A/N: THE TITLE IS CHANGING! For the next chapter, look for the title "Shadows of the Past"

Not quite as fast as I was hoping for, but it's still a faster update than before, so that has to count for something, right?

Happy belated Easter, Passover, Sunday, and April Fools Day!


"Absolutely not."

Charming's glare swept over the little group, moving from the annoying fairy, the small Grimm and the shaking bundle of red cloth that was hiding behind her, to finally clash with Sabrina's exasperated look. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the door frame, effectively blocking their entrance into his cabin. Sabrina rolled her eyes, a sigh escaping her lips, and tried to ignore the sneaking suspicion that the frame was the only thing keeping Charming on his feet.

There were numerous adjectives Sabrina could use to describe the Prince. Arrogant. Annoying. Rude. Jerkish. Selfish. But looking at him now, the only one that seemed to find its way into her head was exhausted. Bruise like circles under red-shot eyes spoke of sleepless nights spent pouring over maps and battle strategies, desperately trying to find ways to lower the death count. The slumped shoulders and wisps of guilt that flashed through his blue eyes whispered of failures. Black stubble shadowed the once disturbingly well-shaved chin, and his hair was scandalously messy despite the frustrated hands that, like clock-work, would fly upwards to flatten the rebellious strands.

Just looking at him made the girl want to curl up into a ball and sleep for the next few years. But that still didn't give him a reason to be a jerk.

"But maybe we can help with whatever's going on . . . please." The word slithered through Sabrina's stubbornly gritted teeth. She tried to school her features into her best 'nice' and 'understanding' expression, but from Puck's snort and the slight narrowing of Charming's eyes, she guessed her face didn't end up looking that way.

"Pretty please?" Daphne turned on her puppy dog look, brown eyes wide and pleading from underneath the brim of her wizard's hat, while Sabrina sent her elbow into Puck's side.

Charming's eyes flickered over to the little girl, and for just a second, his firm resolve wavered from under the wave of sheer cuteness, but then he yanked his gaze away from Daphne to focus instead on the glaring blond in front of him. "No. There's no way I'm going to let a bunch of dirty kids-"

"Aw, thanks, Charmy," Puck interrupted, nonchalantly picking his nose.

The man's lips curled in utter disgust. "-into my cabin. Besides," his glare returned to Sabrina. "I have some of the best military experts already in that room; there is nothing that we could possibly need your help with." His voice lacked any of the usual vehemence, as if he was merely going through the familiar motions of their 'relationship' without putting any real meaning into it. Which was rather insulting.

Sabrina shoved back the anger bubbling inside of her, curling her fingers into fists at her side. She reminded herself that the man in front of her was fighting a losing war. He was surrounded by a bunch of people who would rather give up than fight another day, and that his army was hopelessly out-skilled and out-numbered. So, since he was under so much stress, she decided to be nice.

"I will kick you in the shins."

". . .yo . .wha . . ." Shock flashed across Charming's face before morphing into realization and anger. "You'll do what?"

"If you don't let us inside that cabin, then I will kick you in the shins." She spoke the words slowly, as if explaining a concept to a little child, and raised an eyebrow at the sputtering man in front of her.

"Oh, please don't let us in!" The fairy paused in the excavation of his nose to send a wide grin at Charming, "I haven't kicked anyone in way too long!"

Sabrina hadn't known it was physically possible for a person's face to turn as red as Charming's did. His face a color that would make a fire hydrant jealous, the man's incredulous eyes moved from Sabrina's serious expression, to Puck's overly eager one, to Daphne's hopeful smile, and Red's petrified face, his mouth opening and closing to release short clips of outraged noise. Finally, with a half-smothered scream, he stepped aside.

"Fine, it's the second door on your left. But don't you dare touch anything." He pointed a finger at the fairy.

"Good choice." Sabrina nodded her head at him as she slipped past and into the cabin.

"Dang it, I was hoping to practice my kicking," Puck muttered as he followed her inside, sending the Prince a crooked smirk. "But I guess there's always tomorrow!"

"Thank you!" Daphne gave William a wide smile when she walked past, Red practically clinging to her back.

"Don't mention it," he muttered, slamming the door shut behind him.

Unsurprisingly, Charming's cabin was considerably larger than any of the others. Sabrina's ratty sneakers thumped against the dark wooden floor, the polish now dimmed by the mud of countless boots, as she made her way down the hallway. Her fingers wrapped around the cool metal of the handle to the appropriate room, her body hesitating just a second as her eyes moved towards the other shut doors that lined the hallway. She shoved her curiosity down with a promise to sneak back at some later time to see what Charming was hiding behind the closed doors, and twisted the handle, stepping into a room that was at least two sizes larger than Granny's living room.

Not a single window interrupted the smooth wooden walls, the only light coming from the glowing orbs that bobbed around the room, courtesy of one of the witches, filling the room with a soft light and fuzzy shadows. A large map of Ferryport Landing covered the back wall, red and blue tacks dotting the surface. A long table took up the majority of the room, surrounded by uncomfortable looking chairs, most of them already occupied by the 'military experts'.

Snow White was sitting beside King Arthur, a polite smile on her lips as she listened to the man discuss the benefits of having a round table instead of a rectangular one. Mr. Seven was sitting on the King's right, balancing on the tower of books stacked on his seat, his bald head bent studiously over a stack of papers. Little John's loud voice filled the entire room as he talked to whoever might be listening about how the kitchen needed to serve cheese pastries, while Robin Hood paced behind him, the Archer's chair left forgotten. Granny Relda was nodding her head at Little John and King Arthur, "oh"s and "I see, how interesting"s leaving her lips every now and then as she attempted to be involved in both of the conversations. Henry was sitting beside his mother, leaning his head against one of his hands and looking like he was about to pass out from boredom . . .until he saw Sabrina.

Sabrina quickly made her way over to her father and tried to ignore how she felt like a mother duck as the others followed right behind her. Henry's bored expression shifted into confusion, his eyebrows pulling together slightly as he stared at the kids, his eyes sparking with just enough concern to send a spike of irritation through Sabrina. "Why are you here?"

"For the meeting, duh," Puck rolled his eyes as he sprawled into the empty chair beside Hank. "I can see where Grimm gets her brains from."

Henry glared at the fairy before turning back to his daughters. "You two really shouldn't be here," he said, ignoring the affronted looks that crossed Sabrina and Daphne's faces.

"It's just a meeting, Henry." Granny Relda placed a winkled hand on her son's arm, quickly intervening as the two girls' mouths were opening in protest. "They're perfectly safe, and it's their right to know what's going on. They're a part of this war, too."

Charming's voice, loaded with irritation and wounded pride, stopped Henry from answering his mother. "You need to control your spawn, Henry," William snapped as he stormed into the room.

Hank raised a questioning eyebrow at the Prince, "Oh, really?" His gaze slid over to Sabrina, who rolled her eyes, before moving back to Charming. "What'd she do?"

"The spoiled brat threatened to kick me!"

Sabrina prepared herself for the lecture that she knew was coming, and surprise widened her eyes at the smile that tugged at the corner of her father's lips. "Well, she's allowed to kick jerks," he said, winking at his daughter.

"Henry," Granny Relda gently admonished while she sent Sabrina a slightly disappointed look, through the girl could see the amusement twinkling in the old woman's eyes.

"Typical Grimms," Charming growled, his boots hitting the floor a bit too hard as he made his way to his far more comfortable looking seat at the head of the table. Halfway there, his eyes landed on Snow White, her red lips curved downwards, and he froze. His gaze moved from the woman to Relda, back to Snow, and then to Relda again. His facial features twisted into a pained expression, Sabrina guessed that he was aiming for a kind smile, as he turned to Granny, his words squeezing past his teeth. "Can I interest you in some coffee or . . . something, Relda?"

The old woman blinked in surprise, her lips moving into a warm smile that seemed to melt some of the pain off of Charming's face. "Oh, how sweet! No, thank you, William."

"Wow," Little John stared at the Prince as if he had just appeared out of thin air and, beneath the curly hair of his beard, his lips twitched into a smile. "That was actually . . .nice!"

Robin Hood stopped pacing to grin widely at Charming, "Looks like Snow's been training you well!"

"Shut up, you idiots!" His snap sounded half-hearted, probably because the man was too busy melting under Snow's smile to really put any hate into his words.

"You still have some work to do," Little John muttered to Snow.

Charming answered with a pointed glare before moving to sink into his seat.

"Are you going to offer anyone else some coffee?" King Arthur piped up. "Because I would really enjoy a caffeinated beverage."

"Oh, and some tea!" Little John added, his eyes lighting with excitement. "And maybe a few biscuits."

"And jam! You can't have biscuits without jam," Robin Hood nodded his head sagely, a smirk tugging his lips.

Charming's black eyebrows drew together into an angry line as he glared at each of the men, but Sabrina couldn't help but notice that some of the weariness had left the fairytale's face. Like the bantering, annoyances, and the little bit of normal were helping the Prince loosen up, and reminding him that he wasn't really alone in all of this.

"No. I'm not. Deal with it." Charming turned to Robin, "Now-"

The door swung open, cutting Charming's sentence off. Mr. Canis practically ran in, his cane stabbing the floor with thuds loud enough to make William wince. Goldilocks followed close on his heels, arms gesturing and green eyes pleading for understanding. "But it's not healthy . . ."

The strangled noise of what sounded like a dying whale stopped her short. Everyone turned to see Charming slowly rising from his chair, eyes wide and one hand lifted to point at the blond beauty. "No! I am putting my foot down! You are not allowed in here!"

Goldilocks put her hands on her hips, her green eyes narrowing into a glare, while Mr. Canis hastily made his way over to the rest of the Grimms. "I'm not here for your meeting, William." Her eyes moved to follow Mr. Canis, and a smile spread across her face when she spotted Red. "Hello, Red! How're you . . ."

"For the love of sanity, get out!" Prince Charming shouted, the violent red color returning to his face.

"Fine!" Her golden curls fanned out behind her as she turned to go, her head held high. Just as she reached the door, she turned around, her words hurriedly flying from her mouth. "You know, if you just move the table a little over to the left, you wouldn't be so cranky!"

"OUT!" Charming roared. Goldilocks quickly turned and left, pointedly slamming the door behind her.

William fell back into his seat, running his hands over his face while Snow patted his shoulder, an amused smirk curling her lips.

"What was Goldilocks talking to you about?" Daphne whispered to Mr. Canis as the man glared at Puck until the fairy, with far more groaning than was necessary, rolled out of his seat.

Pale blue eyes shifted to stare at Little Red as the man sat down. "Nothing," he muttered.

A frown pulled the edges of her lips down as suspicion curled inside of Sabrina, but Snow White's voice stopped her from questioning him any further.

"What is it that you wanted to report?" Snow turned to look at Robin, curiosity flashing in her blue eyes.

The Archer immediately straightened, an uncharacteristically serious expression crossing both his and Little John's face. "When we were out patrolling the forests, we ran into something . . . unexpected."

"Pirates." Little John clarified.

Charming's head snapped up from his hands, his blue eyes suddenly intense and alert as they locked onto Robin Hood. "What?"

"Yeah," Little John nodded his head. "We followed them to the river and . . . it looks like it's Captain Hook."

"What?" Henry's brow furrowed in confusion as he shifted in his seat, leaning forward just an inch. "But he's supposed to be in Neverland. How did he get here?"

"Probably the same way Peter Pan did," Mr. Seven said, ignoring Puck's disgusted flinch. "With pixie dust."

"But Hook being here isn't the main problem," Robin Hood leaned against the table, his eyes focusing on Charming. "The pirates took a kid."

With that one sentence, everyone's undivided attention was on Robin Hood. Mr. Seven's head lifted from the paper in front of him so fast Sabrina could have sworn she heard his neck crack. The King slammed his fist onto the table, eyes blazing, while Snow didn't move, save for a slight twitch in her dominant hand. Relda's hand flew to her mouth, not fast enough to stop the "oh, no" that gasped past her lips. Mr. Canis leaned against the back of his chair, his pale eyes staring at some unseeable thing in the middle of the table, long fingers absently running over the wood of his cane. Henry's eyes immediately shifted to look at Sabrina and Daphne before moving back to Robin, his hands curling into tight fists.

Daphne reached over and grabbed Sabrina's hand, while Red moved closer to Mr. Canis. Puck stopped trying to punch the glowing orbs, his eyes drifting over to the Archer, his ever present grin slipping just an inch.

"What kid?" Every inch of Charming hardened, his shoulders stiffened, lips pressed into a thin line, and an indignant anger burned in his eyes.

Little John and Robin shared a quick look. "We don't know, exactly," Little John said, taking his hat off his head so he could run his fingers through his hair. "We weren't able to get a good look at the boy . . . but he didn't seem to be anyone we know."

"But we came to report it to you as soon as we could, just like you wanted us to." Robin nodded his head at the Prince. "So, since you're our . . . leader and all, how do you want us to save the kid?" Just from the small twist of his lips and the way he bounced slightly on his feet, Sabrina could tell that Robin was finding it difficult to concede even that much authority over to Charming.

The girl's gaze moved to Charming, her fingers tightening around her little sister's hand. Her blue eyes narrowed as anger began to burn in her stomach. An itch to race onto the pirate ship and beat the snot out of every single pirate before the Scarlet Hand had a chance to ruin someone else's life coursed through her, urging her feet to move.

She watched as the Prince leaned back in his chair, and ran a hand through his hair. His eyes closed, and his shoulders lifted with a heavy sigh. When his eyes opened again, what little bit of amusement had been there just a few moments ago was gone, squashed by a bone numbing weariness. "We don't." The words didn't come out in a whisper, and yet the tone that carried them was hushed, soft, and full of regret.

Silence filled the cabin as every single pair of eyes turned to stare at him. Shock kept Sabrina's mouth shut as the thought of he didn't just say that careened around her mind. Really, he couldn't have just said that.

"My apologies, but I must have misheard you," King Arthur's voice broke the silence, his brow furrowed as he stared at Charming in confusion. "What did you say?"

"I said," his voice carried more strength and authority this time around, and his blue eyes met Arthur's with boldness. "We can't do anything to save him. Not yet, at least."

"What do you mean, we can't do anything?" Robin stared at William as if he had just chopped off his own hand. "We have a whole army out there. How can you possibly mean we can't do anything?"

"It's too risky," Mr. Seven muttered, understanding making his eyes widen as he leaned back in his chair. From the way his shoulders slumped, and his eyes drifted to stare at the table, the realization didn't bring him any kind of happiness.

"What?" Little John's incredulous voice was far too loud for the small cabin, bouncing off the walls in a way that made Sabrina want to cover her ears and tell the man to shut up.

"You said it yourself that you didn't know who the kid is." Charming snapped, his frustration and fatigue shifting into irritation.

"And?" Robin's tone matched Charming's, the man's arms crossing over his chest as his eyes narrowed.

"How do we know he isn't part of the Scarlet Hand? How do we know he didn't come in with the pirates? How do we know this isn't a trap?" Charming spat the words out, his face growing angrier with each question.

"That's one freakishly elaborate plan," Robin Hood snorted. "And how could they have possibly known that we were going to be in that exact spot of the forest?"

"The Scarlet Hand has been one step ahead of us since before this war began," Mr. Canis muttered.

"And I wouldn't put it past them to pull a trick like that." Snow White massaged her temples with her fingers, her lips drawn in a thin line. "It's possible that they've been in that part of the forest for hours, just waiting for someone to come close enough to see their charade."

"So you're saying that we should leave some kid at the mercy of pirates on the off chance that this is some elaborate trap?" Robin Hood's face was twisted into a look of incredulity. "Why don't you just send some men after them? Even if it is a trap, my men and I could still handle a bunch of pirates."

"Morale!" Charming pushed himself out of his chair hard enough to send the seat crashing onto the floor, his shout reverberating around the room. "That's why I can't!"

"Morale?" Daphne whispered, turning wide eyes to Sabrina for an explanation.

"It's like confidence," Sabrina muttered absently, her eyes locked onto Charming and Robin Hood.

"Wha . . . what kind of stupid . . . morale?" The Archer spluttered.

"Yes, morale." Charming's fingers curled into fists on top of the table as his voice shook with rage. 'What do you think would happen if I sent some men to go save an unknown kid, and it ended up being a trap and more good people died, huh?" He jabbed a finger at the door, eyes not once leaving Robin. "What do you think would happen to the other Everafters? Do you think they would still feel like fighting?"

The Prince turned away from the table, and ran his hands through his hair, before turning back to Robin, his lips twisted in a violent scowl. "I don't expect you to possibly understand this, since you've never had the wonderful opportunity to fight a losing war, but if more men die because of some stupid trap, everyone's going to want to give up. I just barely managed to get them to actually want to fight. I can't jeopardize that."

"Then send my men, or Arthur's knights!" Robin replied, jerking his head towards the nodding King Arthur.

"That would just make it worse." Snow said, a frown pulling her lips down.

"Your men are the only few in this camp who actually know how to fight," Charming explained. "Your men are the ones that everyone else looks to. Your men are the ones they put their hope in. If any of your men were to die because of a stupid mistake, this whole army would crumble." The shadows that danced across his face seemed to suck the anger and life out of his features, leaving behind a war weary general.

"How can you possibly expect me to just sit around and do nothing to save an innocent child?" King Arthur's eyes were alight with indignation.

"You can comfort yourself in the fact that you weren't the one who made the decision." Charming turned away from the table to stare at the map, running a hand over his face and through his hair.

"This is . . . ridiculous." Robin turned around to stare at Henry, desperate for some understanding. "Hank, what would you do if it was one of your kids? Would you just sit here?"

"Of course I wouldn't!" Henry snapped, "But I would do it myself, and not send other people in to possibly get hurt."

"Well," King Arthur threw his hands up. "I certainly hope the kid's got a parent that's just as dedicated as you are!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Henry growled, his body tensing as his glare clashed with Arthur's.

"Both of you, stop it!" Snow snapped, "Pointlessly arguing isn't going to help anything."

"Help with anything? We aren't even going to do anything!" Robin Hood's voice was barely below a shout, his British accent leaking into his voice.

A fresh wave of arguing erupted, filling the room with the rising and falling pitches of anger, frustration, and resignation. Sabrina didn't hear a single word, her blue eyes drifting down to stare at Daphne's hand clasped in her own, King Arthur's words running around in her mind.

How can you possibly expect me to just sit around and do nothing to save an innocent child?

Do nothing.

Do nothing.

Do nothing.

The two words spun around in her mind, mocking and daring, and mixing with the infuriating look of concern her father had given her earlier. Both fueled the angry determination that sparked inside of her, like sticks thrown onto a growing fire. She knew firsthand what it was like to be stuck in a terrible place, to feel that horrible, gut wrenching sense that no one was going to save her, all because of what the Scarlet Hand had done to her family. And no one was ever going to feel that same kind of breath-taking helplessness. Not if she could help it.

Sabrina tucked her hair behind her ear, blocking out the adults' loud voices, as her lips flattened into a tight line. No, they didn't need to just wait. What they needed was someone who could sneak onto the pirate ship without being detected. Someone who could save the idiot who had gotten himself captured, and get information on what Hook was doing in Ferryport Landing. Someone like the Queen of Sneaks herself.

"Why don't we just send the Phoenix?" Little John's rumbling voice broke through her thoughts, pulling her back into reality.

"She can't kill." Granny Relda answered.

"Well, that's helpful." King Arthur grumbled.

"I'm going to see if Mom needs any help." Sabrina whispered the words into her father's ear, trying to keep her voice low enough so Daphne wouldn't hear.

Her father's gaze moved over to her, a brief flicker of suspicion flashing in his eyes. He nodded his head and gave her a quick, one-armed hug. "I'll come tell you what we plan to do as soon as the meeting's over." The words were spoken softly, but Sabrina could sense the firm warning that crawled underneath the whisper. His brown eyes steadily held her blue ones, seriousness making itself clear in the slight press of his lips and crinkle of his forehead.

"Good." Her lips formed the word before her brain could fully register it. She gave Daphne's hand a gentle squeeze before pulling away from the little girl's grasp, shoving back the sudden thought that she wouldn't have readily lied to her father like that two years ago. She ignored the curious looks her sister and Puck sent her as she left, shutting the door with a barely audible click.

A cool breeze brushed against her face, making her realize just how stifling it had been inside that cabin. She filled her lungs with a breath of fresh air, her blue eyes swiftly glancing around for any possible witnesses. With night only an hour or so away, not many people were milling about the camp, and those who were out were too busy yawning to notice anything.

She started to walk in the direction of the infirmary, just in case someone happened to notice her. She passed the food tent, snatching a knife off a table with little hesitation, its owner too busy mourning his bruised knee to notice. It was better safe than sorry.

After a quick glance over her shoulder, she slipped between a row of cabins, using the shadows that clung to the buildings to her advantage. With light steps, she headed towards one of the few hidden escape routes she had found around the camp. This one, hidden behind the cabin (or what was left of the cabin) where soldiers practiced handling explosive magic, was a hole just big enough for someone her size to slip through.

She slowly slid around the hut, careful to avoid the many holes that dotted the building, holding her breath against the smell of burnt wood and hair, and freezing whenever she heard voices from inside. She moved the pile of leaves she had tried to cover the hole with- not that it really helped, but it was better than nothing-, got down onto her belly, and wiggled her way through the wall and to the other side.

Wet dirt stuck to her palms as she pushed herself to her feet and swiftly ran under the protection of the forest, wincing when her sneakers collided with the thick carpet of crunchy leaves. She stopped just a few feet away from the forest's edge, trying to remember which direction led to the river.

"I could have just flown you out, you know."

At the first syllable, she was turning around, her fist already flying towards the sound of the voice. The fairy moved just in time to avoid losing some of his teeth, green eyes wide with shock. "Geez, Grimm! You really need to learn how to relax."

"You're right. I'm just in a forest that's filled with all kinds of creatures that want me dead. There's absolutely no reason for me to be tense. At all." Her voice dripped with sarcasm as she scowled at him, forcing her heartbeat to calm down. "You're lucky I didn't hurt you."

"You wouldn't have hurt him!" Daphne poked her head out from behind Puck, her lips parting in a big grin. "You care about him too much."

"Daphne?!" A groan pushed its way past her lips. "What are you two doing here?" Apparently, her sneaking skills weren't what they used to be.

"Following you to the pirate ship!" Daphne stepped out from behind the fairy, pushing her hat back up on her head.

Sabrina crossed her arms over her chest, "And why would you think I'd be going there?"

Puck rolled his eyes. "Because you did the hair tuck-y thingy." He pantomimed the act with just enough exaggeration to make Sabrina's skin crawl with a mixture of anger and self-consciousness. "You only do that when you're determined to do something." He raised his eyebrows in pride. "And you said I couldn't use big words."

"Puck, 'determined' isn't a big word. And fine, I'm going to the pirate ship. You two are staying here." She put on her best 'do what I say' glare before turning and walking away.

They just followed her.

"You'd think she'd have learned by now," Puck muttered, and Sabrina didn't have to look to know that Daphne was nodding her head.

Sabrina spun around, her glare stopping the other two in their tracks. A thousand ways to get them to leave raced through her brain, though she knew none of them would work. The only way would be to abort the mission and go back to the camp, the thought of which made Sabrina's stomach curl with the anger of defeat. "Fine, but you both have to do everything I say. And if things go bad, you," she jabbed a finger at the fairy, blue eyes deadly serious, "fly Daphne out of there. Or. I. Will. Kill. You."

"Uh, hello!" Puck pointed at himself. "Trickster King, ruler of pure awesomeness, and master of cool ninja skills!" His lips twisted into a smirk as he brandished his wooden sword. "Those pirates won't know what hit them."

Sabrina snorted and rolled her eyes. "Your stink will give them plenty of warning."

Puck grinned. "Wow, two compliments in one day! It must be my birthday." He ran in front of Sabrina, pushing the girl aside. "Not so fast, Miss Prissy, leading is a man's job. Now, follow me!" With a shout that probably let everything in Ferryport Landing know where they were, the fairy plunged into the forest.

"I'm going to kill him," Sabrina growled as she and Daphne followed the loud noises Puck was making. She looked down at her sister to see a far too large smile on the little girl's face. One of those "I would squeal right now if I could because it's so cute" smiles that Sabrina always dreaded. "What is it?"

Daphne turned to look at her older sister, and, despite the laws of the human anatomy, her smile grew larger. "He pointed out your hair tuck-y thingy."

"So?"

"So," Daphne voice quivered with far too much excitement, her brown eyes shining. "That means he pays attention to you! It's so cute!"

Sabrina blinked at Daphne before quickly turning her head away as a blush warmed her cheeks, hoping that the other girl wouldn't notice. "Be quiet, Daphne."