Note: Sabrina and Puck are 17 and Daphne is 13. It's after book six I suposse, but in the distant future. No Red living with them, no parents awake, no baby brother, no knowing who the master is! Sorry. Mr. Canis is free of the Wolf though.
Wine glasses clinked asthe guest of Mayor Charming and Snow's engagement party danced and mingled the late Friday night away. The lights were dimmed, and the mansion was extravagantly decorated. Crystal chandeliers, crimson silk table clothes, and lavish rose arrangements were placed everywhere. Ornate gold frames holding priceless paints, detailed drapes, and suits of silver armor added to the wealthy and well breed taste Charming's mansion eluded.
Sabrina Grimm sat at a table in a secluded corner of the main room. Her feet had hurt from the silver heels she had been forced to wear to match her midnight blue spaghetti strap dress. Daphne sat beside Sabrina wearing a beautiful lavender gown with cinching at the waist. 17 year-old Brina commented with her younger sister about people they had seen at the party. Ali Baba had been seen arriving with Jasmine and it was rumored that Beauty and Beast were breaking up for good, not to mention King Author had a new sword made.
Just then a handsom 17 year-old Puck caught Sabrina's eye. He was outfitted in a tux and green tie. Puck's dirty blond hair was stylishly messy and his currently green eyes (AN: you know how they change color) made all the girls at the party swoon. Sabrina cocked her head suddenly re-realizing how handsome Puck could be when he wasn't torturing. An increasingly familiar feeling of butterflies returned, making Sabrina feel completely ridiculous. Truth be told Sabrina was actually starting to realize how much she cared for Puck. Their relationship (AN: How they know each other. They aren't dating) had always been complicated with all the life threatening situations and constant teasing. However, somewhere in the midst of all the craziness the two had shared some sweet moments, which had made Sabrina, start to fall for Puck. He could be unbearable sometimes, but somehow she knew that she loved him. Though the thought alone made her scared. The people she loved were always the one to get hurt.
"When do you think he'll stop growing up?" Sabina asked aloud. She had been wondering for sometime what Puck's motives for ageing were. He already looked to be about 17 too, and had a rather appealingly muscular body to show for it.
"Never." Daphne replied. Sabrina looked to her sister startled, navy blue eyes slightly wide.
"He has to stop at some point. Probably when he graduates collage." Brina pointed out, sipping some wate from a crytal glass.
"No. He won't stop getting old until you do." Daphne told her sister. Brina looked ready to spit her water, but she quickly swallowed instead. A small coughing fit errupted but the brrunette just pretended not to notice.
"What?" Sabrina looked at her sister startled. Daphne rolled her eyes at Sabrina as if the answer should be obvious.
"He is growing up to be with you." The youngest Grimm explained.
"He can't do that. He'd be throwing away immortality." Brina said. Her heart quickened as Daphne stared hard at her.
"He already is." Daphne said slowly.
"You're lying. He's smarter than that. Why would he even want to "be with me?"
"Because he... loves you..."
Sabrina shook her head. "Even if me does supposedly "love" me, he knows it's not safe to love some one that much. Besides we aren't even together." Sabrina argued. Daphne puzzled over Sabrina's tone. It was almost liked Sabrina was pleading that Puck not love her.
Sabrina sat there in blind panic. Only she knew how dangerous it was to care for people. You got hurt when you cared about Sabrina or Sabrina cared for you, Sabrina knew that best. Look at Mr. Canis, who almost unleashed The Wolf because he was protecting her from Jack; or Granny who had been in danger of Red; or poor little Daphne who could get hurt so easily to get to Sabrina. People always got hurt because of Sabrina. Sabrina was the target of all danger, especially any danger involving the Hand. Sabrina refused to love Puck, or let Puck love her on the chance that he might. It would be the only way the fairy boy was safe from the Hand or herself. Sabrina was determined to save Puck.
"You love him, right? He loves you back. There's no problem, right?" Daphne questioned.
"There is a huge problem. He can't age for me, not when he's been 11 for 4,000 years. He can't go back once he age. What if he stops loving me or I die? What will he do if all that is left of him is an immortal old man? I'm mortal. I will leave him so easily with nothing but regret of growing old. He'll just get hurt. I don't want to hurt him." Sabrina looked at her sadly. "I can save you if someone else hurts you, but I can't save him if I'm the one who hurts him. I can't unless I don't let myself hurt him."
"So what are you going to do? Just cut him out from your life? Sabrina… you can't just give up! " Daphne argued back.
"Maybe I have to…" Sabrina replied.
"What are you talking about? You're not my sister. My sister is Sabrina Grimm, and Sabrina Grimm never quits. She doesn't admit defeat. My sister is a fighter." Daphne voice wavered at the end.
"I want Puck to be ok, even if that means giving him up. That's what I want, and I'll fight you or anyone else who wants to get in the way of that." Sabrina said lifting her head. Daphne shook her head. "It's the right thing to do Daph." Brina said softer.
"Why are the right things and the things that makes people happy never the same?" Daphne asked her sister.
"Because that's what the right thing is. Doing the thing that is harder, the thing that hurts, doing what you don't want to do so the people you love are better off. What's right and what's easy never is the same." Sabrina replied.
Daphne slumped then said "Try. Try to do the easy thing and see what happens. If it won't work than do the right thing. But try before you give up."
"I can't. It will only make it harder later on." Sabrina shook her head. Then she got up from the table ready to leave. Daphne looked at her heartbroken sibling wanting to help her find a happily ever after but not sure of how.
"Try." She said one last time to Brina before Brina slipped into the crowd of guest.
Sabrina stood out on the balcony that over looked the back of Charming's estate. Vines of magical roses hung on the stone sidewalls that connected to a waist high decorative railing. The night air was slightly warm with cool air blowing occasionally. Brina leaned on the cool stone rails looking out at the twinkling stars. Behind her was a pair of French doors that opened up to the ballroom filled of dancing couples.
"Enjoying the view?" asked a male voice from behind. Sabrina's insides jumped but refuse to let the owner of the voice know he scared her. Brina turned to find and dashing and smirking Puck leaning against the wall a foot or so behind her.
Sabrina held her head high and replied with a curt "Yes."
"So…" Puck said slowly. He studied Sabrina carefully in the moonlight, taking in her beautiful appearance. Sabrina felt fidgety under Pucks glaze.
"Have you danced much?" She blurted for lack of better conversation. If her awkward outburst fazed him it didn't show.
"Not really. Haven't found anyone I felt like dancing with." Puck replied easily.
Sabrina wasn't sure what to say now. Despite her rather convincing argument with Daphne that Sabrina was completely set on stopping her feelings for Puck, she couldn't help but feel butterflies in her stomach whenever he appeared.
"Interesting." Sabrina could hear her voice go cold as she tried to put up a barrier that stopped her from being so fazed by Puck. Puck raised a brow at her cool and indifferent voice but kept trying to continue a conversation with her. Each time Sabrina replied with a cool, clipped short answer. Puck felt his confidence slipping away. She was making it so hard to talk and he didn't know why. Finally he just blurted out the question on his mind but Sabrina, so busy trying to not focus too much on Puck, hadn't paid attention.
"Well…?" Puck said indicating to Brina he had said something Brina had most likely missed.
"Sorry, what?" Sabrina asked.
"Do you want to dance?" Puck asked taking a step forward. Sabrina froze. With the distance Puck had closed in only a step and Puck's question lingering in the air she didn't know what to say.
"Come on. It'll be fun." Puck said trying to convince her. With her icy attitude to him before he figured there wasn't much left to lose.
"Erm." Sabrina said struggling for words.
"I won't prank you." Puck said incase that's what was holding her back. Puck took another step forward. "Come on Brina." He put his hand out to her. Sabrina felt her barrier crumble. She couldn't stop loving him when he looked at her like that. All she could do was hear a voice in ahead that sounded a lot like Daphne saying the same word over and over again. Try. Acting more on impulse than anything she reached out and grabbed Puck's hand feeling her hand get a tingling feeling.
Puck pulled her toward the dance floor and rested his hand on her waist than he took his other hand and held Brina's. The two slowly began to waltz as Brina placed the hand Puck wasn't holding on his shoulder. They swayed and spun to the music, both light on their feet and in their own world. Sabrina felt Puck twirl her out then back in cinching her waist.
"Its not so bad." Puck said his voice low as he spun Sabrina.
"No, not at all." Sabrina said smiling. She knew her plan was practically demolished and that if she saw Puck's smile, she'd be a goner for sure but something about dancing here with him in the middle of a ballroom at midnight felt so right. And maybe for the moment, it might not hurt to be selfish and enjoy herself free of consequence. And maybe it wouldn't have hurt if she was anyone else, but she was Sabrina Grimm and things would always hurt when you let your guard down.
Laugh and tittering on too tall heels, Sabrina leaned on Puck as they made their way out to the balcony again. Brina gathered her self enough to move over to the stone railing and lean on them instead of Puck. Puck plucked a rose from one of the vines and presented it to Sabrina in flourish with an over exaggerated bow.
"For you, milady." Puck said smiling a goofy smile. Sabrina grinned back, taking the flower and curtsying dramatically.
"Why thank you, good sir." She replied. Then while turning to rest the rose on the stone top of the balcony's railing, Puck came behind her and wrapped his arms around his waist. Sabrina snuggled against his chest. She felt safe there, seeing no reason to move. Why should she?
"I wish things could stay like this, me with you, forever."
That's why. The moment you lower your guard something unexpected happens that changes everything.
Sabrina felt like someone had poured a bucket of cold water on her, waking her up from the happy dream she had been in all night. She felt like she couldn't breath. She had ruined her plan by dancing with Puck. She had endangered his life by prancing around the dance floor flaunting her feelings in the face of any Hand agent in disguise. God knows what might happen. She had to think fast to find an answer, only one wasn't coming.
"You're growing up for me." Sabrina accused turning to Puck. It was the best she could do. "Why are you growing up for me?"
"Because I love you." Puck said smiling at her. Sabrina felt even more frozen. She had been hoping for a radical response that would make everything ok. This was anything but that.
"Don't." she warned him.
"Don't what?" Puck questioned confused as Sabrina broke free of his embrace.
"Don't love me." Sabrina said sadly shaking her head. It wasn't fair that when he finally admitted he loved her, they couldn't be together.
Puck looked taken aback. "Brina what is going on?" Had she lost her mind, was the only though running through his mind. What in the world could make her say something like that?
"Puck it's not safe to love someone like me." Sabrina she turned sharply so he wouldn't see her wet eyes. Walking out the door, she left a heart broken boy behind. The rose slipped from the stone railing onto the ground as she left, crushing it underfoot as she slipped through the French doors. Puck was left to pick up what little there was to salvage from the night.