I had some time and an open night, and bam, this happened. I can never stay away from Fanfiction for too long! :)
Very occasionally, Puck would find himself back in Ferryport Landing. It was mostly Jake's doing - even a stubborn fairy couldn't keep a man from his birthplace. However, while Jake stayed in his mom's old house (the others had built a much bigger residence to accommodate everyone), Puck slept in the forest, atop the crumbling pile that had been his throne once-upon-a-time.
That time seemed like a lifetime ago, back when he had a magical room and an endless list of pranks with which to terrorize a certain blonde girl.
He hadn't spoken her name in five years. She was in his thoughts constantly - everything reminded him of her as of late - but he refused to go back. She'd wanted to "settle down", start a "normal life" and feel "secure". He'd been born with adventure in his blood. If he wasn't on an adventure, he was pretty sure he'd go insane. It was hard for her to understand, and they hadn't exactly parted on the best of terms.
Hence the no-name-basis thing. He liked to pretend he was over her and her crazy, stupid, fearless, angry, headstrong ways.
This was another reason he avoided the Old Lady's former home (she resided with Basil Sr. in the clouds, now). There were too many memories - both good and bad. But on that particular day, he slouched up the path and opened the door for the first time in about two years.
Jake popped his head around the corner, beaming. The slight beginnings of a goatee shadowed his jawline. "Puck! You -"
"Don't push it." He made his way into the living room. Jake made a concentrated effort to get there before him, shoving the fairy out of the way and gathering up a mess of papers as if he was trying to hide something.
"Sorry 'bout the mess. Things get a little sloppy around here without someone else to remind me to clean it up." He grinned sheepishly and hid the stack behind his back, looking a little worried.
Puck shrugged, smiling, while also trying to turn so that he could get a glimpse of what Jake was hiding. "I should be the last person you'd be worried about cleaning up a mess for, honestly. I was practically born in filth!"
Jake laughed, stuffing the papers (was that mail?) under a heavy bookend and flopping down on the couch. "Great to be home though, eh?" His eyes twinkled warily. Puck had made it very clear this was a testy subject. Today, however, the fairy played along. I'm over her I swear it I am.
"Yeah. I can almost smell the Old Lady's food now!" Puck inhaled deeply, and for a minute he could swear the sweet scent of eggplant pancakes was wafting through the air.
Jake looked momentarily sad. "Probably the one thing I don't miss about her," he said quietly, a small smile tugging at the edges of his lips. "Sometimes I have nightmares about food. It might sound embarrassing had you not grown up in her 'test kitchen.'"
Puck's stomach rumbled just thinking about all the delicious food. "So... what time do you think we'll be heading out tomorrow?"
Jake looked about to answer when he sat bolt upright. "Aw shoot! I forgot to call Henry! I'm staying over at their place tonight, to catch up. They wanted to know what time I'd be over..." He rummaged around the room, even turning up a few couch cushions, before scratching his head. "I swear, if losing a cell phone was a sport, I would be the Olympic champion." He stalked out of the doorway, and Puck heard crashes coming from the adjacent room. "Gimme a minute!" he called.
The fairy settled back in the thick cushioning of the old couch and breathed in deeply. It was still heavily saturated with the sweet, musty scent of the thousands of books that once resided on and around it. They'd been packed up ages ago, although some still remained, stuffed into the bookshelves that lined the walls.
His gaze lighted upon the heavy bookend and the stack of papers Jake had been so eager to hide. Taking one last glance at the doorway, Puck's curiosity got the best of him and he began sorting through the hefty stack.
He was right. It had been mail - recent mail, by the dates stamped on the letters. Most of them were bills and final notices (Jake was the worst at keeping up with his finances) but a few were more personal: letters from Henry and Veronica, the occasional postcard from Goldi, and even a thank-you note from Red Riding Hood for setting her up with a new identity (her old one was riddled with the corruption of the Scarlet Hand). About two-thirds of the way down the pile, however, Puck encountered something very strange.
It was an invitation on heavy, expensive ivory paper. The envelope had already been torn, but it was addressed to Jacob Grimm (and company). 'And company' obviously referring to Puck himself. There was no return address. Puck flipped the envelope over and pulled out its contents - more expensive paper and thick writing with lots of loops and curlicues.
Mr. and Mrs. Henry Grimm
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter,
Sabrina Grimm,
to Bradley-
Puck had seen enough. Faster than the blink of an eye, his wings sprang from his back, knocked over a stack of boxes, and carried him through the front door - knocked off its hinges and tossed into the yard like a rag doll. He was rocketing through the sky, anger, betrayal and disbelief carrying him higher and higher until he was suddenly at the top of the highest peak in Ferryport Landing. He circled twice until he was shaking too badly to continue.
The invitation lay in shreds on the couch. Jake would figure it out momentarily.
Puck tumbled into the grass and rolled upon impact, his body putting forth no effort to protect himself from the sticks and stones that scratched and bruised his skin. Physical pain did not matter.
He was furious. What the heck did Sabrina think she was doing, marrying another man? Hadn't they once (upon a time, in a land far, far, away) promised that they loved each other? Was that nothing more than empty words? (Perhaps similar to "I'll never leave you, Sabrina.")
After the initial anger came the hurt. In the end, she hadn't chosen Puck. She hadn't waited for him, if he ever would have returned to her. She, unlike him - for he was forced to admit that now -, had moved on. With some filth named Bradley. I am worth a thousand Bradleys!
He imagined her walking down the aisle, dressed like an angel all in white, her arm linked with the faceless Bradley. It hurt to realize that he wouldn't know what her face looked like, either. Would she have cut her long blonde hair? Had she grown? What kinds of books was she reading?
Now, the regret. Why didn't I stay? Puck realized now he would have given a million fantastical adventures with Jake to never have to live through this moment. I had four thousand years to live out my adventures. I could have had a million more with her, had I - He suddenly couldn't breathe. Wetness tumbled down his cheeks in a river, and he surprised himself by not caring.
Was this how Goldi had felt when she heard Henry was getting married? How Jake felt when Briar died? When Relda heard her husband had been killed?
"Puck?"
"GO. AWAY." How the heck had Jake found him so quickly, anyway? He scrubbed the tears from his eyes and cheeks.
"Puck, c'mon. I know it sucks."
"I'm FINE."
A sigh. "Do I look stupid? You're not fine. Not remotely. I... You know this was bound to happen sometime. You leave her alone long enough, 'Brina's gonna move on. Her whole life, she's had to learn how to move on. So she does."
"Not this quickly," he muttered, clenching his teeth.
"Five years is a long time to wait, Puck," Jake said gently. "I hid the invitation because I knew you'd react like this. I didn't know when the right time was to break the news."
Puck didn't know whether to be angry with Jake, with her, or with himself. He'd never been good with taking blame.
"Do you want me to make some hot chocolate?"
The fairy didn't reply for a long time. He stared out at the town, lights twinkling in the oncoming twilight, mind whirling. "...Fine."
Jake guided him away. "It's gonna be okay. I promise."
'Okay' was a stretch. Perhaps a more suitable word would have been 'bearable', and even then, it would be pushing it. Puck lived in total seclusion as the days to the wedding ticked down. Four weeks. Three weeks. Two. One. So many chances to reconcilliate, and yet...
What if she was happy? Could he ruin that for her for his own selfish desires? What if she actually loved his Bradley guy?
For the first time in almost a millenia, Puck could barely stomach even a peanut butter sandwich. He stayed far away from civilization and farther away from New York, right up until the day before the wedding.
That's when his resolve hardened. He would go to the wedding - take just a peek. If she was happy, he'd let her go. If not... she'd be in for the reality check of her life.
The ceremony was just beginning. Puck was already disgusted, watching from his perch on the roof through a skylight. Bradley looked down to earth, but he was nothing compared to the Trickster King.
What if Sabrina liked down to earth? It made his stomach roll.
He spotted Daphne and Basil in the front row. The boy's fire-engine red hair stood out like a beacon as he chatted with the lovely dark-haired teenager sitting next to him. Daphne had grown up, to say the least. Her baby fat was nearly gone, but her wide smile was not, nor was her habit of biting on her palm. She was controlling it better, it seemed, and only ever allowed herself the chance to chew through her hand once or twice.
The light organ music abruptly changed and Puck's grip on the roof tightened. You can fly away right now. You're free to go. He held on tighter.
The back doors of the church opened and into the light stepped Henry, and on his arm, Sabrina. Puberty inhibitions aside, she looked radiant. She hadn't cut her hair, after all, and had only grown an inch or so. Her dress - simple yet elegant - fit like a charm on her slim figure, and to top it off, her beaming smile seemed to light up the whole church.
Puck's wings fluttered. Time to go. But then - she looked around. For a moment, her smile faltered. She looked almost... crushed. But the smile was back, and Henry placed Sabrina's hands in Bradley's.
Fierce possessiveness took over. Sabrina's hands were only allowed in his.
"Very well," the minister was saying. "I believe the bride and groom have written some vows they would like to share with one-"
Puck made his entrance.
Someone screamed. Several fainted. The minister gasped: "It's an angel!"
"Hardly," someone muttered. If possible, Puck's smile widened.
"Hello, stinky."