...Are you shocked?

This chap's a bit heavy for my tastes. I tried to go with subdued drama. I'm afraid I failed, but you'll have to let me know. Lighter chapters are coming, people, I PROMISE! Both that the chapters will be lighter, AND that more chapters are coming.

Also, warning: There is some REALLY mild cussing in this chapter. Twice is for humor, one other time just because someone's mad. Like I said, really mind. Just wanted to warn you!

(My worries with this chapter: 1) It ended too abruptly. 2) I use way too many italics. 3) Oops.)

Disclaimer: I do not own The Sisters Grimm. Although I have found myself wishing I owned Puck.

©HomeschoolGirl 2013, or at least this actual post is. The characters, not so much. But anyway, please don't use this as your own. Thanks!

Moment Sixteen: Want

"You're back with him?"

Sabrina tucked her chin against her chest, a protective measure against the tangent sure to come. Henry stood before her with wide-eyed horror, beseeching.

"Do you not care that he's broken your heart countless times, Sabrina? Hm? Do you not care?"

"I do care," She murmured, reduced to infancy under his patronizing gaze. "But I—"

"I don't want to hear it! You're not dating him; you understand?"

"You can't stop me from dating him, Dad."

"Fine. But let me make this clear: He is banned. From family gatherings, picnics, weddings, birthdays, funerals, whatever. And when you two have your wedding, you can count me off the guest list."

She cradled her forehead in her palm, willing herself to calm down and breathe. Wedding? He was a partial boyfriend. That was like, ten steps below husband status.

As of now Henry was pushing each and every one of her buttons, which were many, and eventually she'd blow a fuse. She didn't want to do that. That was no way to get through to him.

Veronica lingered in the doorway, a silent witness to the whole embarrassing debacle. When Henry opened his mouth to chide Sabrina a second time, she stepped forward, her voice soft. "Henry."

"What?" He snapped.

"You've said your piece. Now leave Sabrina alone."

"Are you kidding me, Veronica? I have to talk some sense into her!"

"But you're not!" Her mother spread her arms wide, encompassing the whole of the room. "She's going to continue to see him, no matter how bad he is for her, and there's nothing you can do."

"I'm her father! I can forbid her!"

"She's a grown-ass woman, Dad," Daphne chimed in from the stairway. Basil stood beside her, looking contemplative, per usual.

"Daphne, I swear—"

"I can say whatever I want, Dad. I'm also a grown-ass woman."

"Not in my house, you can't."

"Dad, please." Sabrina cleared her throat. "Please get over your power trip and accept that it's not going to be the same as it was before. Puck and I—"

"Don't use his name like that."

"Seriously, Henry?" Veronica marched forward, eyes ablaze. "Let Sabrina say what she wants to say, and quit interrupting her! She can be with whomever she pleases, whether we like it or not!"

Henry was quiet for a moment, his breathing sharp, punctuated by stiff exhales through his nose. He glanced around the room, looking to Basil for help. The brooding teenager just shook his head and scooted closer to Daphne, who put her arm around him.

"I see how it is," Henry said, voice low. "You all want this for her, right? But please allow me to remind you of what happened the last time. The boy has no respect for Sabrina. He tosses her around like she's some disposable child's toy. Because why? Because Puck never grew up. And I have my damn mother to blame for that."

Sabrina's mouth opened, but no sound came out. Inside, though, she was raging. How can he say that about her? About Granny Relda? He loves her.

When Daphne spoke, her voice wavered. "You don't mean that, Dad. You know it."

He rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hands, taking deep, concentrated breaths. "I'm going to go, now. When I'm back, I expect you to be gone, Sabrina."

She swallowed. "Dad—"

He turned his back to her and marched out, slamming the front door behind him. Everyone flinched, even Veronica, who was usually immune to these sorts of familial confrontations.

"Sabrina," She said at long last, coming over to put her hand on her daughter's thin shoulder. "He's angry because he cares about you. And this hurts him."

"I don't see how." She was horrified to hear her voice crack. The tears were brimming. "He's not the one who's going to have to deal with it if I'm let down."

"But he does," Veronica soothed, rubbing circles on her back. "He has to because he sees the pain you go through, and it's building this...this angriness inside him."

"Then he needs to get over it."

"I agree," Veronica said with a perfunctory swallow. "But in order to, he's going to need some understanding." She glanced briefly at Daphne and Basil. "From all of us."

The dam broke. A choking sob came from Sabrina's mouth, and her mother pulled her in. As she stood there, shaking and crying and generally making a fool of herself, she felt small. Small and unworthy.

Of what, exactly, she wasn't sure.

Sabrina lay on her couch that evening, flipping through the various TV channels. Finally, she settled on a soap opera. That seemed appropriately dramatic and overstated for all the emotional turmoil she was going through.

When the door opened, she didn't bother to see who it was. There were only two people who walked in without knocking—Puck, and Daphne. She assumed it was the latter, as she hadn't heard from her sort-of boyfriend in a couple days. Not that she had informed Henry of that during their fight earlier this afternoon.

"Whoa, Grimm. You look like a truck ran you over and then you almost drowned in the atlantic ocean and had to fight off a Great White and ride a Dolphin back to shore in order to save yourself."

Not Daphne. Sabrina groaned.

"What? Not happy to see me?" Puck wandered into the kitchen and came back with a package of cookies. Holding them out, he offered one to Sabrina. She shook her head.

"I'm glad you said no," He said, plopping down on the end of the couch. "That means more for me."

"Puck."

"What?" He sprayed crumbs across the space between them.

"Nothing, I just—it's been a long day."

"Hence the Great-White-Shark-Dolphin theory."

She forced a smile. "Yeah."

Puck hesitated, then squeezed her ankle. "You really don't look so good."

She shook her head, suddenly unable to speak around the golfball-sized lump in her throat. Family was everything to her. Everything. She'd gone without her parents for years when they didn't have a choice. Now her father did, yet he was alienating her. It didn't make sense.

"Um..." Puck's voice filled the awkward silence. "You can, uh, tell me. If you want."

"It's...Dad," She said at long last, swiping at the hollows beneath her eyes. "He's giving me a tough time."

"Well, Henry usually has a stick up his butt..." He trailed off when he noticed her enraged expression. "But, yeah. This seems worse. Why?"

She sat up. "I told him about our, um, situation."

"Ah." Puck inclined his head. "And he got mad?"

"Furious. He practically disowned me."

Puck's brow furrowed. "That's a little drastic, isn't it?"

She shrugged. "Not to him."

"He doesn't like me." It wasn't a question.

"No, he doesn't."

Puck shifted uncomfortably. "The old man needs to get over the past."

Sabrina socked him in the shoulder. "He's not old."

"So that's the fight you're going to pick, Grimm? Seriously?"

Sabrina sank back against the cushy pillows. "I didn't want this."

"Did you explain we're not even really together? It's like a trial?"

She felt a pang, but disguised her emotions with a flat grin. "No. I figured that'd make him angrier."

"What? Why?"

"Because Dad wants a commitment, Puck."

He rubbed the back of his neck. "I can't do that, Grimm."

"I wasn't asking you," She snapped.

He glanced at her out of the corner of his keen green eyes. They, she feared, saw right through her. Puck had always possessed the ability to search past whatever facade she was currently building and get to the heart of her worries, fears, dreams.

"You want a commitment, don't you?" His tone was slightly accusatory, and she raised her head with indignation.

"I'm twenty-six years old, Puck. Of course I do. I'm tired of playing these baby games."

He was getting angrier by the second. "Then why are you with me?"

Because you're the only one I've ever loved. "I have no idea."

He stood up. "I don't want to fight again. So I'm leaving."

Sabrina curled over on her side, clutching at the remote like it was a lifesaver carelessly strewn in the midst of a stormy sea, her only way out. "Have a nice night, then."

He started for the door and then stopped. "...Sabrina?"

She sighed. "What?"

"I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry I can't be with you like you deser—want."

She sat up and craned her neck to stare back at him. "What were you going to say?"

He shrugged and stuck his hands in his pockets. "Nothing."

"You were going to say deserve, weren't you?

He pressed his lips together. When it became apparent he wasn't going to answer, Sabrina made a sound of disgust and flopped back down.

For a moment the only sound that filled the room was that of the soap opera.

"...Oh, Carmella. I want to be with you so! But I cannot find the strength to."

"I want you too, Dash. More than anything in the world."

"Then why aren't we together, my love? Why aren't we?"

"The word is against us, Dash; you know that. You know. But don't leave me, Dash. Don't leave me."

Puck sniffed smugly. "Five bucks they stay together."

Sabrina felt a wry smile stretch across her face. "Five bucks they don't."

They watched the half-hour episode in earnest. Puck sat back down. Sabrina put her feet in his lap.

Then, at the end: "I love you Dash. So very much."

"I love you too, Carmella."

"But Dash; this isn't right. Not us. Not now."

"My sweet Carmella! Don't say these words to me!"

"Dash, oh my love. I don't want to, but I must. I have to set you free."

They engaged in a passionate kiss that made watching slightly uncomfortable. When she glanced briefly at Puck, he was covering his eyes.

The program ended. Credits came on screen. All was silent.

"You owe me five dollars," Sabrina said, wishing for the opposite.

Puck dropped his hands. "Too bad I'm broke."

She sat up. "I want my payment."

His wings suddenly popped out and he maneuvered himself above her. In one swift motion, he had her pinned to the couch. His eyes bored into hers, searching. A smirk stretched the width of his face.

"Payment. What kind?"

"Monetary, preferably."

He lowered his body so close that the only part of them that touched were their noses. Sabrina felt sparks of electricity surge up and down her arms, all through her body.

"Just say the word, Grimm." He wiggled his eyebrows.

She was ready to retort with some witty comeback, but what came out was a weak, "No."

"No?"

"No." She suddenly felt tired. So exhausted of him, by him. "I'm tired of it, Puck. I'm not going to be the one to give myself up this time. If you want me, you do it."

"That, taken out of context, sounds completely inappropriate."

"See? You can never be serious!"

Deep frown lines were etched in his forehead. "Yes I can."

"Name one time."

"Jeez! Every time I saved your sorry butt? When I fought the Jabberwocky for you?"

"We were children Puck! We were different!"

"What's so different from now?"

"I'll tell you what!" She sat up, and he was forced to move away. "The difference is that you didn't have the capacity to hurt me like you do now!"

"You think I'm going to hurt you?"

"Past performance."

"Gesundheit?"

"Past. Performance. The way you acted in the past is an indication of how you're going to act in the future."

"But Grimm—"

"Puck! My name is Sabrina!"

"—you broke up with me. You seem to be forgetting that entirely!"

"You forced me to, Puck! You didn't want me!"

"Didn't want you? How do you figure that?"

"You've never wanted me like I want you, Puck! I've been your only choice! God, I've been your only choice since we were kids and saw ourselves in the future! Your body changed because of me. Granny Relda would have killed you if you didn't care for me on some respect. You were forced to me, Puck. And now it's come back to bite me, because every time I look at you I realize that you don't want to be here, but you have to. And I can't keep living with that."

He was quiet. He still floated in the air. His jaw was set as he stared at a spot over her shoulder.

She didn't realize she was crying until she touched her face. This was humiliating. She was supposed to be the strong one. Good ole' Sabrina Grimm, steadfast and ready with a punch whenever. But that wasn't her, not really. The real her was a scared baby. The same girl that had been left in an orphanage when her parents went missing all those years ago.

And now Puck saw. He had finally seen her for who she was.

"Past performance," He whispered.

She couldn't bring herself to look at him.

"Past performance." He repeated.

She clenched her hand in a fist.

"Past performance, Sabrina. One: I kissed you in my room. Two: I pulled pranks on you all the time. Three: I saved you whenever you needed saving. Four: I panicked when I dropped you from the lookout during the Everafter war. Five: You were the only one who could wake me up when the ate the poisonous apple. Six: I told you you looked pretty and danced with you. Seven: I kissed you on your birthday. Eight: I was jealous of that ape boyfriend of yours. Nine: I can't seem to stay away. Ten: I've cried over you, Sabrina. Me. The Trickster King. Cried. Eleven—"

Sabrina shook her head. She couldn't stand to hear anymore. "Stop."

His hands shook. "If you honestly think I don't care about you, then you're stupid. You told me to go away. You broke my heart, Sabrina Grimm."

"I didn't—"

He was gaining momentum. "You punched me and thought I was annoying when we were kids. Not the other way around. You don't like me."

"Like you? Puck, I love you."

"But you don't like me, Sabrina. Not like I like you."

"That's stupid." She stood up. "And it isn't true."

He dropped to the ground. She strode up to him.

"It's not true," She pressed.

He shrugged. "I guess I'm past caring if it is."

She grabbed the front of his shirt, clenching it in her fist. "Stop it."

"I'm not doing anything."

She shook him a little. "Just stop it. This isn't who you are."

He didn't respond.

"Puck, please. You have to understand."

No movement.

She released his shirt. "Say something to me. Joke around."

His face was downcast, his mind off in a place she was too afraid to reach.

"Puck."

He looked up. "I want more, okay? Happy?"

"What?" She wrinkled her nose. "That makes no sense."

"I'm doing it, Sabrina. All right? I'm being vulturable."

"Vulnerable, Puck."