Disclaimer: I own nothing. Which is sad. So yeah. Read.

Hold up, just sayin, I may have stolen some parts from another story. Well, not exactly. It's just that I was reading this fic by 'Oriana de la Rose' and I was inspired to write this chapter. It may be kinda very similar, just warning you. So it's not really considered plagiarism if...

Just read already! If you have any questions, review or PM me!

10. A Walk in the Park

Face Down ~ Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

Puck's point of view...

Looking over at my love, I laughed and pressed my lips softly to her temple.

We had been walking around for an hour maybe--just around the city of New York.

Sabrina, you see, had been having the same recurring dreams weekly and it scared her to a point that she was terrified of sleeping--in regular routine, at least. So after talking over the phone, I suggested we go out for a walk around through the city that never sleeps. On our walk, we talked about things I never knew--like her fear of the unknown that developed soon after we were split apart by family but has now re-risen from all her nightmares of cursed necklaces, wolves, and fire.

Hearing her stomach growl lightly pulled me back to reality and guilt flowed through my veins. She needed food. She hadn't had anything to eat since yesterday afternoon since she was too busy at work. I couldn't imagine working as a waitress/busgirl without being allowed to eat anything from the restaurant at breaks. And I didn't want her starving, to see her each and every rib. No, she would have food, even if I had to waste the money I earned from Jake for moving around old furniture.

Holding her hand tighter in mine, lacing my fingers with hers, I led us through the crowd.

"Let's go get some breakfast," I suggested.

"Thank God, I'm starving."

We found a decent Burger King and went inside. As we walked through, I watched Brina take a deep breath, ecstasy scrawled over the features I knew so well. A small stab of guilt went through me at depriving her of food for this long. There wasn't a line, thankfully, so we stepped up to the cash register to order. I noticed that the young man looked at Brina for longer than necessary. I wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her to my side, but he didn't seem to notice.

"I would like..." Sabrina didn't notice him as she scanned the menu on the wall. I noticed that the man's eyes were practically glued to Sabrina and I realized he was checking her out. Glowering at him, my lips were set in a hard line and I found it difficult to control the rumbling anger inside me. I didn't like the way he looked at her, as if she was a piece of meat that he wanted to consume. I needed to shelter my love from men like that. All they wanted to do was use her for their own pleasures then leave her. And I didn't want Brina growing close to him at all; I didn't want her to forget about me.

I would not allow another man to drive a wedge between us. I needed her to keep myself sane. She was the only reason I lived, the only reason I still existed. Without her, I would have slit my own throat all those years ago in Baghdad. I needed her to stay with me and I wouldn't allow some idiot to seduce her and trick her into thinking that he loved her.

"You're quiet, Puck," she observed when we were finishing our meal. "Are you okay?"

I sighed. "Yeah, I'm fine. I've just got a lot on my mind." I glanced up to see that she had a bit of maple syrup smeared along her chin. Reaching up, I pulled her face to mine and wiped off the syrup then kissed her softly. "Are you ready to leave yet?" I asked, standing up.

"Yeah, I'm done."

As we walked out of Burger King, I shot a glare to the guy behind the counter. He didn't see me--he was busy punching buttons on the cash register.

It was a while before I realized we were heading into the shabbier neighborhood. I had never been in this part of New York City before so I had no idea about the street names and blocks, although I tried my best to remember them. Stopping at a café, we "borrowed" a newspaper off a table when a man got up to throw out his plate. There were adds for apartments for sale and that was how Sabrina and I began our search for a new house. We had already discussed the fact that if we were going to stay together, so we might as well buy an apartment for college days so as not to bother Henry and Veronica.

"How about this one?" she suggested, pointing to one that boasted 1200 square feet with large picture windows and a fireplace.

"Brina, we're not millionaires. Although," I said, grinning tolerantly at her. "I may be able to convince Mustardseed into doing us a little favor involving 'money'."

"Right," she said sarcastically with a smile. "You know he'd never do anything for you after you practically destroyed his new office with an accidental flame last week." With another smile, she went back to the adds and continued looking.

"What about your supposedly rich father?" I asked.

"Yeah, right. He'll pay for an apartment when Hitler comes back from the dead."

"Hey, stranger things have happened!" I pointed out.

"True, but still. You know Dad. He believes in earning the things life offers--with actual hard work involved."

"Well, maybe we can..."

After an hour of "discussing" and exploring apartments for sell, both on paper and off, we decided to wait a couple weeks or maybe even months for a better price to be offered.

After we stopped for roasted peanuts and called the house with my new iPhone to make sure no one would get worried about us, I got another idea.

"What would you say to Central Park?"

"Sure, fairy-boy," she said with a smile. "You do know how to get there, right?" she mocked.

"I thought you would know by now that I know everything, dog-face," I teased affectionately and pressed my lips to her forehead.

"Shut up," she replied, smiling.

After getting morning coffee from Starbucks, we started towards Central Park. It was a bit after dawn by now and the sky was streaked through with shades of pink, gold, and pale blue with the moon still fading away on the horizon.

As Sabrina and I took a short-cut the Starbucks clerk had suggested, we turned down an alley which stank heavily of trash and piss. A man snored under a shabby blanket, his mouth gaping open with drool dripping from his lips. He was unshaven and I could have sworn I saw a roach crawl through the scraggly hair of his beard.

Sabrina shrank against me. The beggar's stench was overpowering. I doubted he had experienced soap and water in three months. I resisted the impulse to cover my mouth and nose, but pulled Brina closer to me instead, drawing us away from the beggar.

"I don't like this, Puck," she muttered, anxiety obvious in her tone. She bent down and picked something off the filthy ground. I saw that it was a small crucifix attached to a sturdy silver chain. It was dirty and well-worn. I heard her pull in a ragged gasp.

"We'll be out of here soon, Brina," I said, pulling her forward and taking her shaking hands which held the crucifix.

"I sure as hell hope so," a male voice said behind us.

I whirled around and saw two silhouettes standing ten feet from us, the light of the morning sun behind them, casting them in shadow. The left figure was taller than the right and bulkier. The one on the right was decidedly female with long golden hair that blew in the slight breeze.

"Your girlfriend is holding something that belongs to us," the man said, his voice solid as iron. "Drop it and leave, and we won't do anything to you."

"She found it, it's hers," I said firmly. Honestly, I didn't know why I was so set on having her keep it since it was obviously creeping her out from all her dreams.

"Puck, it's okay," Sabrina whispered to me. "I don't want it. Please let's just leave, okay?"

"That's right, listen to the bitch and leave," the woman said, her voice soft yet demanding. "Just give me back the necklace."

"Shut up, Fiona," the man hissed.

Hot anger flared through me, swiftly followed by hate. My eyes quickly scanned the alley for any way out or someone to call for help but there was nothing except for the beggar who still dozed under the holey blanket. The stench wafted around me, making it hard for me to think.

"Just give us the necklace and leave," the man said reasonably, authority evident in his tone.

I wondered briefly why something as old as this crucifix could be so important to them. But that woman--Fiona--had called Sabrina a bitch. And she was going to pay for it.

"No," I spat. "It's Sabrina's now. If you two are stupid enough to drop it, then you don't deserve it. Especially that slut," I replied, looking at the woman. It was difficult to see their faces with the blazing, rising sun behind them. Only a halo of gold surrounded their hair.

"Why you bastard!" Fiona hissed, launching herself towards me. It was then that I noticed the silver blade that glinted in the faint light. "Give it to me, it's mine!" she snarled. But the man grabbed her by the arm and tossed her to the side like a rag-doll, her body crashing brutally into the brick wall.

"Please forgive Fiona. She's a little distressed that you refuse to give her what is rightfully hers," the man said reasonably, taking a sure step towards us. "You see, the necklace was her mother's before she died and it's the only thing the poor girl has left of her family. Also, I'm afraid that you're standing in my territory. I own nearly the whole east side and I don't condone troublemakers unless they are my men. So, you see, we have a problem."

"Puck, please, let's leave!" Sabrina pleaded. "It's not worth it. This is stupid!" Before I could say anything in response, she threw the necklace at the man, managing to hit his boot.

He laughed, the sound resembling a lion's purr. "A feisty thing, she is," he commented. "I bet she'd be enjoyable to break. I always love it when they scream."

Horror, heavy as lead, settled in my stomach and I realized my stupidity. If I had only handed over the stupid necklace, we could be gone from here. But now, the man had stepped close enough to us that I could see his features. He had dark hair and even blacker eyes, his face handsome enough but twisted with cruelty. And his eyes roamed curiously over Sabrina, as if she was a doll he would enjoy playing with. If we ran, would we make it? What if he outran us? I was fairly certain I could take him, but I was concerned about Sabrina. I could only pray she wouldn't involve herself in the fight. If he hurt her, I knew my rage would boil over.

"Get the hell away from us," I spat, stepping back, allowing him the satisfaction of believing I was going to run. "Now!"

He chuckled. "I don't think so, Mr. Protective. I've always had a thing for blondies and Fiona here isn't as nice as she used to be." His lips curled and I watched him begin to reach into his pocket.

My mind no longer controlled me. The rage, the fury all welled up inside me. I hated this man. He didn't deserve to live. Unwanted images rose to my eyes of Brina, sobbing and filthy, as he roughly took her, defiling her, taking her innocence. Without thinking, I kicked his legs out from under him and lunged at his prone form. Shock covered his face as I punched him square in the nose. Immediately, the blood flowed from the broken cartilage. A howl of rage tore from his throat and I stabbed my finger into his left eye, grimacing at the thick wetness that immediately coated it, and hooked, pulling.

He grabbed me by the shirt and threw me off, stumbling up. From the corner of my eye, I saw Brina scream, her eyes wide with fear. Glancing back at the man before me, I saw why. His left eye was no longer in his socket; instead it dangled out by the optic nerve, horrific and terrifying.

"Davy!" Fiona screamed, crawling towards the man. He turned and swiftly kicked her in the side before turning back to me.

With a snarl of rage, he ran at me, raising his hand and I saw that he held a pocket knife. Quickly, I twisted out of his reach and grabbed the knife from his hand, managing to slice a deep wound down his upper arm, opening the main vein there. The blood was thick and dark as it coursed down his limb. It was as if my mind had turned off. I didn't think anything--I simply acted. I knew what I had to do to get Sabrina out of here, out of this hell. Grabbing "Davy's" hair, I yanked his head back and put the open pocketknife to his throat.

"I will cut your throat," I warned, my voice deadly. "I swear to God, I will if you so much as come near us again. Don't think I'm bluffing either. I've killed many men before, don't think I'd even hesitate to kill you."

I didn't care if my words were harsh or judgmental in any way. He deserves to be punished--men like him have a spot in hell reserved just for them.

Davy gasped for air and I didn't want to imagine the pain he was in. Killing him now wouldn't help Sabrina or me. It would only endanger us more. If I killed this man, it would be lives on my conscious, another that I had ended at the point of a knife. Although he obviously deserved it, it would stain my clothes with blood and I didn't have time to change. And I didn't want to think about how Brina would look at me after I slit his throat--with fear, with horror. No, I couldn't bear it if she saw me as a monster. I would sooner eat cyanide than have her cower from me.

Throwing Davy onto the ground, I closed the pocketknife and pushed it deep into my jeans pocket. He sobbed once and curled into a ball, his fingers going to his hanging eye. I saw the image I'd had earlier of him violating Brina, and I felt no regret at what I had done, what I was doing.

"Come on, Brina," I said quickly, walking towards her and taking her hand in mine. My clothing was bloodless except for a faint staining at the hem of my jacket. But that would be simple to hide and I wouldn't have to worry about shocked stares from bystanders. As soon as we got out of the alley, we broke into a run. When I heard Sabrina gasping beside me, I slowed.

It was then that I saw the house. Through all our twists and turns, we somehow luckily wound up at the Grimm Mansion--christened as so by Daphne when they first moved here.

It was seemingly abandoned, quiet of Ryan's cries and Andy's tantrums, and so provided good shelter for us from Davy and Fiona. "Follow me," I said, letting go of her hand and entering the house after using the spare key Monica gave me.

"Puck," she began, struggling to get her breathing under control. "Are you okay? Back there... Your cheek looks pretty bad."

"What?"

"You have a cut on your cheek," she said softly, stepping closer to me. We were inside now, the old door shut behind us so that we were enveloped in faint, morning light. The set of stairs starting at the living room led up to the second floor, out of sight. I felt kind hands touch my chin and I turned back to her. "It's bleeding pretty badly," she said, reaching back and pulling the Burger King napkins out of her pockets, using them to dab at my cheek.

"It's fine, Brina. I'm fine." I felt very tired suddenly, as if I could sleep for twenty years and not wake. "I'm just tired."

"Well, hold this on it, okay? Apply pressure so the bleeding stops."

"When'd you become an expert nurse?" I asked sarcastically. But with a roll of her eyes, I said, "Whatever you say."

Gazing around the room, she frowned. "Come on, let's go upstairs. I have a tv in my room; you can sit and watch while I try to reach Daphne at camp."

"Finally, she sees reason," I teased, knowing full well that she knew I was joking.

"Yeah, yeah, you finally get to crash in my well-supplied, furnished room," she joked back with another eye-roll.

Taking her hand in mine, I pulled her towards me and brushed my lips to hers before leading the way up the stairs. As we ascended, I was grateful that the stairs creaked--they reminded me that everything still had its place. Old wood creaked, dust accumulated, the sun rose in the morning. It all seemed so normal after the confrontation of today.

"Thank God," she said, rushing towards her bed. "I'm so tired."

She pounced happily onto the mattress and I smiled, moving to sit on the aqua colored couch opposite her. Lifting her head up from her arms, Brina smiled at me then jumped to my side.

"I love you," she said wistfully as she laid down, her head on the arm of the couch, and my arm automatically bent around her.

"I love me, too," I teased before ducking as Brina tried to punch my face. "You know I love you, too," I corrected, smiling at her.

Pulling the napkin from my face, I saw that it was wet with blood. But it didn't seem to be bleeding anymore so that was good. "I'm sorry that I frightened you today. I should have just given them the necklace. But then, he wanted to do those things to you and..." My voice trailed off, harsh with ice.

"It's alright, Puck," she said, placing her hand over my mouth to stop me from speaking then gave me a light peck on the cheek. Getting up, she handed me the remote to her tv and headed to her cell phone to call Marshmellow.

But for the first time in my life, I couldn't concentrate on the pictures in the "magic box". Things were circling inside my head. Thoughts of Davy and Fiona, of worst case senarios of this morning... and of Hawaii...

"You did what you had to," I heard Sabrina say as a GEICO commercial came on. "I know that." She smiled then, before turning to punch in Daph's number, warming my cold heart and keeping my fury at bay for the moment.

"15 minutes could save you 15 or more percent on car insurance..."

A/N:

Sorry for the long wait (blame school, not me) and the sudden change from Daphne to Puckabrina but I can't write a mystery for too long; I like danger with a dash of fluffiness. ^^

Anyhoo, thanx to all reviewers, Lara D, Beachgirlygirl, mrf18, 12grimmfan21, Pottergrl101, mary alice brandon, Alice Alee , brii, and Kloe. Your reviews are honestly one of the main reasons I even write as much as I do instead of studying for those stupid weekly biology tests.

Oh and thanks for the mention from 12grimmfan21 in mrf18's fanfic "Good and Bad stories." ^^

So yeah, you know the drill. I would like the reviews to reach to at least 100 before I update. Or else, I just don't see why I should update for no one to read.

Luvvies,

~Ly ^^