EDIT: Sky: Re-Added scene skips.

A/N:

Sky: Okay so, many things to address for this chapter! First of all, Tanglenight is correct, book 5 they mention that the Snow Queen possibly drives an Ice Cream truck, and lives near Old Macdonald's farm!

That being said, FINEPRINT! We claimed this story took place after book 4, before book 5, so it's still legit! And this is a fanfic. We're gods. Bwahahahaha. But thank you for the awesome attention to detail, I probably skimmed it the first time I read the book XD Cause I love the Snow Queen's fairytale and I thought I'd notice that :P

Speakin' of! For the life of me, I can't find anything in books 3-5 about the vorpal blade after they use it. Does anyone know what happened to it? Since it wasn't mentioned again by the end of book 4 (as far as I noticed) we're gonna pull an explanation out of our bums and just wing it like usual XD If anyone knows what really happened to it, let us know! But still, this is AU from the end of book 4, so the events and convos from book 5-7 don't count anyway. Mwaha. Oh, and we don't necessarily hate Henry, so if you're a Henry-hater and never wanna see him redeemed, our story will annoy you eventually. Not yeeeeet. But eventually.

So, we busted butt to get this updated ASAP because of all the awesome reviews that rolled in. Almost 30 since we put up chapter 6! That rocks! Special thanks to all the people who reviewed since chapter 6 went up: Curlscat, FaminaSG, Schadenfreude62, bobbie jo, Dramaqueenruling, msjezzi-bella, grimmgirl, Zeorzia, Trickster Queen464, Twilight0, Lara D, Hermione Grimm, Ascaisil, dog9girl, Tanglenight, RainbowofSmiles16, Mystical Moonstar, and Dede. ^^

You guys put a super smile on my face and I jumped on Ayns' back and forced her to write so we could update sooner ^^

Ayns: Holy...wow...

Just so everyone understands my reaction, I had NO IDEA how big an A/N Sky was writing until she let me see the screen.

Since you're probably all very anxious to get to the story (if you haven't skipped over the notes entirely already), I'll make my bit short, sweet, and to the point.

Warning: Some parts of this chapter were created under the influence of Coca-Cola, Cherry Coke, and Mountain Dew. Not mixed together, but randomly sipped, at alternating intervals. They were also written at 1 am. I apologize in advance for any oddities that may have resulted from this combination.

That being said, you are all wonderful reviewers and honestly, Sky doesn't have to jump on my back too much to get me to write with all you guys out there waiting for the story.

*.*.*.*.*

No Matter What

Chapter Seven: There's Always a Catch

*.*.*.*.*

Sabrina was trying not to let it show how confused and upset she was. She didn't like that she'd gone from being overjoyed at her parents waking up to yanked around and startled. But since she'd followed the string to Puck, she knew he was the one with her, and he wouldn't lie to her.

He'd said it was bad—okay, but what could be bad? Had the scarlet hand shown up or something, sensing Henry and Veronica had woken up?

No… That didn't sound right. She'd been hugging her parents. So logically, one of them had done the yanking. It took a moment to click before she remembered that her father wanted nothing to do with the family business or with Everafters. He hadn't wanted them to be in Ferryport Landing—he'd even lied and told them their grandmother was dead.

It looked like that hadn't changed. Maybe he just needed time to deal with it? She'd have to talk to him when she got her senses back. They could always go to New York later and make trips back and forth at some point.

She didn't want to think about a barrier keeping her apart from Puck, not now that things were going so well. She distracted herself instead, oblivious to the argument and her father's rash decision.

Sabrina shivered. "Will you admit you were jealous now?" she wrote to Puck. Normalcy would help in this situation, so she went for the easiest target.

Puck looked at Sabrina. And then he squeezed her hand once. Yeah. He'd admit it now.

Sabrina dropped the notebook in shock, looking in Puck's general direction. It flipped closed. She hadn't expected anything to get him to admit it. Was it that serious, that he'd let go of his pride, even for a split-second?

Then she squeezed his hand once. Yeah. She'd been jealous too.

Puck smirked - oh, he'd known she'd been jealous, and he really wasn't planning on letting her forget that point. But there was no way he'd admit his own jealousy out loud.

Because he'd been paying more attention to Sabrina, he hadn't noticed that Henry was acting again, and Veronica had pulled Daphne close, sighing in defeat.

Henry strode over to where Sabrina was with Puck and pulled her away from him again, grabbing her wrist and giving a hard enough tug that the string finally snapped.

Sabrina gasped, startled. Not to mention her wrist was throbbing from the sudden pain. She stumbled unsteadily, trying to find the string and make her way back to Puck like last time. When she felt the frayed edge of the string still tied around her wrist, with no trail back to Puck's hand, she panicked and started struggling to get away from Henry. Puck was too stunned to realize exactly what Henry's done, until the voices of the others snapped him out of it, and his hand went into his pocket, producing his flute.

Mr. Canis clenched his jaw, and Relda looking at her son. "Henry, please, don't do this," she said. "This isn't the way."

"I'll take care of my family the way that I see fit, Mother," Henry said firmly, ignoring Sabrina's struggles.

"Henry..." Veronica looked at Relda, an apology in her eyes. She had never seen Sabrina look so scared of her own father.

"Henry, you're scaring her!" Jake protested. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Relda looked pained, meeting Veronica's eyes. She knew that Sabrina wouldn't be scared if she just knew what was going on - but she didn't.

Daphne hurried forward to her sister and grabbed Sabrina's hand, tapping once to let her know that it was her - she'd learned some of Puck and Sabrina's code. But given that her hand was smaller than Puck's, she was pretty sure Sabrina would know it wasn't him. It made Sabrina calm down enough to let Henry pick her up, but she couldn't find a notebook to ask what was going on.

Henry ignored Jake, leading Sabrina and Daphne to the door. "Let's go, Veronica," he said.

Puck narrowed his eyes, his wings extending from his back. "You're completely crazy!" he said. "If you think I'm going to just let you take her out of here like that..." He brought his flute up, ready to send his pixies after Henry and retrieve his Sabrina—wait. His Sabrina? He pushed the possessive thought to the back of his mind. He didn't have time to think about it right then; he had more important things to take care of.

Mr. Canis moved further into the room and caught Puck's arm suddenly, in a viselike grip. "That's enough, Puck," he said with a growl. "He is Sabrina's father, and the curse is going to be broken tonight. She'll know what's going on then. We don't have a choice."

Puck scowled, but Mr. Canis was stronger than he was and wasn't letting him pull his arm free. It was at that moment that Puck realized he wasn't going to be able to stop Henry from taking Sabrina. And since Puck was not the kind of person to admit defeat, that realization did not sit well with him. Not. At. All.

"Let go of me!" Puck shouted at Mr. Canis, struggling against the other man's grip. He had both of his arms caught, preventing him from trying to bring his flute up, and the strength of the man's hold on him made it impossible for him to break free.

When Mr. Canis didn't even flinch, Puck's struggles became more frantic. "You can't take her!" he shouted furiously at Henry. "You can't do this to her - you're absolutely crazy, you don't know anything! As soon as I get free you're going to regret this! You have no idea who you're dealing with!"

Even as Puck shouted at Henry, he knew that his words weren't going to change anything. Henry didn't look like he was going to change his mind - he was completely ignoring Puck.

Sabrina calmed down when she felt Daphne's tap, squeezing her hand to let her know she understood. But she didn't have a number for Puck, so she didn't know how to ask where he was or what was happening. She reached out blindly in any direction for him, but Veronica picked her out of Henry's arms, and she sagged a bit. Sabrina was completely oblivious to Puck's anger and shouting. If she'd had her senses, it would have flattered her.

Veronica held Sabrina close, stroking her hair so the girl wouldn't be afraid. It worked enough that Sabrina completely calmed down, but she was still trying to find Puck's hand. She trusted her mother, but she didn't want to be separated…

Jake held his tongue--because if he started now, Daphne was going to be asking for a lot of new definitions.

Daphne looked up at Sabrina tearfully, but she didn't know how to convince her father otherwise. He wasn't going to listen to her - he still thought she was a little girl.

"Henry, please reconsider," Relda said, trying one more time.

"Just break the curse the way you planned, Mother," Henry said, "and leave Sabrina to us." He took Daphne's hand, and strode out of the room with her. "If we hurry, we can still make the next train."

Veronica didn't answer Henry. She couldn't blame him for his fears and memories, but she wasn't happy with him either. Puck's reaction to their taking Sabrina away was proof enough to her that this was far from over, whether Henry liked it or not. For now though, leaving seemed to be the best option to at least try to sort it out, and she tried to convey with her eyes to the others that it would not be permanent.

After they'd left the house, she looked at her husband with an unreadable expression. She'd fought for so long to help the Everafters without his knowing, would she have to come clean now?

It wasn't like she was angry about his feelings. She hadn't grown up the way he had. She hadn't watched her father die as a direct result of innocent feelings. There had been no way for him to know back then that his brother would have tried to help Goldie leave the barrier for him, or that it would cause so much sorrow. They had just been seeking the happily ever after that Ferryport Landing was based on. So few Everafters managed it…

But she didn't think her daughters would repeat the mistakes. Everything had already happened, and there was nothing they could do about that now. All they could do was move forward from it. As soon as Sabrina was un-cursed, Veronica was sure she'd be able to talk sense into her husband and find a compromise. Until then, she just had to stay patient.

Soon enough, they found themselves on the next train out, with a confused Sabrina trying to figure out what was happening. She had remained restless for the entire walk, but she had no idea how far from her 'home' she was. Daphne managed to sneak her a stack of post-its from the station and a pen, and when the train started moving, a confused Sabrina wrote "Are we going somewhere?" to Daphne, holding her hand.

Daphne bit her lip, glancing over at Henry. He was staring out the window, not noticing Sabrina's question.

Daphne took Sabrina's hand and wrote N Y on her palm, looking at her. Would Sabrina be happy, knowing that they were leaving Ferryport Landing? She had been wanting it for so long now…

Sabrina frowned in confusion. Convinced she had it wrong, she decided to double check. After all, Daphne was younger than Puck. Daphne was her silly little sister. She couldn't be right.

"NY?" she wrote on the paper.

"1-squeeze-yes. 2-squeeze-no." she added, in case Daphne forgot.

Daphne squeezed Sabrina's hand once, looking up at her. She was a little annoyed in the back of her mind that Sabrina had re-written the code—after all, Daphne had paid close attention to what Puck had been doing since Sabrina had lost her sight. But that wasn't the important issue at hand, so she let it go.

Sabrina didn't even hesitate.

"Where is Puck?" she wrote.

She knew that it was somewhat of a stupid question, but she wanted the answer. Puck wasn't supposed to leave her side until this was fixed. If they were going to New York, was he coming too? Logically her mind said no; Puck couldn't leave the barrier again, unless they'd brought the vorpal sword. But that wasn't right either, they'd separated the pieces again and no one was sure what Relda had done with it. So then, why would they be leaving, and why so soon? Her parents had just woken up. There was no possible way they'd be doing everything so fast, and taking her away from the one person who could cheer her up and make her feel safe.

Right?

Daphne hesitated while Sabrina tried to piece it out, thinking for a moment. Then she decided that simpler was best when trying to communicate to Sabrina. She wrote F L for Ferryport Landing on Sabrina's palm, hoping her sister would understand.

Sabrina was silent for several moments, absorbing this new information. She categorized it silently into the facts she knew, rather than the suspicions she'd had based off her limited knowledge on the matter.

Her parents were awake. They were taking her and Daphne back to New York. Home. Away from Ferryport Landing, away from the Everafters (at least the ones in the barrier who hated them) and away from all the madness. It was everything Sabrina had ever wanted since the moment they'd gone missing. It was a dream come true.

On the other hand, they were taking her away from the place she'd been living for so long, with a family she'd only just begun to know. Sure she didn't get along with them all the time, but she did love them. She still wanted to make Relda proud, and get to know her immature Uncle. Okay so maybe she didn't have much of an opinion on Mr. Canis other than the fact that she thought he was pretty dangerous sometimes and she was glad she hadn't caused his death, but she still didn't mind him. And Relda loved him like family, so… He counted too.

Then there was Mirror, one of the people she considered to be a very good friend and confidante. What would it be like not having him to talk to? School was just picking up, too—and Kerdy, he was so fun and sweet…

They were taking her away from all of these things, things she wasn't sure she was ready to leave. That was when she realized the most obvious loss of all, the one that would hurt the most. She was leaving Puck behind. He'd had a chance to stay out of the barrier before, but he'd come back and she'd been overjoyed. This was different, she was the one leaving him behind, and he couldn't follow... And the rush could only mean that they didn't intend to go back to Ferryport Landing. At all.

It was a nightmare.

She jerked her hand from Daphne's and pushed it up against the window, using this to get up so she could try and feel her way to the nearest door. The train wasn't moving much yet, she had to get off the train!

"Sabrina!" Veronica hurried to grab her. "What are you doing?"

Sabrina tried to jerk free immediately, hoping it was Daphne who had grabbed her. She could take Daphne in a battle of strength, but the same couldn't be said for her parents.

Daphne's eyes widened, and she scrambled to her feet. "Sabrina...!" Well, that was her answer on whether or not Sabrina would be happy to leave. Clearly, she wasn't.

Henry's head snapped up, and then he was up and helping Veronica pull Sabrina back. "Get her back in her seat," he said, not wanting her to somehow hurt herself.

Sabrina shook her head forcefully, trying to get free. The train lurched a bit, knocking her off balance. She gave a soundless gasp, but it let them put Sabrina back in her chair and buckle her in.

"How do you tell her no?" Veronica asked Daphne softly.

Daphne looked at her mother. "Squeeze her hand twice," she said. "That's how she understands no."

Veronica gently took Sabrina's hand and squeezed it twice.

This made Sabrina sag in defeat, pulling away and burying her face in her hands. She was buckled up, the train was moving, her parents would probably tackle her if she tried it again, and what use was it anyway? How would she find her way back to Relda's home without Puck to guide her? She'd end up in an Asylum long before she made it to Puck.

"Once the spell's lifted tonight, she'll understand," Henry said, looking at Sabrina. Her obvious distress moved him, but he couldn't let himself waver. This was the right thing to do.

"She doesn't want to go," Daphne said softly, looking down sadly. "Neither do I."

*.*.*.*.*

When they got to the hotel, Sabrina had to let Veronica lead her. She was just too helpless without her senses.

It was funny though... She was scared the entire time that Veronica or Henry wouldn't pay enough attention and she'd trip or hurt herself.

The realization that she didn't trust her own parents as much as she now trusted Puck made her feel sick to her stomach and guilty. Had two years without them really jaded her enough that she felt they were two entirely different people? Or was it just the fact that she was so helpless right now? She wasn't sure… She just didn't like it at all.

Daphne tried to fill in and keep an eye as closely on Sabrina as she could, pulling open doors and making it easier for her parents to lead her - but she'd spent more time in the past years with her sister than their parents had. And she could see that Sabrina was nervous.

Henry had enough money to rent a room for a couple of nights, determining that he'd get more money from their account the next day. When he had the key, he looked at his wife. "All right, then," he said. "Let's get to the room so that Sabrina can lie down." Now that they were in New York, there wasn't any worry about Everafters trying to come after his family - he was a lot more relaxed and at ease. His main concern now was keeping Sabrina comfortable until the spell could be broken.

"I think we need to call the police or something Henry," Veronica said in a cross voice. "After all, if we've been missing two years and abruptly show up with no reason, they're going to take the girls away from us. Your mother has custody right now."

Henry looked at Veronica. "You're right," he said with a nod. "I'll make the call and handle all of that." He thought for a moment. "We'll need to come up with something to tell them."

Sabrina, with Daphne's help, did get to a bed. She curled up miserably, too depressed to let herself be angry.

Puck had explained to her that it would be three days before she got her senses back--it was the third day now, so when she got her senses back she'd tell her parents she wanted to go back. Or bring Puck with her. Then again, if she told Henry she wanted to bring Puck out of the barrier, he'd probably fly them to Mexico and she'd never see the blonde fairy again. Deciding to use the silent boring time to come up with a convincing argument, she let herself relax a bit. She had to remind herself that it wasn't the end of the world. After all, Henry couldn't keep her away from Puck forever—and what if this whole love thing was temporary anyway? They were still just kids, they had a long way to go.

But it was a good feeling… She liked how happy she was when Puck was around. She even liked how angry he made her.

She had to convince her parents. Rather, her father. She had a good idea what side her mother would be on already.

Daphne reached out and stroked Sabrina's hair gently. Sabrina looked so miserable - she wanted to comfort her sister and reassure her that it was okay, but would it be?

*.*.*.*.*

The ride to the Snow Queen's home was quiet, even with four people in the car. Mr. Canis was behind the wheel, Relda beside him, with Puck and Jake sitting in the backseat. Puck was staring out of the window with a frown on his face – after his tirade from before, he had become irritable and surly, snapping when spoken to and keeping to himself for the most part.

He had only ceased this when it had come time to deliver the requested items, loudly insistent on being there. And then he had promptly gone silent again, his eyes fixing on some point out the car window and never leaving it.

Relda looked down at the box that she held in her lap.

The box held three items, two of which were wrapped in cloth, the third lying next to them with a ribbon tied around it to keep it together. It had taken time, but she had located and gathered items that met the Snow Queen's requirements, and in time for the spell on Sabrina to be broken.

She only wished that she would be able to see it. She could only hope – hope and pray – that once Sabrina regained her senses she would be able to explain and convince her father to bring herself and Daphne back.

Relda hadn't doubted that she would find the items that the Snow Queen required, but their identities had temporarily eluded her. Physical proof that Sabrina could love; a representation of Relda's feelings for Sabrina; and the most difficult one, something that Relda would never give up unless Sabrina's life were in danger.

The first had turned out to be the easiest of the three. The proof of Sabrina's ability to love had been secured within the Hall of Wonders – the shard of the goblin's mirror that Sabrina had cried out when she and Puck had broken its hold on her. Relda knew that if Sabrina hadn't loved Puck, she never would have been able to rid herself of the shard with simple tears. It was the most definitive proof that there was, and it lay tucked in the box, wrapped in cloth to keep it from being damaged or causing damage.

The second item had been more difficult. A representation of Relda's feelings for her granddaughter – for Relda, she had thought of any number of items. But each time she had discarded it, unsure of whether or not the Snow Queen would identify the feelings that Relda associated with the item. In the end it had been Daphne who had helped Relda discover the perfect representative. Daphne had found the broken pieces of Basil's glass rose in Sabrina's room – pieces which Sabrina had been attempting to recombine and fix to make up for breaking it when she'd been under the influence of the shards.

Despite Relda's insistence to Sabrina that she didn't blame her for what had happened to the rose, Sabrina had continued her attempts to glue the pieces back together. Realizing this, knowing this, made Relda's feelings for her granddaughter only grow; the rose was a representation, now, of the bond that had grown between Relda and Sabrina – of the bond that had developed when at one time, Sabrina hadn't trusted her at all. And Relda loved her granddaughter all the more for it.

The pieces of the rose lay wrapped up in the second, larger bundle within the box. And nestled between the two bundles was the third – a single piece of paper rolled into a scroll with a red ribbon tied around it.

At the time Relda had been at a loss. If Sabrina were in trouble she knew she would have given up anything to keep her safe, to save her life. But what was that one item, that one specific item, which would signify this the most? That was what Relda had had to figure out.

When she had realized the most important thing that she had to sacrifice for Sabrina's life and safety, the answer had seemed almost too obvious. But no matter how many times she looked at it, she had realized that there was no better answer.

What was the most significant possession that Relda would give up to save Sabrina? Her life in Ferryport Landing.

And so the title deed for her house lay in that box, taken from the safety deposit box it had been living in, rolled up and tied securely to prevent it from becoming damaged.

Now, with those three items gathered and secure in their box, Mr. Canis pulled the car into the driveway of the Snow Queen's mansion. Relda held the box tightly as she got out, not a trace of nervousness to be found on her face. She had faith that she had met the requirements needed to free Sabrina from the curse. She had fulfilled her part – it was now up to Ilitha.

*.*.*.*.*

Ilitha turned to Relda after the items had been brought, and set upon a crystal table. The title deed surprised her a little. Klarissa's initial demands had been for all the Grimms to leave Ferryport Landing. That Relda would actually be willing was startling.

She looked over the items, not asking for explanations. To her, they explained themselves. Especially the mirror shard. It was clearly the most obvious, and she understood the meaning immediately.

Ilitha's expression was one of indifference as she raised one hand over the items, sparkling energy flowing to and from. Once she'd collected enough, she brought her hand to her lips and blew, ice crystals fluttering down to the items. The magic pulsed, making Jake shudder, and then it vanished.

Ilitha picked the items back up and turned them over to Relda. She had no use for them. Turning away, she spoke softly. "The curse will be broken now. She will regain every sense she has lost easily."

Relda released the breath that she had been holding, and looked down at the items that Ilitha had handed to her. "Thank you," she said.

Then she paused and looked back up.

"Is there anything else that needs to be done?" Relda asked. She had noticed, with her mind for details, that Ilitha hadn't guaranteed in her words that Sabrina would instantly regain her senses.

Ilitha didn't turn back to her. "In the same order she lost her senses, she can regain them. As her eyes fall upon the one she is in love with, her sight will return. As he speaks, she will hear him and regain that sense. And so forth. It is the main reason I needed to know if she was capable of love. The fact that you brought me a shard from the Goblin's Mirror confirms that it can easily be fixed. You obviously don't need to search for the one she loves, he must be present in your life and near her already."

Jake stared. And then paled. "Oh hell."

"There's always a catch with these things, isn't there?" Mr. Canis growled.

Realization dawned on Relda. "Oh, dear," she said softly, and she turned to look at Puck.

Puck hovered in the air, his wings beating rapidly to keep him up. "Wait a minute," he said. "Wait a minute. You mean Sabrina's not going to regain any of her senses until I'm there?" Which meant... As Jake had put it, oh hell!

"Dammnit," Jake whispered. "I have to find Henry and Veronica and get them to bring her back," he said to Relda. "My brother is such an idiot."

He should have guessed--he'd known separating Puck and Sabrina had been a bad idea!

Relda looked at Jake and nodded worriedly. "You're the only one who can bring them back, Jacob," she said. "I can't leave here - and neither can Puck."

Puck scowled fiercely. If they'd still had that sword, leaving wouldn't be a problem! He'd never minded the barrier, really, until that exact moment.

Jake nodded to Relda, then glanced to Puck. "I'll go get her and you can fix her. Then we'll find a way to keep my idiot brother from taking the girls out of here again."

He wondered then--was Puck worried that Sabrina would still want to leave? It had been all she'd talked about for a while. It could have just been the panic of separating in that moment that had made Sabrina protest at all. Jake's pondering was easy to interpret.

Puck looked at Jake, and he scowled. "Yeah," he said. "Bring her back here, and I'll fix her." He'd deal with the whole Sabrina wanting to leave later - after she was brought back and she could regain her senses.

He put his hands on his hips. "And be quick about it!" he added, with all the authoritative haughtiness of a fairy king.

Jake rolled his eyes. It would take some time, and thankfully he wouldn't have to listen to Puck complain like everyone else would.

*.*.*.*.*

When morning rolled around, a very tired Veronica looked to Henry. They'd been explaining things to police, and their cover story was amnesia from a driving accident. They had detailed it out cleverly, and were working on getting custody back.

Thankfully they just needed to handle legal matters via phone or paperwork, so they had some time to the family.

"I'm going to wake up Sabrina and explain everything to her," Veronica said. "You should come with me."

Henry nodded, rubbing his eyes wearily. Enchanted sleeps weren't as refreshing as the real deal. "Yes," he said. "She's probably going to be confused until we explain it to her."

Sabrina was fast asleep and holding Daphne's hand in the bed. When Veronica spoke softly, calling the girls' names, she had no reaction.

Gently, Veronica stroked Daphne's hair behind her ear, and then Sabrina's. It was a trick that always seemed to wake them up. It worked better than screaming right in Daphne's ear, which sometimes happened to be the only way to wake the girl as far as anyone knew.

Sabrina shifted groggily, opening her eyes and sitting up. She yawned.

Daphne stirred, and then shifted. She smiled sleepily, opening her eyes and seeing her mom. "Hi, Mom," she said sleepily. "Is it morning already?"

Henry looked at Sabrina, his expression soft as he regarded his daughter.

Sabrina looked around. Then squeezed Daphne's hand. She tapped a few times, indicating she had something to say, and hoping Daphne was awake.

Veronica frowned.

Daphne looked at Sabrina, startled. Wasn't...wasn't Sabrina supposed to be able to talk now? It was morning.

She scrambled for Sabrina's pad and paper, and put it into her hands. "Sabrina...?"

Confusion appeared in Henry's eyes.

Sabrina yawned and wrote carefully. "What time is it?"

Veronica frowned again, looking to Henry and then back to her daughters. "Sabrina?"

"Bedtime yet?" Sabrina continued. After all, the curse would be broken before morning.... She'd hoped she could just fall asleep to make time go by faster and get it over with, but apparently she wasn't that lucky.

Daphne bit her lip, and then reached for Sabrina's hand and squeezed it twice. No...it wasn't bedtime. It was morning... She looked at Veronica helplessly.

"The curse should have been broken by now," Henry said. "Why is she like this?"

"We should have stayed to make sure," Veronica sighed.

"When is it?" Sabrina wrote with a frown. "It can't be morning."

Daphne squeezed Sabrina's hand once, and then hugged her sister tightly. Why hadn't it worked? Granny would have made sure that she got the items in time - Granny always came through, so why hadn't it worked?

Henry pressed his lips together. "Magic," he said angrily. "This is all the fault of magic." It couldn't be trusted.

Sabrina paled. Then she scrambled out of bed and rushed blindly for the exit. She clutched the string around her wrist in panic. If it was morning and the curse hadn't been broken, what if it never would be? She needed to find Puck!

"Sabrina!" Veronica cried. It was dangerous for her to try and do that on her own!

Henry moved swiftly, catching Sabrina and holding her still before she could run into anything. "Sabrina...!" He reached for her hand and squeezed it twice. She couldn't run, she'd only get hurt.

Sabrina struggled and fought him, much more fiercely this time. She didn't know who it was, but she figured it was her dad. It was stronger than Daphne and not as slender or soft as her mother. She had to get back to Ferryport Landing!

Henry's eyes widened in shock at just how fiercely Sabrina was fighting him - she was stronger than he expected, but then again, he was still used to her being a nine-year-old. He looked at Veronica with wide eyes.

He tried to pull her back towards the bed, tightening his arms to keep her from breaking free. "I'm sorry, Sabrina, but this is for your own good," he said firmly.

Sabrina struggled harder, then froze.

The comb fell from her hair, landing on the floor. All of Sabrina's struggles stopped, and she just stood there with a panicked look.

"Henry the comb...!" Veronica hurried to retrieve it, but she didn't know what was happening, exactly. She'd been about to speak to Henry about why Sabrina was fighting, right up until the comb had fallen out. Hadn't Daphne or someone said the comb was letting Sabrina feel?

Daphne's eyes widened. "No!" she gasped. She hurried to Veronica and held out her home. "Mom, she needs that comb or she won't be able to feel anything either! I have to put it back in her hair!"

Veronica misunderstood. She brushed Sabrina's hair and put the comb back in for her.

It glowed briefly, and then Sabrina herself vanished. The comb fell to the ground, snapping in half. Henry paled and stunned, staring at the broken comb and where Sabrina had been.

"No!" Daphne cried, a horrified look on her face. "Sabrina!" Where was her sister? What had just happened?

Veronica picked up the broken comb and looked to Henry in alarm. "Call your mother. NOW, Henry Grimm." Her full-fledged pissed from the night before was back.

There was a knock on the door.

Henry, feeling numb and in shock, didn't argue with his wife. He reached for the phone, pale.

At the same time, Daphne rushed to the door to open it. Her heart was pounding, and she looked like she was going to panic.

Jake looked down at Daphne. "Oh good, it's you this time," he said. "The last five people were very rude. Where's Sabrina? The curse is broken but she has to go get all her senses back manually."

Veronica looked over at Jake, pale. Manually?

Henry's hand froze over the phone receiver, turning when he heard Jake's voice. "Jake," he said, seeing his brother.

Daphne suddenly threw her arms around Jake. "Uncle Jake!" she said, relieved to see him. He'd know what to do - he had to know. "Sabrina's gone!"

"Gone?" Jake blinked. "What do you mean?"

"She was panicking and Henry tried to restrain her. The comb fell out of her hair, and when I put it back in, she vanished and the comb broke," Veronica said in a worried voice. "Where did she go?"

"...I have no idea," Jake stared at the broken comb. "All I know is, the only way she can get her senses back is if she finds Puck."

Henry frowned. "Puck," he repeated. "What does that boy have to do with it?" He didn't understand why Puck had anything to do with Sabrina's recovery.

"Because..." Jake trailed off. He couldn't tell Henry the whole truth, he'd flip. But then... Who cared? "Because Sabrina's in love with him and the spell won't be fixed until she hears, sees, smells, and feels the person she's in love with. So she's not going to be able to do any of those things until she sees Puck. Literally, she has to see him first, then hear him, then speak to him, then smell him, then touch him. Or something like that."

Veronica clenched her fists. They would have known that if Henry hadn't been so stubborn...

Henry's eyes widened, and he wasn't sure what hit him harder. The fact that Sabrina was in love with an Everafter, or the fact that his actions had prevented Sabrina from being cured. And now...

"We have to go back." Daphne looked at Veronica and Henry. "We need to go back and talk to Kerdy's mom. The comb used to belong to her, maybe Gerda can tell us what happened to Sabrina."

"Okay," Veronica said. She picked Daphne up.

Then she looked to Henry. "You, call your mother right this minute and explain to her what happened. And then I don't want to hear anything from you until Sabrina is back and cured. Understood?"

Henry looked at her, and then nodded slowly. "I understand," he said, reaching for the phone and dialing Relda's phone number.

"Uncle Jake," Daphne said, hugging Veronica and turning to him, "do you have Kerdy's phone number? We can call him and talk to his mother that way." She was anxious to get any information, and she didn't want waste any time.

"Yeah I was just about to call," Jake said, taking out his phone. A moment later, he had explained to Kerdy that he needed to speak with Gerda.

Veronica watched Henry with a look that clearly said there would be problems later, regardless of how fast they fixed the current problem.

Henry winced - having his wife angry with him was not a good thing, and he knew it.

But right now, his thoughts were on his daughter. When Relda picked up the phone, Henry managed, in halting words, to explain what had happened; how Sabrina hadn't recovered her senses, how she'd struggled and the comb had come out, and then how she had vanished when Veronica had put it back in.

Relda whispered something in German, and then covered the phone with her hand, turning to look at Mr. Canis and Puck and explain what Henry had just said.

"WHAT?" came Puck's outraged shout through the phone, loud and clear even with Relda's hand covering it.

"Hey Hank," Jake hung up his phone and looked over. "Gerda says the comb will activate and fulfill a wish for both people, the one who uses it and the one who receives it, if the wishes are along the same lines. Daphne wanted to help Sabrina, and Sabrina wanted to be able to feel because she was scared, that's how she got it back. What did you want, Veronica?"

Veronica bit her lip. "I just wanted Sabrina to feel safe, and not scared."

Henry frowned. "Hang on, Mother," he said into the phone. He looked at Jake. "So how did Veronica's feeling result in Sabrina disappearing?"

"Sabrina must have felt something that made her disappear," Daphne said. "Sabrina wanted to go back to Ferryport Landing." She looked at Veronica, then at Henry. "That's why she tried to get off the train, and why she tried to leave just now. She must have wanted to get back to Puck!"

Veronica looked down at her daughter, then pointedly at her husband. He had better explain all of that to Relda, and fast.

Henry turned back to the phone. "Mother, did you hear any of that?" he asked. He went over what Daphne and Veronica had just said.

Relda thought this through quickly. "So if the comb works in the way that Gerda says," she said, "then Veronica's wish for Sabrina to feel safe, combined with Sabrina's urge to return here to where Puck is, means that she disappeared in order to get to Puck."

"Is she there with you now?" Henry asked anxiously. He knew Puck was there, too - he could hear him in the background.

"No..." Relda looked over at Puck, Mr. Canis, and an anxious Elvis. "But it's possible that the barrier could be keeping her back."

Puck stared at Relda for a moment. He was listening to her end of the conversation intently, following it - and if he was following it correctly, the old lady was saying that Sabrina got moved somewhere in Ferryport Landing? Or near it?

Puck extended his wings and suddenly shot out of the house, deciding that wasting time was stupid and that he needed to find Sabrina right then. Before she got any more freaked out than she already had to be.

"Puck!" Relda exclaimed.

"What happened?" Henry demanded.

"Puck just left - he must be trying to find Sabrina now," Relda said, looking at Mr. Canis in worry. He was frowning, but he hadn't stopped Puck, coming to the same conclusion.

Henry looked back at his brother, wife, and Daphne. "It sounds like Puck just went to go find Sabrina," he said.

"Of course he would," Jake said. "If you'd have stopped and listened before forcing Sabrina to leave, you'd find out just how much he'd do for her. Not that he'd admit it. Right Pumpkin?" He looked to Daphne to back him up while Veronica listened quietly.

Daphne looked at Jake, and smiled, nodding. "Puck's always protected Sabrina," she said. "Even when they were just getting on each other's nerves all the time." She turned back to her parents. "Puck will find her."

"Let's go back," Veronica said quietly. "I have a lot I want to talk about with Relda."

She kissed Daphne's hair, then looked to Jake. He understood the rules. She was not talking to Henry right now.

Henry took a deep breath. "Mom," he said into the phone, "we're on our way back. We'll come back with Jake."

Relda breathed a sigh of relief. "All right," she said softly. "We'll be here waiting for you." She hung up the phone then, and turned to Mr. Canis. "I hope Puck finds Sabrina."

"If anyone can find her," Mr. Canis said firmly, "that boy can."

*.*.*.*.*

A/N:

Sky: I'm sorry! It ended up being kinda long again ; ; and we did a lot of the editing at like 1 AM so I hope there aren't a ton of typos and errors and whatnot. :X! R/R Luvvies!

P.S. Whoops! Add/edit to fix one sentence, one paragraph indent, and change Harry to Henry. My bad, we're doing Harry Potter RP right now too. XD Thanks DeDe!