A/N: Thanks to all the lovely readers who put up with the filler chapter last time. I'm glad so many people love Charlotte and Chandra as a couple. I got so many people reviewing to tell me how sweet they are together.
To Lara D: I'll try to update more frequently, I was really busy. I'm glad you like Charlotte and Chandra. I think of them as the Anti-Puck-and-Sabrina, because their relationship is a lot calmer, and they never prank/attempt to murder eachother. They're really calming to write, because Puck and Sabrina always argue, argue, argue!
To ttoes555: There'll be more fluffy sweetness before the end of this chapter.
Thanks to Ayns and Sky, Cookie-Dough-Always, Myrh Kerenza, BrendaReads-A-Lot, beanieluver101 and Vladfan4 who I've already replied to.
Reviews of all shapes, sizes and types are welcome as always, and cookies to those who can guess what Charlotte sings.
Disclaimer: I will never be Michael Buckley.
Chapter Fourteen
"Of course I'll come back," Charlotte smiled when she'd pulled back from the kiss,
"Promise?" Chandra asked her, his arms winding around her waist, pulling her closer to him.
"Yep," she replied, snuggling closer so that her head was resting on his chest. The entire room had gone quiet. Everyone, including Sabrina, was intent on watching the pair. She had to admit, they made a cute couple.
Rhiannon felt her eyes fill with tears. It had been five thousand years since her first husband had died, yet in that moment her heart ached for him, her first love whose death her heart had never quite healed from. In Charlotte's young face, she could see a reflection of her own expression when she had first met her Pwyll. She could see that Charlotte would never leave him willingly.
Swallowing the sobs that were building up in her throat, she said, "You can go, Charlotte, and take Meera with you, just…" she choked, "stay safe, my daughter."
Charlotte squirmed out of Chandra's embrace to throw her arms around her godmother, "Thank you, Rhiannon, thank you!" she wept. Her tears were from joy, but the tears the woman wept were from sorrow.
"I have lost too many of those I love to lose you too, Charlotte. Stay safe, my darling," she said, kissing the top of her head. She straightened up, sniffed and wiped her eyes, "Well, let's start packing. You'll need help if you're leaving early tomorrow morning.
"Go 'way, 'Brina," Charlotte groaned, rolling over, "'S too early."
"Come on, Charlotte," Sabrina pleaded, shaking her again, "We need to go!"
"We can go later," she yawned, "America'll still be there at a more sensible time. Like in three hours," She pulled a pillow over her head, only to have her friend tear the duvet off her bed. She sat up and whacked Sabrina over the head with the cushion she was holding.
"What was that for?" said Sabrina indignantly,
"Making me get up disgustingly early," the older girl replied, swinging her legs out of bed, "Grab as many clothes as you think you can layer up. It's cold enough to freeze your butt off above the clouds."
Sabrina rummaged in the drawers until she'd found two long-sleeved t-shirts, a short-sleeved one to wear underneath, two jumpers, two pairs of leggings and some black jeans.
"Take my warmest clothes, why don't you?" Charlotte complained, throwing one of the pillows at Sabrina. It missed her completely, but as the older girl was attempting to grab another pillow to throw, Sabrina made herself scarce before Charlotte's aim improved.
The bathroom clock showed the time in blinking red numerals: 4:10. Rhiannon had said that the flight on the horse would take around seven hours to reach Ferryport Landing if Charlotte didn't accidentally steer them into any storms. Seven hours. By eleven she could be back with her parents, her sister and… but she wouldn't think about that now. Her every nerve was jangling at the thought of what could go wrong. She didn't have a plan for breaking the spell. She didn't even want to think about how she could go about it. And she really, really didn't want to think about what her mom and dad would say to her when she got back.
There was a knock at the door.
"Are you alive in there?" Charlotte's voice called,
"Give me a second," Sabrina yelled back. She turned to the mirror. Her green eyes were huge in a face that looked too pale, almost sickly against the brightness of her hair. With a sigh, she dragged that hair back into an untidy ponytail. She opened the door to find a half-asleep Charlotte standing outside, looking as bad if not worse than Sabrina. Her hair was pulled back in a messy bun, and her eyes had purple shadows under them, giving her the look of a panda that had gone demented with purple eyeshadow.
"What are you laughing at?" Charlotte asked, irritably,
"You really aren't a morning person," Sabrina commented,
"Who is?" she replied, grumpily leading the way down the stairs to the front door. They stepped out into the chilly morning air. A yawning Rhiannon was waiting for them, leaning against the Ebony Horse. She was holding little Adam in her arms.
She started when she saw the girls, "There you are! I thought Charlotte had convinced you to give her an extra two hours beauty sleep."
"I tried," Charlotte complained, "She's so mean!"
Sabrina stuck her tongue out at her. Charlotte responded by glaring at her sullenly.
"Girls!" Rhiannon admonished them, "Sabrina, take your brother while I help Charlotte put the sling on." The warm, sleepy bundle was thrust into her arms while Rhiannon detangled the pile of straps he'd been lying on.
Sabrina looked at the face poking out of the blankets, and felt a sudden rush of affection her baby brother. As soon as they got home, she resolved to get to know this little person who was lying in her arms. He made a little snuffling noise, and for a moment she was afraid she had woken him, but he just inserted his thumb into his mouth and snuggled down again.
"Hand him over," Rhiannon commanded. Reluctantly, Sabrina passed him to her. The woman slipped him into the sling on Charlotte's back, planting a kiss on his forehead. Finally, she slipped a tiny mirror into Sabrina's hand. Rather than seeing her own reflection in it, she could see Meera's cheerful features. She slipped it into her pocket.
"Is that everything?" Charlotte asked,
"Almost," Rhiannon smiled. She pulled the girl into a tight hug. Sabrina was suddenly filled with a strange dread. For a moment, Rhiannon's long, scarlet tresses looked like blood staining Charlotte's clothes.
The chilling moment was broken when a dishevelled Chandra burst out of the house, looking around wildly.
"Have they gone?" he asked. His eyes focussed on Sabrina, and he sighed with relief, "Sorry, Rhiannon, Yamuna messed with my alarm clock."
Rhiannon only pursed her lips and raised her eyebrows, looking like a teacher who had heard a bad excuse for a piece of late homework. "Did you remember to get the bird?"
He nodded, holding out something covered by a cloth to Sabrina. She took it, enjoying feeling the tingle of magic beneath her fingers. She could feel bars through the cloth, and it was domed at the top.
"What is it? Is it a birdcage?" she asked, curiously,
"Yes," Rhiannon replied,
"Can I see?" Charlotte pleaded, "Please, you never let me look at them!"
"Not till you get to Ferryport Landing and tell Sabrina why you need it," Rhiannon told her firmly, removing it from Sabrina's hands and tying it to the Horse.
"Give it back!" Sabrina demanded, angrily,
"Sabrina," Charlotte cautioned her, "Don't touch it!"
"Why not? I'm learning to deal with magic, I can handle it!" Sabrina argued,
"Less powerful things, sure, but this is one of the most powerful magical objects ever created," Charlotte tried to explain, stepping from side to side to block the cage from Sabrina's view.
"It can't be that powerful, I'd be acting... a lot… worse…" Her voice faded when she saw Charlotte's triumphant smile,
"Ever heard the term 'when you're in a hole, stop digging'?" she giggled, "Are you ready to go yet, or shall we stand outside arguing till tomorrow afternoon?"
"Fine," Sabrina rolled her eyes, mentally cursing irritating teenage girls who thought they were always right.
"Wait!" Chandra cried, "Charlotte, I almost forgot, I've got something for you." He pulled a little wooden box out of his pocket, flipped the lid open.
"It's beautiful!" she gasped. Sabrina couldn't see what she plucked out of the box, but when whatever it was touched her skin, it glowed. Charlotte was caressing it gently with her fingertips, as though it was the most beautiful thing in the world. Chandra took it out of her hands, making the glow fade. He gently twirled her around and slid it into her hair, making it light up again. Sabrina could see now that it was a hair-slide. It was fashioned into a silver swirl with two holes at either side that a wooden pin was speared through.
"Thankyou, oh thankyou!" Charlotte cried, throwing her arms around his shoulders. Chandra scooped her up in his arms, and lifted her onto the Horse's saddle. She squeaked and swatted at his head. He only laughed, seizing the hand and kissing it.
"That wasn't fair," Sabrina remarked, amused,
"It's your turn now," Charlotte laughed as Chandra grabbed her and lifted her onto the saddle. Now it was her turn to squeak and swat at him, but he ducked out of her range.
"Have fun, girls," Rhiannon smiled, as Charlotte leaned down to kiss her cheek.
"Don't forget me!" Chandra grinned,
"As if we could," Charlotte smiled. But as she bent down to kiss him goodbye, he clung to one of her hands.
"Do you have to go?" His voice was pleading,
"You know I do," Charlotte said, sniffing. She smiled sadly, and raised their joined hands to brush his cheek, "I'll come back, when you call me, no need to say goodbye…" She sang these words, gently. Chandra loosened his grip on her hand, enough so that she could pull it free, "No need to say goodbye…" she repeated to herself, before twisting the peg that made the Horse rocket up into the sky.
Chandra watched as the girl he loved shrank to the size of a doll, then to the size of an ant, and finally she was just a speck in the distance, like one more star in the early morning sky.
"Whoa!" Sabrina gasped, "That was terrifying!"
"But you have to admit it was fun!" Charlotte grinned,
"I bet it scared Adam, though," she insisted, trying to see over Charlotte's shoulder to check on him.
Charlotte looked down at the child strapped to her chest. He hadn't opened his eyes once, "Sleeping like a baby, still," she smiled,
"Just like Daphne, she can sleep through anything," Sabrina realised,
"Really? He's so like you!" Charlotte exclaimed,
"How do you mean?" Sabrina asked,
"Well, the first time I went to pick him up, he screamed, yanked on my hair, and attempted to bite me," Charlotte giggled,
"Hey, I've never tried to bite you!" Sabrina argued,
"That's because you can talk and understand what I answer back. Adam, here, has no way of saying 'Put me down, you crazy girl!' so he responded by attacking me," she explained, "No offence, Sabrina, but that's what you were like when I met you. You didn't want to trust me, even though I'd just saved you."
Sabrina blushed scarlet and said nothing. She knew it was true, but she could hardly help it. Would Charlotte trust be able anyone after going through the same experiences as Sabrina had? That was a question she couldn't answer. Was what the older girl had gone through better or worse? Sure, Sabrina had her parents back, something Charlotte could never have, but somehow, Sabrina envied the simplicity of her relationship with Chandra
"You're so lucky," she sighed, not meaning to speak,
"How do you mean?" Charlotte asked,
"Chandra doesn't prank you every three seconds, he's always there for you, he even makes you weird glow-in-the-dark hair-slides. Puck might be growing up for me, but he'd rather drink poison than own up to doing something nice for me," she said,
"Ah, I was wondering when we'd get onto this topic. What we have here, Miss Grimm, is a severe case of pigtail-pulling syndrome," Charlotte replied,
"Pigtail-pulling syndrome? Did you just make that up?" Sabrina asked suspiciously,
"No, that's what my mum used to call it. It occurs when a boy is madly in love with a girl, but hasn't got the guts or the maturity to own up to it. Therefore, to get her attention, he teases her, plays pranks on her, and generally makes her life a misery. That, my dear Sabrina, is pigtail-pulling syndrome."
"Weird way to put it," Sabrina frowned,
"I am weird," Charlotte laughed,
"Chandra doesn't seem to mind," she teased,
"Of course he doesn't. He's just as crazy, it just isn't so obvious," the older girl replied,
"Which would explain the glow-in-the-dark hair-slide," Sabrina said, prodding at it,
"Hmmm…" Was all Charlotte said in reply, but the back of her neck had turned scarlet,
"Wait, you're blushing. There has to be more to it than that. Come on, spill," she demanded,
"I don't know what you're talking about," Charlotte claimed, blushing a deeper red,
"Sure you don't. Spill already."
"No chance, you'll laugh."
"Spill."
"Are you going to keep this up for the whole journey?"
"Only if you don't answer. Spill."
"Hey, look, is that Iceland?"
"Nice distraction technique, but I still want to know."
"And I still don't want to tell."
"Tell me or I'll set Puck on you!" Sabrina threatened,
Charlotte rolled her eyes, "Fine, no need to get nasty!"
"Why does it glow then?" Sabrina asked for the final time,
"Promise you won't laugh?"
"Sure."
The older girl sighed, "If you're really that desperate to know, I'm – I'm scared of the dark," Sabrina couldn't help herself. She burst out laughing, infuriating Charlotte, "You said you wouldn't laugh!"
She got her giggles under control for long enough to choke out, "I'm sorry, it's just – the girl who punched the Master in the head – didn't freak out much when her death was prophesised – didn't even flinch at the idea of fulfilling part of it – afraid of the dark?"
"It's not that stupid a thing to be scared of. It's actually the world's most common phobia," Charlotte said, defensively,
"Sorry, I really shouldn't have laughed. I just figured you'd be scared of something… I don't know… more life threatening, dangerous," Sabrina answered, hesitantly
"Life threatening how?" the dark haired girl asked, curiously, her anger forgotten.
"Life threatening like…" she tailed off,
"Like what? Spit it out!" Charlotte commanded her,
"Like – like how I used to think Everafters were," she said, eventually,
Charlotte twisted her head around to stare at her with wide eyes, "Used to? As in 'don't anymore?' "
"Back at home, everyone, even Granny, told me what I was supposed to think, not letting me work it out for myself. It isn't like that here. I've got time to think about things like that," Sabrina explained,
"And what did you decide?" Charlotte asked,
"When my parents vanished, I didn't want to trust anyone. Everyone we were sent to live with was insane or sadistic. Then, in Ferryport Landing, I found out that Everafters took my parents. That twisted my view of the world. I felt that all my problems I'd had for two years were their fault. That kind of expanded to the world's problems, and all anyone ever did was tell me how stupid I was acting. It felt like I was the only one who could see how evil they were…"
Charlotte interrupted her, "So what's changed?"
"Nobody here has even tried to tell me I'm wrong, even though most of them are Everafters. They've just tried to be nice to me when I'd said stupid stuff about them…"
"And?" she prompted,
"I think maybe they're like the rest of us. There are nice Everafters and psychos like the Scarlet Hand, just like there are nice humans like you and me, and psychos like Hitler. So maybe I shouldn't trust any straight off. But maybe I should give them a fair chance," she finished.
Charlotte's smile could have out-shone the sun, "Sabrina, you're probably the bravest person I've ever met. I couldn't admit to being wrong like that. I can't even admit to being afraid," Sabrina blushed, looking down at her feet.
Suddenly, she screamed in excitement, "Take us down! Take us down!"
She had seen the broad, grey strip of the Hudson River, winding through the woods that surrounded her hometown. She could even see a grey square that might be the castle where her family were. No matter how many dangers she had to face now, the only thought in her mind was 'I'm home.'