Hi! I'm sure some of you may be confused about the whole forced-marriage thing, so let me fill you in.
Question: "Why doesn't Bradley just rape Sabrina quickly, then leave before the Grimms/Puck/Whoever find him?"
Answer: Bradley wants Sabrina all to himself for quite a long time before he moves on, so he needs to find a more secure place to do his business uninterrupted by the likes of angry family members and boyfriends.
Question: "How will a fake wedding create a big enough diversion for Bradley to hunker down with Sabrina in some far away place?"
Answer: By creating the illusion that Sabrina is on a honey moon with him for about a week, Bradley thinks this will buy him enough time to transport Sabrina to a different location, one that's probably magical or something. That way, he won't have a mob of assorted Everafters and Grimms breaking down the door to the warehouse and ripping him to shreds.
Question: "Okay, I get it now, I think. But why a wedding? Why doesn't he just kill everyone who is a potential rescuer?"
Answer:
1) Bradley doesn't know everyone in Sabrina's life, so killing everyone who might attempt to save her would be impossible.
2) Bradley, as strong as he is, cannot fight off Puck, Mustardseed, the magic-bearing Daphne, and whoever else may be in Sabrina's family at once. He knows that the only reason he got away with Sabrina back at the prison was because Puck was injured and could not fight as well.
Question: "One last question. How will moving Sabrina help Bradley's cause? Can't someone just track them with some magical doohickey or something, like Daphne and Mustardseed probably did to find them before?"
Answer: Bradley most likely has some sort of magic proof bunker set up somewhere, where it would be impossible to track down him and Sabrina to.
I hope that helped! Thanks for all the reviews, by the way! I'm really excited, because I'm almost at 50! I could use some more favs and follows, though. *Hint hint* Pretty please? *Wink wink* With sugar on top? Sorry for the long A/N! Anyways, enjoy this chapter!
NOTE: This chapter has very mild swearing. Nothing to severe, but just enough to convey people's emotions. If you cannot handle PG-13 rated swearing, you may not want to read this chapter.
*Puck's POV*
As distressed as I was, I knew that I had to keep a clear head for Sabrina. She could be suffering right now. She may not even be alive, but I tried to think positive. It was nearly impossible though, because she was the one who usually cheered me up when things went wrong in the kingdom.
I was standing on the Grimm's front porch in Ferryport Landing, where the old lady, Canis, Daphne, Red, and Sabrina's parents lived. Marshmallow had tearfully insisted that I tell the whole family what had happened, starting from the beginning, when I had cheated on Sabrina. I was so stupid. So unbelievably stupid. What would I say to them? I got drunk, cheated on Sabrina, wound up in Maryland, and was unable to protect her against a crazed fairy who escaped from my jail four months ago?! I sensed that Henry, Jake, and Canis would all hold me down and punch me, the old lady would fall silent and go up to her room, Veronica would kick me in the crotch, and Daphne would start crying all over again, with Red. I scowled at the thought of Mustardseed, because he had told me that I had to explain this one on my own. Even though I knew it was the right thing to do, I was still pissed. I took a deep breath, and knocked on the door. Red opened the door.
"Hey Puck," she said with a smile. Although she started out as a weird little girl trying to sic her Jabberwocky on all of us, Red and I became pretty close siblings, because we were both adopted by the old lady. I gave her a hug.
"Where is everyone?" I asked, hoping it was just her that I would have to explain everything to. She would cry, but at least she wouldn't hurt me. At least, I don't think so.
"Oh, everyone's in the living room, watching the game." She replied with a wave of her hand. I was proud of the way Red had found her place in this family. At first, she was very uncomfortable, especially since she was living under the same roof as the guy who ate her grandmother, but now, she was a regular part of the family. She grew up, too, alongside Marshmallow. She looked pretty much the same as when she did when the Grimms first took her in, except taller, With the same wavy, auburn hair and red cloak, Red was still Red.
I mentally grumbled in dismay at the thought of everyone hearing what I had to say, but faked a smile for Red.
"Okay, thanks." I said, seeing if my lying skills were up to par. She stepped back and ushered me into the living room. At first the family didn't notice me. They were too busy yelling at the tiny TV, saying things like "GO GO GO GO!" "YOU DROPPED THE BALL, YOU DAMN FOOL!" "TOUCHDOOWWNNNNN!" and "FIRST DOWNNNNN!" If not for the circumstances, I would've hopped on the expanded couch right with everyone, but today, I was gonna do something different.
"Hey everyone, Puck's here!" Red shouted over the noise. Henry groaned, Jake waved, Daphne ignored me, the old lady said "Hello, Liebling," Veronica smiled (unlike Henry, she actually liked me. Well, for now), and Canis nodded in my direction. I waved at everyone shyly. What is this? The Trickster King was never shy!
"What, no greeting us with glop grenades and farts this time, Puck?" Henry asked, half-sarcastically and half-incredulously.
"Nah," I said, trying to act casual. "I actually have something to tell you guys...and you, uh, may wanna sit down."
"Uh, we are sitting down, Puck. You okay, kid?" Jake asked me, stepping forward to feel my forehead.
"He's like 4000 years older than you, Jacob," the old lady said with a chuckle. "We're all ears, Liebling." She turned off the TV, which resulted in a collective groan from the rest of the family. Even Canis threw his hands in the air, then calmed down.
"Aw, Mom!" protested Jake, still poking and prodding me to see if anything was wrong. Now was the time to tell everyone. It was now or never, because not only did I have to tell them, I needed their help to get Sabrina back. So, I told them. I told them everything.
First, all I got were confused stares, then, just as I had predicted, all hell broke loose. Red and Marshmallow crumpled to the floor, bawling and holding onto each other. Jake pulled his hand away from my forehead like he had accidentally touched a hot stove. Then he brought his hand back towards me, but this time it was in a fist. His punch slammed into my jaw, nearly knocking me onto the floor. I saw stars and my vision blacked out for a second. I stumbled backwards and fell on top of a pile of books. Henry's assault was next, as he punched me in the gut repeatedly while I was down, yelling profanities and "HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO MY DAUGHTER?! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO SABRINA?! SHE LOVED YOU!" It was Veronica who pulled him back, but I knew it was not my saving grace.
Sabrina's mom basically stomped on my groin, and I groaned, rolling over, face down on the carpeted floor. The woman had crazy brute strength, and she forced me to look at her by yanking my head up by my hair.
"Why?" she seethed angrily. "WHY?!" She let go of my hair, which caused my face to slam into the ground again, stomped away, and held on tightly to Henry.
Jake was pacing crossly across the floor, not being able to care less about the football game that was on right now. To my surprise, Canis didn't try to injure me, like Henry, Veronica, and Jake did. Even one of Elvis' grand-puppies had bitten my pant-leg, sensing something was wrong. Instead, the elderly man helped the old lady upstairs, who looked dazed and confused.
I finally was able to get up, and I felt a familiar, searing pain in my side. The ribs that were well on their way to healing had been jarred out of place, and were now uncomfortably poking into me. I just hoped that I wouldn't puncture a lung.
"Please," I whispered. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. But we need to make a plan to help Sabrina. She may still be alive."
Just as I was about to get them all to sit down and come up with a plan with me, there was a loud "thump," outside. Everyone rushed out, except for me. I should stay out of whatever it was this time. All I had done was cause trouble for everyone.
But when I heard Marshmallow's scream, I ran outside, only to find everyone calm...really calm. Their eyes looked glazed over, and they milled around the yard like zombies, going no where in particular.
"What happened?!" I asked, to anyone who was still sane enough to listen.
"Oh, isn't it wonderful?" Veronica exclaimed, clasping Henry's hands in her own. I noticed that Henry was...crying?
"Yes," he answered, with tears welling up in his eyes. "My little baby's getting married!"
"What?! Marshmallow's getting married? To who? She broke up with Mustardseed!" Daphne laughed and waved the suggestion off.
"No, Sabrina's getting married, idiot!" Jake said, mussing my hair. "To her boyfriend, Bradley."
Hold up. Stop. Wait. Back up the truck. Sabrina...is getting married...to Bradley?! That can't be right. I was here to plan a rescue mission for her, not a wedding!
"Who told you that?!" I exploded, looking around at the confused but blissfully happy faces around me.
"Bradley did," said Marshmallow in a daze. "He came here to tell us, and left. Said he was in a hurry."
"NONONO!" What the hell is happening here? "That's the guy I was telling you about! The dude who kidnapped Sabrina!" Red looked at me, and then giggled.
"Puck, we all know you've had feelings for Sabrina forever, but you'll have to get over it now. She loves Bradley. She loves you, too, but like a brother." She patted my shoulder, and my face screwed into a look of confusion. I stared into her eyes intently, and noticed that her pupils were dilated. Quickly, I checked evreyone else's eyes in a panicked. All dilated. Forgetful dust.
"Hey Puck, why are you all bruised up?" Veronica asked, concerned. If only she knew. When I turned to face her, I noticed something different about her pupils than what a normal victim of forgetful dust would have. They seemed to...pulse? Is that the right word? All I knew is, they got bigger and smaller.
Ah. Half-strength forgetful dust. It would wear off in a few days, and then we would go rescue Sabrina. But that would be too long of a wait. She could already be dead or unreachable by then.
"The wedding is this weekend, at the church!" exclaimed the old lady, happily. This weekend, huh? That means that I have a chance to get Sabrina outta there before Bradley's plan comes into place. I could only hope that Bradley hadn't gotten her under his spell, too, or I would be in some deep trouble. Maybe he only used half-strength on Sabrina, so in a few days, she would remember that she was supposed to be with me, and not Bradley.