old man wants to die. Said he's spent his time on this earth. There's no way he'd trap himself again."

Sabrina glared at him and swatted at his dirty feet. "Stop being such a pessimist."

"For a pessimist I'm pretty optimistic," he retorted a full out smile on his mouth.

"Shut up," Sabrina warned, her fist clenching.

Puck leaned towards her, his green eyes gleaming. "Make me."

And Sabrina would've done just that if her mother hadn't pinched the both of them.

"Stop it, both of you!"

Sabrina pointed an accusing finger at the fairy, "He started it!" And Puck had the audacity to look surprised.

Veronica held up her hand. "As I was saying-"

"Wait," Sabrina interrupted, her brow furrowing, "Can anyone be the mirror's new master, or just other Everafters?"

Jake shrugged, "Well, anyone can I guess. But we're the only humans left in town."

"So how does this whole thing work? Like, does Bunny come and wave her hand over the person and their automatically the new master?"

Henry nodded, "Yeah, something like that. The person will be in the mirror and Bunny will transfer the knowledge and power of the previous mirror to them. The mirror accepts them as the new guardian and our Mirror is deleted from the picture."

"Would it hurt?" Sabrina pressed further. When her mother gave a weird look she covered, "Well, if we go out recruiting they might want to know."

Jake rubbed his chin, "That's a good point, Brina, but I don't think anyone has the answer to that. It's never been done before."

Sabrina wasn't done with her questions, "What about someone addicted to magic. Would it be okay for them to volunteer?"

Daphne answered, "Only humans can get addicted to magic."

"Well if we found a human who was addicted but willing, then we should know about the repercussions of letting them try!"

"Why does it sound like you're trying to volunteer?" Puck asked, startling everyone.

Sabrina felt heat creep up on her face. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Puck narrowed his eyes but, for once in his life, held his tongue.

Henry cleared his throat breaking the awkward silence. "To answer your question, Sabrina, I don't think an addict would have a problem accepting the responsibility of being the new guardian."

Sabrina nodded and ducked her head, suddenly feeling self-conscious. She'd almost been found out. And by Puck of all people!

"It's good that you want to help," Daphne said smiling kindly at her older sister.

"Yeah, well, believe it or not I actually do want Granny back," Sabrina replied.

"And getting her back means everyone," Henry said glaring at Puck, "needs to help."

Puck returned the indignant tone. "You think I want to be stuck with all of you grumpy no-fun people? The old lady's the only one who lets me do what I want. Of course I'm gonna get her back."

Henry rolled his eyes at the boy before addressing the whole table. "So, now we have to find someone willing to replace Mirror. For the moment just think about people you'd want to ask, and tomorrow we'll go guardian shopping."

Puck groaned, "I hate shopping."

"Join the club," Jake laughed clapping the boy on his shoulder. Puck gasped, and immediately recoiled in pain. His green eyes went wide as he stared at his arm.

Veronica frowned, "Are you okay?"

Puck didn't respond, but ran up to his room and slammed the door shut.

~Sisters Grimm~

After the family meeting Daphne joined Sabrina in her room. Red was visiting Tobias Clay for the weekend, and the two girls had a lot to catch up on. Daphne ran a brush through Sabrina's long hair, and they just talked. It was obvious now that Daphne had fully forgiven her, and Sabrina was determined not to mess it up. It was great to have her sister back.

Of course, as the night progressed, they got to the subject of Puck. Daphne explained her theory about something being wrong with him, which she supported with his random outburst and exit of the meeting. Sabrina countered with her theory that Puck was just a butt head, which she supported with all the time they'd known him. Still, Sabrina did notice that Puck wasn't acting himself.

~Sisters Grimm~

Puck rolled up his pants leg, exposing his thigh. Three large inflamed circles marred his skin and sent burning fire through his veins. He'd thought this had healed months ago, but the throbbing now told him otherwise.

It was a dragon bite from the beast he had dropped off on the Grimm's porch what felt like an eternity ago. So minor it had healed before he'd even finished the thing off, and he'd almost forgotten about it completely. Almost. Lately, the whole thing had been giving him a bit of trouble.

"Must be that stupid puberty virus," Puck grumbled. But as much as he'd love to blame this on Sabrina there was something in his gut that told him things were a lot more serious than that. His wings had given out today for the first time since he was little, not to mention that when they did work his flying was sloppy and askew. It was almost like he was a baby again, his accuracy and skill draining away from him quickly.

Puck looked once more at the rip in his clothes. With a huff of frustration he tore off his hoodie and threw it on the ground. It was then that he spotted a spot of red on the dark green sleeve. He carefully examined the speck, turning the cloth over in his hands. That was strange. The dot almost looked like…

He felt something warm trickle down his arm, and immediately he wiped at it. Blood? Everafters were not supposed to bleed from minor cuts or scrapes; especially not fairies. Puck frantically clasped his hand over the now bleeding wound.

Something was wrong with him. The wings, the blood, the bite… there was no way this could be good.

So? Whatdoya think? Hate it? Love it? Fry it? Eat it? Yeah, I'm just super hungry. In this story, and the oneshot I posted a few weeks ago, Granny Relda isn't an active member. That may seem wierd, but I can't write her in until Michael Buckley does. And... holy crap. I HAVE LEFTOVER PIZZA! Apparently I also have ADD.

Please review. I like reading reviews and I'm going to do my best to respond to every single one of them!

Peace! God Bless! iizninja