EDIT: Sky: Re-Added scene skips.
A/N:
Sky: Sorry again for the delay! IRL is beating our butts! So quick comments. First of all THANK YOU SO MUCH for the votes on best fic! We found out we won, and that got us super excited! Also CONGRATS! To the other winners. Well deserved ^^
WHEEEE 300 reviews! Awesomeness to Lara D on giving us the 300th review!
And as for 'Anonymous'… Okay I have no problem with people pointing out typos or errors. It's nice because it helps us fix it… But try not to sound like a jerk when you do it, and if you're going to complain on our reviews and other people's reviews…
Can you at least complain correctly? As I recall the problem was that we typo'd 'titled' instead of 'tilted' and now this 'Anonymous' is advertising that we have spelling and/or grammar errors. Now, technically, that's neither. "Puck titled his head" is apparently grammatically correct, and 'titled' is actually a word. Also, what's the point of advertising it elsewhere? The messages I got were confusing. In the future, if you're going to sound rude and ask someone if it's "that hard" to use a spell check, ask yourself if it's just as hard to grab a dictionary.
Moving on from that (1 semi-bad review out of 304? I'll take it :D) THANK YOU AGAIN and YAY to the reviewers! (Also thanks to minus your plus, we decided to throw in some bathing suits for fun): curlscat, Queen Lucy of Narnia, minus your plus, Vianna, IKidnappedSpock, Schadenfreude62, Lyla Domae, Amelia, Trickster Queen464, Bluestocking inc, Tanglenight, iD Sisters Grimm iD, ladedalada, obsessedwithbooks, Zeorzia, BoOkLuvEr303, ZOMBIEfiedCrayons, silent-entrance, no one, dog9girl, LovintheGrimmLife, Ascaisil, aliceinblack, bobbie jo, Lara D, Anonymous, Horsegirl99, and Hippiegirl321995.
Ayns: zzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Sky: She means thanks too. ^^
*.*.*.*.*
No Matter What
Chapter Fourteen: The Wolf
*.*.*.*.*
There was a sound like a squeal, and then a very large splash. Tiny drops of chlorine rain showered anyone standing too close. When the girl who had made the splash finally surfaced at the pool, she was scowling in irritation towards the diving board. Of course, her boyfriend was laughing at the fact that he'd just carried her up onto a diving board and tossed her in while she was fully clothed, but she was not so amused.
"Do you need any help, Sabrina?" Kerdy asked calmly, walking to the edge of the pool and offering a hand. No one else seemed to notice or care about their group, even though it was a crowded day at the community swimming pool.
"No, I think I've got it," Sabrina snapped, her hair sticking to her face, and her t-shirt feeling like it weighed a hundred pounds.
She squeezed her bracelet, and then tugged it as hard as she could do bring Puck into the pool as well. None of them had changed into their bathing suits yet.
Perched on the edge of the diving board and doubled over laughing, Puck was unprepared for the tug on his bracelet. His eyes went comically wide as he felt himself lurching forward, one foot sliding off the edge of the board - and then it was bye-bye balance as he went tumbling down into the pool itself, plunging head-over-heels into the water.
Behind Kerdy, Daphne let out a peal of laughter, unable to resist as a moment later Puck's head broke through the surface, sputtering in protest. "Grimm!" Puck shouted angrily, glaring at Sabrina from beneath water-logged bangs.
Sabrina was already swimming for her life, coughing and laughing. They'd been going to the pool ever since school had let out, mainly because Sabrina wanted to teach Puck to swim.
The other reason was Veronica. She was already having mood swings, and having explained her pregnancy, the girls took every chance they could to escape. It had been two months since Sabrina's near-death at the hands of Klarissa and her siblings, putting them right in the middle of summer.
"You started it, butt-face!" Sabrina called, trying to pull herself and her soggy jeans out of the water.
Kerdy rolled his eyes. "Daphne, promise me when you get a boyfriend, you won't fight with him like this."
"Yeah, but you can swim!" Puck protested, interrupting. And when he began to do a rather pathetic doggie-paddle to the side of the pool, it only made Daphne laugh more.
She drew in big gulps over air, trying to calm herself so that she could answer Kerdy. "O-okay," she managed, grinning and unable to quite stop.
Sabrina sighed, discreetly squeezing her bracelet and tugging him faster to the side of the pool. He did look pretty pathetic. Kerdy smiled, trying not to snicker too loudly.
Puck reached the side and grasped it, hauling himself up. He flipped onto his back on the concrete next to the pool. "Land!" he exclaimed, gasping like a drowning man. "Land at last!"
"C'mon, Drama Queen," Sabrina said. "Go get changed into your bathing suit so I can teach you to swim. And look less pathetic."
She was blushing though, because that particular day, she'd packed a different swimsuit.
"Well, if I must." Puck rolled onto his side and pushed himself up, stretching. "C'mon, Kerdy - I'm not going into that locker room all by myself. I'm still not entirely sure why I have to use a bathing suit at all; it's perfectly natural to do without."
Daphne clapped her hands over her mouth and bit back another laugh, which erupted as a snort.
Kerdy grinned. "Yes of course sir, coming sir," he gave a full bow. "Does his Majesty require anything else?" he tousled Daphne's hair, slinging his satchel over his shoulder. He had all the towels with him.
"Maybe one of those fruit drinks with a little umbrella," Puck said immediately, giving what he thought was a royal tilt of the head.
"Kerdy, don't you dare--even to keep up with the joke," Sabrina warned.
"I won't pamper him, I promise," Kerdy said. "We're gonna go change."
Sabrina put her hand on Daphne's shoulder and led her towards the girls' locker rooms. "I can't believe mom's having a baby in five months."
Daphne nodded. "I know... part of me is really excited, but the other part makes me think that things are going to change with a new baby."
She looked over at her sister. "Will they?"
"Of course things will change," Sabrina said, rolling her eyes. "But it'll be fun. You can be a big sister like me. Don't you want more responsibility?"
That made Daphne's eyes light up, and she nodded. "Do you think Mom and Dad will let me help out with the baby?" she asked. "Give it bottles and put it to sleep and stuff?"
"Of course," Sabrina promised. "Do you want a brother or a sister?"
Daphne looked thoughtful. "Sister, maybe...but then there'd be three girls, and that wouldn't be fair to Dad. So we should have a brother so that it's a little more even."
"I think it might be fun to have a brother," Sabrina agreed, going into one of the bathroom stalls to change into her bathing suit. "Unless he's as hard to deal with as Puck."
"I think Puck's one of a kind," Daphne said. "I don't see how anyone could be like he is."
She pulled on her simple, dark blue tank suit, and then touched one of her braids. "Should I keep my hair braided?" she asked, leaving the stall she'd entered.
"Sure," Sabrina answered. "I'm keeping my hair in a ponytail." She couldn't help but sound a bit nervous as she changed out of her already wet clothes and into her suit.
Daphne caught the change in her sister's tone and looked at the closed stall door curiously. "Are you okay, Sabrina?"
"I'm fine..." Sabrina swallowed, then held her head up high and walked out of the stall. She was wearing a dark red bikini with no print or design. The top was more like a sports bra, so it wasn't like she was revealing too much, but her midriff was exposed, and it was nothing like the bathing suits or tankinis she'd worn before.
Daphne's eyes widened and she squeaked a little. "Puck hasn't seen that, has he?" she asked. "Actually...have Mom or Dad seen that?"
"Mom saw it," Sabrina admitted, cheeks heating up a bit. "But no, dad would have stapled our door shut if he'd seen it. And Puck doesn't know I bought it. It doesn't look stupid, does it?" She did a small twirl. "My butt's not completely showing or anything, is it? Ugh, I should have brought a regular suit!"
Daphne shook her head. "Nonono!" she said. "You look great, Sabrina, really!" She beamed up at her. "It looks perfect on you!"
"Really?" Sabrina grinned, trying to look reassured for Daphne. Besides, she was pretty sure she looked good, and who cared what the boys said? "Thanks Daphne. C'mon, let's go have some fun."
Daphne nodded, her eyes lighting up. Then she blushed a little. "Do I look okay, Sabrina?" The tank suit was really...plain, compared to Sabrina's bathing suit. But it was what she was comfortable in.
"Of course you look fine," Sabrina reassured her. "Why? Trying to impress someone?"
That deepened the blush in her cheeks. "N-no, of course not!" Daphne stammered. "I just, you know, want to look okay!"
Pausing before she could take another step, Sabrina turned to her little sister, eyes widening. She put her hands on her hips. "Daphne Grimm," she said. "You have a crush on Kerdy, don't you?"
Daphne's eyes went wide, and her hands flew to her mouth. She bit down on her palm hard and shook her head, trying to deny it silently.
Sabrina smirked. "Liar," she sang. "Besides, I'm pretty sure everyone's noticed it by now."
Daphne's eyes went even larger. "You don't think Kerdy has, do you?" she asked, the words tumbling from her mouth. "Oh, if he knows I'm going to be so embarrassed!"
"Actually, I think he's the only one who doesn't know," Sabrina said, shaking her head. "Don't worry though, we won't say anything to him."
Daphne ducked her head shyly, feeling relieved at the reassurance that Kerdy didn't know. She nodded. "Thanks," she said. "I don't want him to know."
"You're a little young to be interested in boys anyway," Sabrina said dryly.
"I'm not that young!" Daphne protested with a scowl. "And you weren't much older than me when you met Puck."
Sabrina rolled her eyes. "The circumstances were totally different, Daphne."
"Well, I'll be older soon," Daphne said with certainty. Then she grabbed Sabrina's hand. "Come on. Let's go show Puck your new suit."
Sabrina laughed at her little sister's enthusiasm, then followed along, looking for the boys. Kerdy was in a pair of green swim trunks, laying out the towels and any inflatable pieces they'd brought along.
Puck was casting an apprehensive look towards the water. He, like Kerdy, was also wearing a pair of green swimming trunks - the same shade of green that matched his eyes normally. They hugged his hips, fitting perfectly for someone who had probably never worn a bathing suit in his life before that summer. He didn't notice Sabrina immediately, his attention on the pool.
Sabrina hesitated, then walked up behind Puck carefully. With a gleeful revenge smirk, she suddenly shoved him in the back, wanting him to fall into the water.
"ACK!" Puck's arms flailed, and went face forward into the pool, once again finding his mouth full of water. Chlorine. Yeck!
He broke the surface, spun around, and grabbed the side of the pool. Then he glared up at her. "What the heck was that...for..." His voice trailed off, his eyes widening when he realized just what it was that Sabrina was wearing.
Sabrina was grinning proudly. "Revenge for tossing me in," she said, forgetting how she was dressed. "Now we're even."
"How is that even, you already pulled me into the pool!" Puck protested, staring at her still.
"We're even now, and that's that," she stuck her tongue out at him.
"Feh," Puck said. "Fine." His eyes remained glued to her, and Daphne was starting to have trouble keeping in the giggles.
She hurried over to Kerdy to help him with the towels and such.
"Nice suit, Sabrina," Kerdy said innocently.
Sabrina blinked, looking down at herself and blushing when she remembered what she'd put on. The thrill of catching Puck off-guard had momentarily distracted her. "Uh... Thanks."
Puck immediately narrowed his eyes at Kerdy. "Eyes off, Kerdy," he said. No one was allowed to stare at Sabrina but him.
Daphne had a sudden image of Puck as a fairy caveman. She really needed to stop laughing.
"Tell that to the boys over there," Kerdy joked, pointing to another group of regular boys from school. There weren't too many girls at the pool.
Puck glanced over and narrowed his eyes again, then pulled himself out of the water. He put his arm around Sabrina's shoulders, shooting a glare over at the regular boys.
Sabrina's cheeks flushed. Puck wasn't wearing a shirt after all--and she was pretty skimpy. This led to a lot more skin contact than usual. "S-so... Into the pool again so I can teach you to swim?"
Puck scowled a touch - he wasn't thrilled with the idea of swimming, but it was one of those things that Sabrina really wanted to do. He thought it was sort of silly since he was immortal and couldn't drown... but hey. Plus side - Sabrina in a bathing suit.
"Sure," he said, acting completely calm about all of it.
"You've got that look on your face," Sabrina accused. "You're thinking this is pointless 'cause you're immortal. Well, you're wrong, it's not pointless."
She pulled away from him and jumped into the pool.
Puck moved to slide into the pool - definitely not diving. "Okay, then, explain how it's not pointless," he said once she'd surfaced.
"I don't know how immortal you are," Sabrina said, looking away and frowning at the water. There was real concern and worry in her eyes. "And even Everafters die if they stop breathing long enough, right? Just humor me here and learn to swim... Okay?" She didn't look back at him.
Puck held on to the wall for a moment, looking at her. He could see in her eyes that it was a real fear. She felt vulnerable so much of the time that the idea of him being vulnerable worried her more than she let on.
'Jeez,' he thought, resisting the urge to affectionately shake his head at her. He rolled his eyes and made a big show of resistance. "Fine. If we must."
Sabrina rolled her eyes at his attitude--but at least he wasn't kicking and screaming to get away.
While the two 'lovebirds', as Kerdy was now referring to them, started in on the day's lessons, Kerdy glanced to Daphne. "I'm not really feeling like going into the water yet. How about you, Princess?"
Daphne shook her head. "Me, neither," she said, looking at him. Her pigtails hung down her back - her hair had been growing out some, and she wasn't really sure when she'd gotten it cut last. "So what do you want to do?"
"We could work on our awesome tans," Kerdy joked. He was pretty pale considering how often he'd actually left his house in the summer. He was somewhat of a recluse, but he never turned down an opportunity to hang out with the Grimms.
He paused, glancing over to the little vending area where a kindly old man was selling drinks, ice cream, and snacks. "Why don't you set up a place for us to sit down, and I'll get us some ice cream?"
Daphne's eyes lit up at the mention of ice cream. "Okay," she said with a nod, scurrying to finish the set up so that they could relax. "Thanks, Kerdy!"
Kerdy grinned after her, grabbing some money from his bag and leaving the bag with Daphne. He headed over to the line, wondering what kind of ice cream he'd be getting.
Daphne set up the two beach chairs that they'd brought it, placing them far enough away from the poolside so that they wouldn't get splashed, and spread towels out on them. She was humming softly to herself - behind her in the pool, she could hear Puck complaining, but she thought it was great that he was letting Sabrina teach him how to swim anyway.
While Sabrina and Puck were busy trying to drown each other, a shadow fell over Daphne, blocking out the sun and standing tall over her--like Kerdy did sometimes on accident.
Daphne figured that was exactly what it was in this case. "Kerdy, did you get the ice cream?" she asked, turning as she spoke to look at him.
Nottingham himself looked down at the little girl, a scowl on his face. "Maybe you should go home," he said. "Before someone gets hurt."
Daphne's eyes widened as she stared up at the imposing form of the Sherriff. She swallowed. "This is a public pool," she said, mentally congratulating herself on keeping her voice from shaking. "I'm allowed to be here."
"Technically," Nottingham said with a sneer. "But technically, accidents happen all the time."
He took another step towards her.
Daphne took a step back, her leg bumping one of the beach chairs. "There are a lot of people around," she said, trying to sound more confident than she felt. "I'm not here alone."
"I don't see anyone," Nottingham said, leaning over her a bit. "Just a bunch of kids, and none of them are paying attention."
He reached out and snagged one of her braids, yanking on it--hard.
"Ow!" Daphne gasped, unable to keep herself from wincing and crying out. "Let go!" It looked like the Sherriff was right - Puck and Sabrina were too focused on what they were doing, and Kerdy was still getting ice cream...and no one else seemed to be paying attention to a little girl that they didn't know.
He yanked harder, enjoying the pain in her voice, right up until a hand grabbed his wrist and squeezed hard enough to make him let go. A split-second later, he had an ice cream cone in his face, cold chocolate chip mint going right in his eyes.
At the shout of pain and displeasure, Sabrina turned from where she was trying to get Puck to stop using her as a floating device. She had one of her hands on his face to push him while his arms remained wrapped around her waist, and her eyes went wide at the sight of Kerdy putting himself between Nottingham and Daphne. "Daphne!"
"Affni?" Puck repeated, his voice muffled and his sight blocked by her hand. He pulled his head away a bit to try and get a glimpse, and his eyes widened. "What's Rottingham doing here?"
Daphne stared at Kerdy, relief shooting through her body as she realized what had happened. "Kerdy...!" she exclaimed.
Sabrina ignored Puck, letting go of him and taking off in a burst of adrenaline and speed to get out of the pool. She still had other people and a lot of water to go through, though, so it took some time to get near the edge.
"Leave her alone," Kerdy said, taking more of a stand against someone bigger than himself than he ever had. "She didn't do anything to you."
Nottingham's scowl turned into a smirk, and then he suddenly jerked his arm up, making Kerdy stumble closer. As soon as Kerdy was within reasonable range, Nottingham smacked him with the back of his fist, sending him tumbling backwards and sideways towards the pool.
Kerdy gave a sharp cry as he slipped on the ground near the edge, falling right onto Sabrina as she tried to get out. The two of them fell into the water with a big splash. As this was happening, Nottingham wiped ice cream from his face and grabbed Daphne by the front of her swimsuit.
Kerdy's name died on Daphne's lips as she was unexpectedly grabbed by her swimsuit - she'd been looking over at Kerdy and hadn't realized Nottingham was reaching for her. She hadn't been able to avoid him.
She smacked at his arm. "Let me go!" she protested, fear and worry visible in her eyes. In the water, Puck was trying to get the side, and Sabrina and Kerdy, but he wasn't having much luck. Floating was one thing—moving in water was another.
Nottingham lifted Daphne by the front of her suit, tearing it a little. "Who's going to make me?"
Sabrina had just managed to get her head above water and one arm out of the pool, and she shouted while coughing, trying to make Nottingham let go of her sister. Kerdy surfaced a second later, coughing and choking.
A hand seized Nottingham's shirt, near the collar, yanking the material tight enough that the front dug into his skin. "I am," came the deep, growling voice of Mr. Canis - sounding more animal and feral than ever. His eyes burned with the color of the Wolf, his muscles were bulging, and there was a hint of fang in his mouth.
Mr. Canis gripped Nottingham's arm tightly. "Put her down, Nottingham," he growled.
Daphne's eyes widened, staring at Mr. Canis in surprise.
Eyes going wide, Nottingham dropped Daphne carelessly, immediately reaching for some kind of weapon. He didn't happen to have one on him for once, and there wasn't much nearby he could use.
People who had only looked over and assumed it was a little girl acting up for her father were now getting worried.
Sabrina hauled herself out of the pool, wincing from a sharp pain that rocked her entire body. She didn't notice a red stain at her hairline, soaking into her bangs from a gash on her forehead. When Kerdy had landed on her, her head had gone forward and smashed into the wall of the pool pretty badly. She just didn't happen to notice, because Daphne was in trouble.
"Daphne!" Sabrina called, rushing over and wrapping her arms around the younger girl, backing them away from Mr. Canis and Nottingham. Kerdy was out of the pool in the next moment, about to rush over to them as well--only to pause and offer Puck a hand out.
Puck didn't bother to object or refuse help - he just grabbed Kerdy and let him help him out of the pool. The moment Puck's feet touched solid ground, he ran over to the girls and stood in front of them.
Mr. Canis spun Nottingham so that he was facing him, and leaned in close. "Don't you ever come near the girls again," he snarled, eyes blazing. "Understand me, Nottingham?"
"Or what?" Nottingham challenged. "You can't stop me, wolf. You've been leashed."
Sabrina glowered at Nottingham, holding Daphne tightly.
Mr. Canis snarled again, leaning in close. "Do you really want to try me?" he asked, fangs glinting. When he gripped Nottingham's shoulder, sharp claws dug into his skin.
Nottingham leaned in close. "You can't watch them every second of the day," he threatened, not showing any signs of the pain racing through his body.
The growl that came out began deep in Mr. Canis' throat. It was almost inaudible at the start, but the volume rose swiftly until there could be no mistaking what it was.
The hair on his arms grew coarse and dark, thickening and growing until it wasn't hair at all, but fur. Fur that spread along his body like a wave, as his claws grew sharp enough to draw blood, and his eyes seemed less human. He grew in height, towering over Nottingham.
He seized Nottingham tightly, picked him up as though he weighed nothing, and threw him forward, not caring how hard, where he landed, or what he landed on. The threat to his family, so blatantly and boldly thrown in his face, had been the last straw.
"Mr. Canis!" Sabrina cried in alarm, jerking Daphne backwards. Others were screaming now, retreating and running from the pool.
Nottingham hit the side of the diving board and went into the water, falling face-first and not moving.
"Get back!" Kerdy cried, ushering Sabrina and Daphne farther away.
"Why?" Daphne asked, trying to resist as she looked at Sabrina and Kerdy. Puck was keeping himself between them and Mr. Canis, his back to them as he stared at the man-turned-Wolf. "It's Mr. Canis - he wouldn't hurt us!"
"Do what Kerdy says!" Puck snapped over his shoulder, his eyes never leaving Mr. Canis - or rather, the Wolf.
The Wolf turned at the sounds of the screams, eyes gleaming - so many people were running, and the prospect of a chase was wonderful.
Then his eyes focused on the two girls nearest to where he was - girls that he recognized. He grinned, sharp teeth gleaming in the sunlight. Deciding not to bother trying to convince Daphne anymore, Sabrina grabbed her by one arm and took off running to the bathroom stalls they'd used to change. Kerdy tried to help Puck act as a buffer between Mr. Canis and the girls, eyes going to Nottingham briefly in worry.
Not about to be thwarted from his prey by two mere boys, the Wolf charged forward, snarling and lunging.
He went straight for Puck - if the boys weren't going to get out of his way, then he would move them himself. Puck braced himself, reaching for...air. He didn't have his flute, nor did he have his sword - he hadn't brought either with him, because there was no place to put them in a pair of bathing shorts.
But he still didn't try to move - he had to slow the Wolf down somehow!
"PUCK!" Sabrina looked behind her, and she panicked.
Letting go of Daphne, and ever thankful that she had run at an angle, she squeezed her bracelet and gave a tug so hard that it yanked Puck backwards and off of his feet.
He fell towards the ground, well out of the Wolf's way.
This left a clear path right to the girls--something Sabrina hadn't thought of. And Kerdy didn't have enough time to put himself between them.
Puck hit the ground with a wince, landing on his arm. He pushed himself up, realizing what had just happened. "Idiot!" he shouted, more out of panic than anger - because now there was nothing stopping the Wolf.
With nothing in his way, the Wolf rushed for Sabrina and Daphne. Daphne's eyes widened, shocked at the sheer speed. There was no time to react as the Wolf slammed into Sabrina, pinning her down to the ground and snarling in her face. His claws clutched her shoulders, the weight of his body pressing her down onto the concrete of the ground. Sabrina felt the air being forcibly knocked from her lungs, her head smacking into the ground with a painful crack. Stunned and unable to do much other than hope that Daphne was getting a head start running away, she stared up into the eyes of a murderer.
Her own blue eyes were very round and wide from fear, blood welling up at the cuts on her shoulders from his claws. She couldn't even find the air to scream. And this encounter was more terrifying than her encounter with the Jabberwocky, or falling out of the sky in New York. The Jabberwocky had been easy to distract; the wolf wanted to kill its prey. Any prey.
"SABRINA!" Kerdy cried, rushing towards them.
Puck pushed himself to his feet, running towards them from where he'd landed. He felt like he couldn't breathe, let alone yell Sabrina's name.
Daphne didn't move - she couldn't. Her eyes were wide, and her body was frozen. She couldn't take her eyes off of the sight in front of her, which she was trying to tell herself wasn't real. "Mr. Canis?" she asked in a tiny voice.
The Wolf pulled his head back and opened his mouth, his eyes on Sabrina's throat.
Then he froze. His eyes widened slowly - and then he yanked back, releasing Sabrina and staggering backwards.
The change in him was visible - the fur vanished, as did his claws and fangs, and he was suddenly and swiftly nothing more than an old man again. He knelt down on the ground, his eyes wide, and sweat on his skin from the exertion of taking control of his body.
Drawing in a sharp breath, Sabrina pushed herself into a sitting position, blood trickling down her arms and onto her new bathing suit in the front and back. Her eyes were still very large, and she was shaking. She didn't know what had brought Mr. Canis back, but she didn't trust that he'd be able to do that every time.
Kerdy grasped Daphne's shoulders since she was standing, and Puck would probably want to tend to Sabrina. His eyes never left Mr. Canis, though. Daphne was shaking a little, and she looked at Kerdy for a moment. Then she looked back at Mr. Canis, staring at him the way the older boy was.
Puck rushed to Sabrina and knelt down, wrapping his arms around her protectively and steadying her as she sat up. "Idiot," he whispered. "Are you okay?"
The old man was still kneeling on the ground, and it was clear that he was shaking as well. He had his eyes closed in concentration - he was forcing the Wolf back as deep as it could go.
"I think so," Sabrina whispered, not commenting on the insult. Besides, the insults were a show of worry and affection. Usually.
Then she winced as the pain shot through her like a sudden electrical charge. It consumed all of her senses for several moments. "My shoulders... My head..."
She closed her eyes tightly, while Kerdy continued to hold Daphne back. He didn't want to take his chances with any of them going near Mr. Canis. He was dimly aware of others shouting near the pool; they'd fished Nottingham out, but he wasn't breathing. All in all, the transformation of Mr. Canis into the Wolf and back hadn't taken very long, even though like most tense moments, it felt like longer.
"We need to get you out of here," Puck said. "You need to be looked at." He didn't give Mr. Canis a second glance - his concern was Sabrina and making sure she wasn't going to pass out.
"Kerdy?" Daphne whispered. "Kerdy, what do we do?" She looked at him. She wanted to go help Mr. Canis...but Kerdy wasn't letting her go.
"Just give him space, Princess," Kerdy said soothingly.
"Does anybody know CPR?" a woman cried near the pool. "He's not breathing!"
Kerdy looked over, cursing in his head. "I'll be right back, I need to help that guy. Stay away from Mr. Canis for now, please, Daphne."
"Don't bother," Sabrina said, voice shaking. "We're better off without him alive."
Kerdy looked at her incredulously, then ignored her and rushed over to help Nottingham.
Mr. Canis slowly, finally looked up, looking at Sabrina, Daphne, and Puck. He was pale - the shock of what had almost happened had hit him full on. "Sabrina," he said. "Are you..." He didn't ask 'okay' - he could see the blood.
Sabrina quickly looked away, wincing at the half-question. It just reminded her that her head still throbbed and her shoulders still stung.
"I'm fine," she said, voice a bit snappy.
Clutching onto Puck, she forced herself to stand. The world immediately swam in front of her eyes, and she swayed.
"Whoa!" Puck tightened his hold on her, steadying her. "Easy - you're about to pass out from the look of it!"
Daphne swallowed hard. "Sabrina?" She looked at her sister, biting her lip.
"I'm gonna be sick," Sabrina whispered, putting her hand over her mouth dizzily. Before she could be sick, however, she ended up blacking out, losing consciousness in Puck's arms.
Around the same time, Nottingham came to, resuscitated with Kerdy's help.
Puck held Sabrina close, clenching his jaw. Why was it always Sabrina?
"Get her out of here," Mr. Canis said quietly. There was no way that this could be covered up - and he knew it. "And Daphne, too. Get away from here."
"Mr. Canis...!" Daphne looked at him.
Mr. Canis didn't look at her, but Puck did. "Come on, Marshmallow," he said. "We better go."
*.*.*.*.*
Elvis padded into the living room, sniffing his way along the ground curiously. He wasn't at all happy to discover the Sabrina and Daphne had left the house without him, especially because they'd taken some food with them and hadn't shared any. That just wasn't fair. There need to be some sort of Dog Law against it.
But at least Relda was still there. As long as Relda was there, Elvis could be satisfied. He spotted her sitting in her chair, and pranced over to her. He shoved his head up under her hand.
Relda smiled indulgently at her beloved dog, scratching him behind the ears. "Looking for the children, Elvis?" she asked. "I imagine they'll be back soon, they can't be spending all day at the pool and it'll be time for dinner soon."
Elvis wagged his tail, looking pleased at the response.
Then his ears perked up. He could hear sounds outside the front door, and one of them sounded like Daphne's voice!
But when the door opened and Elvis caught the scent of blood, he knew it wasn't a happy thing that they were all back.
Relda was out of the chair in a flash. "What happened?" she asked, her eyes widened as she took in the scene before her.
Daphne was shaking, and Sabrina was unconscious and bleeding – and her first thought was 'what could have happened during a trip to the pool?'
"Puck, put Sabrina on the couch. Kerdy dear, run to the bathroom and get the first aid kit," Relda said, pushing back her thoughts and focusing on Sabrina's condition first.
Puck placed Sabrina on the couch gently, his gaze going to the injury on her head. He didn't like the looks of it at all.
It was Daphne who explained what had happened, though she spoke in a hurried rush. "We were at the pool," she said, "and the Sheriff of Nottingham showed up and he tried to threaten me, and he grabbed me, and then Kerdy helped me but he got knocked into the pool and fell on Sabrina and I think she hit her head then, and then Mr. Canis showed up and he got the Sheriff to let me go but the Sheriff kept taunting him and then Mr. Canis turned into the Wolf!"
Relda, using the first aid supplies that Kerdy had returned with, paused in tending to Sabrina's wounds to stare at Daphne.
Puck took up the explanation. "He was crazed," he said bluntly. "He threw Nottingham into the pool, and then he came after us. Sabrina hit her head in the pool, but the other injuries - they were all from the old man."
"Mr. Canis didn't mean to hurt her!" Daphne said, clasping her hands in front of her. She hadn't wanted to leave Mr. Canis at the pool - but they'd ended up doing so. Puck had spent the trip back to the house focused on Sabrina, and Kerdy had been mostly silent, save for the moments when he'd been reassuring Daphne.
Relda gently pressed a piece of gauze against Sabrina's forehead, where the worst (or at least the one bleeding the most) of the wounds seemed to be. "Where is Mr. Canis now?" she asked softly.
"We left him at the pool," Puck said. "He told us to go."
It was at that moment that the phone rang. "Liebling, keep pressing this against Sabrina's forehead," Relda said, and Daphne hurried over to do so, tears of worry in her eyes. Elvis sat down next to her, whimpering softly and pawing at her leg to try and comfort her.
Relda went to the phone, half-expecting who would be on the other line.
And unfortunately, she was right.
"Relda Grimm? This is Officer Boarman."
Relda took a deep breath. "Hello, Officer Boarman, yes," she said. "What is it?"
"I'm calling to inform you that we've taken Mr. Canis into custody - he's down here at the station now." Boarman spoke stiffly, but his tone wasn't unfeeling; he hated to be giving Relda this information. He and Swineheart had had to flip a coin to see who would have to do it, in fact. "He's being held without bail. Mayor's orders."
Relda closed her eyes. "Thank you for letting me know, Officer," she said quietly. "May we come to see him?"
"Well, there's no law against you coming down - but I don't know if you'll actually get to see him or not," Boarman replied. "He's being treated as dangerous."
After hearing what had happened, somehow Relda was not surprised. Yet she still wished that this wasn't happening. "Thank you. I'll be right down." 'Hang in there, my friend,' she thought, as she hung up the phone.
It was around that moment that Sabrina stirred, sounding like she might still be sick. Her eyes fluttered open, hands moving to try and shove at anything touching her. "Nng..."
Kerdy glanced over, stiffening a bit. He immediately looked to the door, focusing on anything other than Sabrina, even though he was trying to help.
Daphne pulled her hand back. "Sabrina?" she asked anxiously. This was the first time that she had stirred since she'd passed out.
Puck was gone and back in a flash with a trashcan. Just in case.
Relda walked over to the couch. "Don't move too much, liebling," she said gently. "You're still hurt."
"Gonna barf," Sabrina groaned, turning on her side and groping for the trashcan. She'd barely gotten it to her face before she got sick, groaning louder.
Daphne reached out and pulled her hair back for her, while Puck held the trashcan. He didn't look the slightest bit grossed out.
Relda glanced over at Kerdy - noticing that he wasn't looking at Sabrina at all. And she had a feeling something else had happened at the pool that neither Puck nor Daphne had said.
Sabrina closed her eyes when she finished, grateful that Puck hadn't made a joke. "Thanks," she whispered. It was cute how Daphne had held her hair back, even though it was in a ponytail, and still wet.
"Do you have a flashlight?" Kerdy asked Relda, digging through the things he'd carried back from the pool until he found his shirt.
Relda looked at Kerdy in surprise, and then nodded. "Yes," she said.
She walked over to a cabinet against the wall and opened it, removing a long, slim flashlight. She handed it over to Kerdy.
Daphne turned to look at Kerdy in confusion. "A flashlight?" she asked.
"She hit her head twice, pretty hard, Princess," Kerdy said, going to Sabrina and tilting her head. "Sabrina, look into the light for me, okay?"
Sabrina blinked in bewildered confusion, but did as he asked. She had a hard time seeing, eyes filling with reflexive tears as she tried to keep them open.
After a moment, Kerdy clicked the light off. "She has a concussion. You shouldn't let her go to sleep. Anyway, I'm going home."
"A concussion?" Puck repeated. He'd had no idea what that was, or that they should have been looking for it.
"A head injury - Kerdy is right, we mustn't let her go to sleep," Relda said softly to Puck.
"You're going already?" Daphne asked Kerdy, biting her lip. She'd hoped Kerdy would stay around - but he'd been so quiet…
Kerdy hesitated at the sound of Daphne's voice, and turned to her. He put a hand on her head. "You've got a big heart, Daphne," he said. "I'm proud of you for that. Don't let yourself turn out like your sister's being right now, okay? I'll see you later."
Stunned, Sabrina sat up fully, and another wave of sickness hit her. She had to lay back down or risk throwing up again.
Daphne's eyes widened as she stared up at Kerdy. She'd missed the exchange concerning Nottingham - it hadn't registered to her what Sabrina had said. Now that she wasn't being distracted by Mr. Canis and the wolf, she could think about it and remember Sabrina's words.
Puck frowned at Kerdy, his hand resting on Sabrina to keep her from moving too swiftly.
Relda looked at Kerdy inquiringly. "Kerdy...?" What had he meant by that?
Kerdy looked at Relda, expression wary and unreadable. "I don't mean any offense. It's just... Sabrina, you really didn't care if Nottingham just... Died today?" he turned to the damp blonde girl as he asked the question.
"He's a jerk," Sabrina groaned. "He deserved it."
"It's not your choice to say who deserves to live or die," Kerdy snapped. "And if he'd died today, Mr. Canis would have been responsible. Did you ever stop to think about how he felt?"
"He's killed before," Sabrina muttered. "He'd bounce back."
"I think talking about it at all was a mistake. I'm even more disgusted," Kerdy said coldly, turning and heading to the door with his bag. He left before anyone could respond to him.
Puck scowled slightly, looking away from Kerdy and back to making sure Sabrina didn't pass out. He didn't want to think about the conversation that had just happened. He pushed it from his mind, knowing full well that shoving it in the corner and dealing with it later wasn't the best approach. Instead, he reminded himself that Sabrina wasn't a hateful person. 'It's not like she's the one who tried to kill him,' he thought, justifying her actions. She just… Hadn't helped, or wanted the man to be helped.
Daphne bit her lip. Even though Nottingham had threatened her, had tried to hurt her - she didn't want him dead, either. Especially not if it would get Mr. Canis in trouble.
She looked at Relda. "Granny?" she asked softly. "What's happened to Mr. Canis?"
Relda touched Daphne's shoulder. "He's been arrested," she said softly. "They're holding him, without bail, at the station."
Sabrina didn't say anything, just lying there on the couch. She thought it was a good idea for Mr. Canis to be locked up. He'd lost control.
"Can we go to see him?" Daphne asked, unaware of her sister's thoughts.
"I'll go down first, and try to find out what's going to happen next," Relda said, stroking her hair. "You should wait for your parents to come home, liebling, and stay with your sister and Puck."
Daphne looked disappointed, but she nodded. She didn't want to get in the way. "Okay."
Sabrina glanced away from her sister. Leave it to Daphne to be disappointed at not being able to visit a dangerous man.
She closed her eyes for a moment, recalling the conversation she'd had recently with Mirror. He had been feeling lonely, so she'd visited him a little more often. He seemed exceptionally sad with the fact that Veronica was due to give birth to another Grimm.
"Isn't it a good thing?" Sabrina asked, tilting her head to the side. "I mean, you like Daphne. Imagine the new one'll be pretty cute, yeah?"
Mirror sighed, turning away for a moment while Sabrina sat cross-legged on the floor in front of him. He was seated in a chair. "It just reminds me that time passes outside of this realm, and I'm being left behind, Starfish."
Sabrina grimaced. "But we'll bring the baby to visit you."
He smiled, but it was strained. "If only my previous… owners… had been as kind as you."
"Well, I'll make sure everyone's nice to you," Sabrina promised. "From now on, kay?"
"Thank you. Now, tell me what's been bothering you. You've been distracted for over a week."
Sabrina fidgeted. "I'm worried about Mr. Canis. I told him I was pretty sure he had control, and he pretty much promised he was fine. But sometimes, I think things are setting him off. Especially if it involves Daphne."
"She does bring out the protective instincts in us all, doesn't she?" Mirror smiled again, before turning away.
"HEY, GRIMM, WAKE UP!" Puck's voice boomed near her ear - he'd seen her close her eyes and although he still didn't have a clue why she couldn't sleep, he'd decided not to ask questions. Besides, waking her up was fun.
"HOLY CRAP!" Sabrina sat up sharply, startled out of her flashback. The motion immediately made her sick, and she lurched for the nearest trash bin to throw up.
Puck held the trash can right up to her, looking pleased with himself. "Awesome, I can wake you up," he said, clueless that she hadn't been asleep.
Once she was done dry-heaving, she scowled up at him. "I wasn't asleep," she hissed. "Jeez."
Puck blinked, and then said defensively, "Well, you had your eyes closed, how I was supposed to know you weren't sleeping?"
She sighed in exasperation. "Fine," she sighed. "You're right. Sorry. Just don't shout in my ear, please?" Sabrina looked at him with large, slightly teary eyes. She wasn't crying, but the gagging had given her the reflex.
Puck's eyes widened. Oh, hell. Tears. Not the tears. He was starting to think that she was catching on to his weakness. Which would be tears.
Damn it!
"All right, not in the ear," he agreed. "I'll have to come up with another effective method then." He grinned at her.
"You don't even know why sleeping with a concussion is a bad thing," Sabrina muttered, managing a bit of a smile. She knew full well that Puck couldn't resist the sight of her crying. Since it was rare, she only pulled that one out on serious occasions or drastic times. Speaking of drastic… She looked over at Daphne, wondering how her sister was doing.
Daphne was sitting on the floor, petting Elvis - Relda had gone already to see Mr. Canis at the station.
Daphne paused - to which Elvis protested loudly - and looked at Sabrina. She'd noticed her sister was watching her. "If you weren't sleeping, what were you doing?" she asked, proving that she'd been paying attention.
"Just thinking," Sabrina promised. "I'm not tired." Then she paused and looked over at Daphne. "Daphne, about what Kerdy said..."
Daphne bit her lip, looking down at Elvis. "Yeah?" she asked. She'd been trying not to think too hard about what Kerdy had said.
"I'm not cold, you know," Sabrina said. "You know that, right? I mean... Nottingham was trying to hurt you."
"I know he was," Daphne said softly. "But... I don't think I would have wanted him to die. I think I would have rather have him behind bars."
Sabrina glanced away. Then she rubbed her temples. Her head was really hurting, and she didn't want to get into a debate. After all, the other thing on her mind was going to cause enough trouble, most likely. Still, she knew it had to be said. "I think we should get the weapon now, Daphne."
Daphne's eyes widened slightly, shock in her expression and her voice. "What?" she asked, staring at her sister.
Puck looked confused - this was the first he'd heard of such a thing. He didn't like not knowing things! "What weapon?" he asked.
"The weapon Hamstead gave us the key to--back when you got your wings ripped off," Sabrina said to Puck, while looking to Daphne. "I think it's time we used it."
*.*.*.*.*
A/N:
Sky: Wooo time to sleep. Sorry if there are any typos—remember if you see 'em, you can message us or review to let us know and we'll fix it. Just don't be rude, it's so uncalled for. Ayns and I aren't perfect, and we do miss things from time to time.
Ayns: zzzZZZZzzzzZZzzzzZZZZZzzz
Sky: Anyway, hope you liked it ^^ Brand spankin' new, and so much more to come! Thanks for the support via reviews and messages, we love to hear from you guys ^^ Also, if you're looking for a good read, go check out Schadenfreude62's stories. They're not getting nearly enough recognition like most of the good stories I like. /Cheer Mirror Mirror!