EDIT: Sky: Re-Added scene skips.
A/N:
Sky: First of all, grats to one of our reviewers—someone correctly guessed just about everything in the plot, and messaged us rather than say it in a review and possibly ruin it for others. You know who you are :D I hope you like seeing it play out.
Also FFnet isn't broken anymore! Yay! And as my final note…
One of these days, Ayns and I are gonna kill each other. That's all I have to say XD
Ayns: This is very true. But hopefully we'll wait until we're done with all of the joint works that we're planning to write and get published (and all of the fanfiction) too...
Oh wait. That'll probably be what's going to kill us!
Ahem. But we're still alive at this moment, and we haven't strangled each other yet, so let me go ahead and give you No Matter What, Chapter Twenty-One! Please enjoy this latest addition!
*.*.*.*.*
No Matter What
Chapter Twenty-One: Doubt
*.*.*.*.*
Puck had started to tighten his arms around Sabrina at her protest, but the sudden appearance of the sword made him gasp and lose his hold on her, feeling his body instantly weaken.
"Papa!" Red's voice was terrified now.
Mr. Canis jumped to his feet, snarling at Will. "You will do no such thing!" he growled angrily, eyes flashing angrily. He put himself between Will and Red, fury lancing through him.
Will narrowed his eyes at Mr. Canis. "I said it before, old man. I'll go through you if I have to."
Sabrina grasped Puck, then helped him sit fully in his chair, standing up. "Put that thing away!" she snapped. "And... I'm not sure, okay? Don't just behead now and ask questions later!"
"I won't take chances!" Will snarled at her.
"Well we can't either!" Sabrina insisted. "I think it's Red, but I don't know, so don't kill her, jeez!"
A sword touched Will's neck, the sharp side barely touching his throat.
"Poorly named descendant or not, I will kill you if you threaten my citizens," William said calmly. "Now put that thing away."
Will growled, narrowing his eyes at William. "The Heartless will track your family down, you know. You, your wife, your daughter—all of my ancestors are dead, and all of them were murdered."
"Be that as it may, I learned the hard way that I can't simply take down every possible danger to protect my family without proof. We must proceed with caution. Understood, boy?" William asked, meeting Will's challenging gaze. They were very alike, but it was clear which one had more patience. There was no comparison; William was simply stronger.
Snow looked at William with such an expression of admiration that it would have made even the hardest hearted person blush. There were times when she simply found herself falling in love with him all over again - this was one of them. Even with all the danger the future held, his words and actions put her at ease and made her feel like everything would be alright. Relda stood up and put her hands on Red's shoulders, as Elvis nuzzled one of Red's hands to try and comfort her.
"William is right," Henry said with a nod. "We cannot simply let you go around killing anyone that you may suspect of being the Heartless." He looked at Will with a frown on his face while Red gripped the back of the shirt Mr. Canis was wearing. Her hands were trembling, and it only strengthened Mr. Canis' resolve to keep her safe.
Daphne looked up a bit from Kerdy's chest, and her eyes widened when she saw Puck, since Will seemed to be detained for the moment from hurting anyone. "The sword," she said. "We have to get Puck away from it." Puck looked like he was going to be sick.
"That's it," Sabrina snapped, losing the little patience she had and stalking around the table. She grabbed the sword from Will as if she were taking a dangerous object away from a fussy child. He didn't stop her, still being held in place by William.
Sabrina headed to the nearest window, then tossed the sword as far as she could. It wasn't much—the damn thing was heavy—but it was far enough.
"Hey!" Will started to move forward. William's sword cut into his neck a little, making him stiffen again.
"There has to be a way to find out more before you act. And then, when we know who this Heartless person is, we will dispose of them if need be," William ordered, putting his sword away.
"It's not me..." Red's voice was tiny as she let go of the shirt and backed into Relda, one hand curling against Elvis and then clutching his collar for comfort. "I promise, I don't want to hurt anyone! That's not me anymore!"
Relda hugged Red. "We know, liebling," she said gently to the younger girl. "It will be all right." She simply couldn't believe that it was Red - Red was such a part of their family now, she wouldn't hurt anyone, especially not one of them.
A few moments later, the color returned to Puck's cheeks, and he looked at Sabrina. "Thanks," he said, not bothering to hide the grateful look on his face. He could show gratitude for that easily - he didn't like being poisoned.
Sabrina nodded to Puck, taking a deep breath. "Let's look at the facts we know. Will said he's like a hundred and fifty years past us, but the Heartless came into power sometime in this generation."
Will nodded, making Sabrina reach over to hold her wounded shoulder while she paced. She was thankful the cut wasn't deep, just bloody. "The Heartless killed who?"
"Most of the Everafters--from what I know, she started with the Scarlet Hand," Will answered. "And then she started killing the Grimms, and anyone who crossed her path. She didn't discriminate—anything living seemed to annoy or offend her, just for living. The Scarlet Hand just happened to be the first."
"And that's when you say Puck jumped ship?" Sabrina asked. "When the Heartless started killing Grimms?"
"Yes--to spare himself. The Heartless had so much power by then… He cowered in her presence, and then began following her orders. He killed Sabri--well, you, to prove his loyalty, and then helped the Heartless absorb the Blue Fairy. That was when the barrier exploded and some people were given a head start."
Puck shook his head in denial, just staring at Will. It was wrong. It was all wrong.
"Okay by the time the barrier blew up, how many Grimms were alive?" Sabrina asked, changing the subject just a bit. Off of Puck, and off of her supposed death at his hands.
"Just three, I think," Will frowned. "If I recall, Henry, Daphne, and Cory Grimm."
Sabrina paced more. Daphne swallowed hard, but looked at her sister. Sabrina was really good at figuring this sort of stuff out - Daphne was so upset at seeing Kerdy's necklace that she couldn't think logically at the moment.
Henry looked at Sabrina, as did Puck. "How long did they survive?" Henry asked. He couldn't think of the names as himself and the children he knew now - he had to think of them as separate people for the moment or he wouldn't be able to do this.
Will frowned thoughtfully. "Not long. Well, Daphne outlived Henr--you and Cory," he corrected, since Henry was the one who asked. "Daphne's talent with magic and auras kept her and a small group hidden for a while."
Kerdy kept his chair scooted as close to Daphne as possible. He kept an arm around her tightly, but he couldn't be relieved at the words. After all, Will had said that Daphne and her family were eventually tracked down and killed. Daphne leaned against Kerdy, grateful that he was there, her eyes going to him, then back to Sabrina.
Sabrina paused in her pacing, then looked over. "Charming and Snow lived though, right?"
"Yes, I think so--because their son hadn't been born by the time the Heartless destroyed the barrier," Will said, sitting back down.
"Where did everyone who escaped go?" Snow asked, looking at Will. "Did they scatter?" Knowing that she and William lived long enough to have a child didn't necessarily make her happy - not after hearing so many people would die.
"Scattered," Will answered quietly. "But the Heartless' wave of destruction wiped out most of the world's population. She had over a hundred years to just move from place to place, killing with her little pet," he shot a nasty glance at Puck. "My wife and I evaded her for over ten years with our daughter before she found us."
Puck narrowed his eyes at the word 'pet'. He was not.
Daphne looked at Will, and she bit her lip. "Your wife and daughter..." She didn't ask what happened to them. She had a bad feeling that she already knew.
Will looked to Daphne, his aura turning a sad, painful shade that was almost blue. "She killed them in front of me. My daughter saved my life, and I swore I would change the future for them."
"What does the Heartless look like?" Sabrina asked, suppressing a shudder.
"She has long black hair and blood red eyes," Will shuddered. "She's not sane, that's for sure. She speaks in broken phrases or riddles. Some say she was tortured into madness before her rise to power."
Sabrina couldn't help but shudder that time, looking to Puck. For all her talk, it was worrying her. She didn't know who it could be if it wasn't Red, and she didn't like that in Will's future, somehow Puck was the enemy. She didn't have to see auras to know that Will's life had been tragic, and his words were the truth. He had grown up in hell. And Puck…
She'd told him she hadn't wanted him to end his life after she'd died, but now she wasn't sure. She didn't want him to move on and find someone else, or join a crazy killer to avoid his own death.
Puck looked back at Sabrina, and then rose from his chair, walking over to her. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to his chest, right there in front of everyone. To hell with embarrassment. Sabrina closed her eyes and leaned against Puck, trying to hide how freaked out she was. At that moment, Veronica came back into the room, only to pause and watch her daughter with Puck.
He closed his eyes. He didn't want to believe that he could do all of these things...and he didn't want to think that he was such a coward that he'd do something so horrible just to save his own skin.
He didn't want Sabrina to die.
"But you have no idea how long we have until the Heartless comes into power?" Kerdy asked softly, tearing his eyes away from his two friends.
"No," Will shook his head. "I couldn't find the exact day, or anything."
"And there's nothing on how it happens?" Henry asked. He looked over at Veronica, a silent question of whether or not Cory was okay in his eyes. Daphne looked at Veronica tearfully. A younger Daphne would have pulled away to hug her, but instead she now stayed near Kerdy.
Veronica gave a slight nod to Henry, walking over to Daphne despite the 'I'm mature now' signals she was getting. She was still small enough to be picked up, which is exactly what Veronica did. Daphne blushed, but once she was picked up, she turned into a spider monkey and wrapped herself around her mother.
"Nothing really," Will said quietly. "Except that Red Riding Hood was the key."
Red had been silent, but she spoke up again, shaking her head. "Not me," she whispered.
"Simply because she's the key doesn't mean she's the one," Mr. Canis said in a grave tone. He turned towards Red, and placed his hand on her shoulder. "There's too little information - we need to get it some other way."
"What else have your dreams been about, Sabrina Grimm?" Will asked.
Sabrina shivered in Puck's arms, not sure she liked the way Will addressed her. "I don't think it's important," she mumbled.
"It was important enough that you almost had Will attacking Red," William said irritably. "Out with it."
Kerdy stood, looking over at Sabrina in concern.
Puck felt Sabrina shivering, and tightened his arms around her. "I'm right here," he said quietly, offering her whatever support that he could give her.
"It's all right, Sabrina," Snow said gently. "If it's hard to say, just take it slow."
Henry and Relda both looked at Sabrina in concern - today was the first they'd heard of her having dreams like this.
Sabrina closed her eyes tightly, then opened them. "I just have weird dreams involving my addiction to magic, okay? It's usually just me by myself, running from... Well, whatever. I don't know. Red's always been in my dreams, usually standing over me and looking sad. This time, when I ran away, I found my way outside and everyone was dead. Everyone had a hole in their chest. Puck... He had his..." her voice came out strangled. "His lips were sewn shut and his eyes were gone," she said in a rushed breath. "And Red was there, she was the only one unharmed, and she kept saying she didn't mean for it to happen!"
Kerdy went pale at her words, shivering. Had -anyone- known? He looked around, but William's expression was impassive, Will looked pensive, and Veronica had pursed her lips. He glanced to the others.
"Sabrina...!" Daphne looked at her sister tearfully. How scared she must have been, having a nightmare like that and seeing...Daphne didn't even want to think about it.
Snow had closed her eyes, and Relda paled a touch. Her eyes were wide as she looked at her granddaughter. "Oh liebling," she whispered, feeling tears prick her eyes. Sabrina had been having dreams like this, and she hadn't known?
Neither had Henry or Mr. Canis, and both of them looked grim. If Puck wasn't already holding Sabrina, Henry would have been right over there doing so. He clenched his fist as the thought of his daughter having to go through something like that.
Sabrina bit her lip, glancing up at Puck again, touching his cheek before he could voice his opinion on the description. He looked stunned, and she really couldn't blame him. She hadn't told him about the most recent one, after all. She'd kissed him until he'd dropped her onto the trampoline.
She had to remind herself his face was the way she liked it, or she'd start freaking out again. And her shoulder was throbbing--her painkillers were wearing off.
"The other dream, the one you had more often? What else?" Will asked quietly.
Puck felt the softness of her palm against his cheek and was suddenly reminded of the nightmare she'd had earlier - god, had it really been that same day? It felt like weeks had gone by. He kept one arm around her waist and covered her hand with his. Ignoring the fact that Will had asked her another question, he wanted her attention focused on her.
"See?" he murmured to her. "It's me, perfectly normal and utterly gorgeous." He gave her an encouraging grin. "Just the way you like me."
He didn't want her freaking out - it was the last thing he wanted.
Sabrina's laugh was sharp and more relieved than amused. Without removing her hand, she buried her face in his shoulder. "Right--and you're still an asshole casserole."
Then she turned her head to look at Will, not moving from the spot. "The other dream? What more do you want to know?"
"The exact details. You had it more than once, right?"
Sabrina sighed. "Lots. For over a year now."
"The same dream?" Henry asked in concern. "Easy time?" Why would Sabrina be having a reoccurring dream?
What Will had said couldn't be true, could it? That Sabrina had prophetic dreams?
"Do you want to sit down?" Puck asked quietly before she could continue her answer - he was concerned that she might be pushing herself. She was hurt, after all. And she wasn't known for admitting her limits.
"Maybe," Sabrina admitted, shivering. "Okay."
She let Puck lead her to a chair, but instead of sitting next to him, she somehow ended up in his lap. She didn't care if anyone saw--she snuggled there. "I don't remember when I started having the dream. It was before Mr. Canis went on trial... I remember because when I saw Red in my dream, I didn't know it was her. I'd only ever seen her looking like a psycho at that point."
"How long was it before you knew that it was Red?" Henry asked in concern. He didn't protest Sabrina sitting in Puck's lap - she needed it, and this was far more serious than that. Daphne bit her lip, remembering how Sabrina had had such a hard time with Red. Was the dream because of that?
"Well, when I woke up from a fever and she was suddenly living with us, I recognized her," Sabrina scowled. "It shocked the crap out of me."
"But what was the dream about?" Will interrupted before Veronica or Henry could ask their concerned questions.
Sabrina sighed, looking at the table. "I'm by myself in a room made of stone, wearing a white dress. I'm covered in blood and there's a creepy voice telling me something about another taste. Anyway everything hurts a lot and I look at my reflection and I'm the one talking, and I have a wand..." She shook her head. "I think that's about it."
Puck brushed his lips against her cheek - he remembered when he'd heard about that dream, it had seriously freaked her out.
"How often do you have this dream?" Relda asked softly. "It is regular? Or random?"
"Random," Sabrina muttered, cheeks burning at all the attention on her.
"Sabrina?" Red whispered.
The (physically) older girl looked up. "Yeah, Red?"
"I didn't ever want to hurt anyone," Red said, voice shaking. "I don't know why I scare you, but I promise I won't do anything to hurt you or your family."
Sabrina sighed. "I know, Red. I'm sorry, but I just can't think of anyone who might be the Heartless other than you right now... It's just my dreams, that's all. We'll work on proving that it's not you, and find out who it is, okay?"
Red gave a small nod, sniffling in relief.
Veronica glanced to Snow. She didn't like the particular 'white dress covered in blood' aspect of the dream. White dresses usually depicted virgins, and the blood... Snow looked at Veronica as well, meeting her eyes. Her own were filled with anxiety and concern - the symbolism had not been lost on her.
And just as concerning was Sabrina's depiction of hearing the voice, and then discovering that it was her own reflection speaking the words. The phrasing was also alarming - one more taste? Of what? One thing Snow was certain of was that these were not normal dreams.
"It's all about your magic addiction, isn't it?" Kerdy asked quietly.
"That was my guess," Sabrina muttered. "I said that. What makes you think so, though?"
"Daphne mentioned you don't use the magic items much in training--you stopped around the time Red moved in. In your dream, are you wearing the bracelet I made you?" Kerdy asked.
Sabrina looked startled. Then she looked to her wrist. "Once or twice... But mostly, no."
"So it's probably just a regular craving dream," Will sighed. "The white dress could symbolize growing up, the blood could symbolize losing your virginity... The voice is like your conscience, and you don't know it's you until you're forced to look at your own reflection. It might not help us at all."
"I guess," Sabrina said softly, cheeks burning at the mention of her virginity. She was really glad the conversation was serious and not focused completely on that detail—that way no one would dwell on it.
"So there might not be anything bad about it?" Puck asked, a touch of hopefulness in his tone. As creepy as the dream was, if it didn't really mean anything dangerous, then it was a little better. Right? 'It better not mean anything dangerous...' Especially if she wasn't wearing her bracelet, because that would just suck.
He also tried really hard not to think about the whole 'virginity' thing.
"Hopefully not," Veronica said softly.
Will shook his head. "The recent dream. You said everyone was missing their heart?"
"I guess," Sabrina looked uncomfortable. "I..." She looked at Puck, then back at Will. "I thought I said something out loud, so I went to ask Puck if I did-" she quickly looked to her parents. "I mean I fell asleep in the tree house, it's not like we were doing anything wrong."
"Go on," Veronica said, carrying Daphne to Henry as Kerdy sat back down.
"When I turned him to look at me... His eyes were gone and his lips were stitched shut. I freaked out and somehow ended up back in the stone-room. When I found my way out, I was just... In a wasteland. There were mutilated bodies everywhere. I thought I was alone, but a hand came down on my shoulder. I turned and saw my reflection again."
Sabrina paused, chewing her lip before she continued. "My reflection had blood coming from her eyes and a huge hole in her chest. She smiled at me--then I saw all the other bodies. Everyone I loved except for Puck had a big gaping hole in their chest. Puck... Came up behind me. His reflection wasn't hurt, but... He still was, ya know? He said he loved me, and then he was gone. I tripped, and when I looked up, Red was there, unharmed. She said she didn't mean for anything to happen. I asked why she didn't stop it and she said she couldn't. That's when I woke up."
Puck closed his eyes, biting back a growl. Why was Sabrina being put through this? Why?
Red cringed. Relda stroked Red's shoulders comfortingly, and Elvis licked her hand with a soft whimper. His tail thudded against the nearest chair. Daphne reached for Henry, climbing from her mother to her father, and Henry took her. He looked pained. "Is this the first time you've had that dream?" he asked. He wanted her to say yes. He didn't want her to have had to suffer such a dream more than once.
"Yeah... Today was the first time," Sabrina said quietly.
Will frowned. "It sounds like you're sensitive to the Heartless's approach. But that doesn't help us. Although the dream does imply that Puck will betray you."
"It does not," Sabrina snapped, cheeks flushing. "He's not going to. Your information is wrong."
Will rolled his eyes. "Feelings change, kid. Nothing lasts forever."
"That's not true!" Daphne burst out in protest before Puck could do anything more than glare at Will. "Sabrina and Puck have been through a lot and they're still together. They'll always be together!" She shook her head. "Whatever Puck does in the future, I won't believe that he stops loving Sabrina!" She pressed her face into Henry's shoulder. "I won't!"
"Even if he loved her, a hundred or so years after her death, it won't change what he did," Will said. "Can you deny that even if you love someone, sometimes you make choices that will hurt them?"
His eyes flickered to Snow.
Sabrina suddenly sat up straight. "What about Goldilocks?"
"Goldilocks?" William echoed, blinking.
Henry looked at Sabrina, unable to hide the startled expression on his face. "What about Goldilocks?" he asked in confusion, not sure why she'd suddenly brought up his former girlfriend. Snow, who had looked a little guilty when Will had glanced at her, now looked confused as well.
"Does anyone even know where she is?" Sabrina asked. "She came back to Ferryport Landing to wake up dad, and then vanished again. What if she's lonely, and something goes weird and she ends up being the Heartless?"
Will shook his head. "No."
"No?" Puck asked Will. "You've been saying all along you don't know who the Heartless is, what makes you so sure this time?"
"Goldilocks is dead," Will said. "Leave it at that."
Sabrina shrugged. "Okay... Guess not."
Henry flinched a little at Will's words. Though he no longer cared for her that way...he didn't want Goldilocks to die, either.
"It wasn't bad logic, though," Relda said. "Perhaps we could think of some others that it might be."
"I know all of the Everafters in Ferryport Landing," Snow said, sounding distressed. "I just can't think of who it might be."
"The Snow Queen or one of her daughters?" Sabrina suggested.
"All dead," Will said simply.
"Maybe we can eliminate them a little more easily," Puck said with a scowl. "Who isn't dead in your future?"
"Everyone who knew the Heartless before her rise to power is dead," Will snapped. "But when it comes to certain ones, I know if they died or not. And the ones you mentioned are dead."
"But you don't know if Red died?" Sabrina asked.
"No--I don't know if or when she did."
Relda and Mr. Canis looked at each other. Neither wanted to believe that it was Red - they didn't want to think that she would do such a thing. But they knew so little about the Heartless - what if whoever it was had had no control over what she'd become?
"I don't like this," Daphne said softly. She glanced over at Kerdy, as if to make sure he was still there. "I don't like this at all."
Kerdy's expression was anxious. "I won't let anything happen to you, Daphne. I promise, okay?"
"Moth?" Sabrina offered. "Mustardseed wrote us last week. He's been keeping us up to date with all the balls Queen Titania's been throwing in New Faerie. Moth's still alive in faerie prison."
"No," Will shook his head. "The Heartless isn't weakened by Iron."
"But if she's as powerful as you say, she might be able to just... stop her weaknesses," Veronica murmured. "However, I highly doubt Moth would be able to do anything dangerous from prison. Not without help--and Titania despises her."
"That's for sure," Puck mentioned. "Not to mention, important fact - I would never in a million years do anything to support Moth at all. So if I did do what he says I did it can't be her, and if it is her then it wasn't me." He was absolutely and completely firm in that statement. He despised Moth.
"Except that if you really did betray them to spare your own life, you may have joined your enemy," William pointed out. "So while it is a slim chance, she is still an option."
Puck's silent glare was louder than any curse word, but William didn't seem to care.
"I can't think of any other Everafters," Sabrina said after a minute, sighing. "This is giving me a headache."
"We probably won't figure it out overnight. But... Someone should keep an eye on Red Riding Hood," William admitted, glancing to the girl.
Red bit her lip and refused to look up.
"I will," Mr. Canis said, looking at Red. His primary concern was to make sure that nothing happened to her - specifically that Will didn't do anything to her.
"So what are we doing about him?" Puck asked, glaring at Will. "I don't want that sword of his anywhere near me."
"Since it'll take some time to figure this out, he'll need to stay somewhere," Snow said practically.
"Not with us," Veronica and William both said at the same time. Then they scowled at each other.
"I don't want him around my daughter," William growled.
"Well he can't be around my family, and he IS your family," Veronica said simply. "So he stays here."
Will scowled, glaring over at Red, who knelt under her chair and hugged Elvis tightly. Elvis wagged his tail and licked her face, trying to comfort her.
Snow went to William's side and took his hand. "I'm sure he won't hurt Cassia," she said, looking at him. "It'll be all right."
William sighed. "Fine. He can stay here, but only unarmed."
"Until I find out who the Heartless is," Will said coldly, standing.
"For now, I want to take the kids home," Veronica said softly.
"Of course," Relda said with a nod.
Henry nodded in agreement. "Good idea," he said. He looked at Kerdy. "Kerdy, do you need a ride home?"
Daphne bit her lip. She didn't want Kerdy to go...but it wasn't like he lived with them or anything. She was still freaked out, but trying not to let it show. She hugged her father tighter.
"Sir, would you mind if I came over for a little while?" Kerdy asked softly. "Maybe I can help you guys think on who it could be."
"I don't mind," Veronica answered, looking to Henry for his decision.
Henry nodded. "You're welcome in our house, Kerdy," he said, and he felt Daphne clutch him tighter in silent thanks. Whether Henry liked it or not, Kerdy had a calming effect on Daphne the way Puck did on Sabrina.
"Thank you, sir," Kerdy said respectfully. He hesitated, then reached for the diary Will had let Henry read. "I'll carry this."
Henry nodded to him, and then looked at Sabrina and Puck. "Ready to go?" he asked.
"I am," Puck said, his eyes on Sabrina. Things felt far too tense in that room.
"Yeah," Sabrina said, getting up and rubbing her shoulder. "My stitches itch."
"We should take a look at them when we get back to the house, just to make sure nothing's wrong with them," Relda said in concern.
Mr. Canis held his hand out to Red. "Let's go, Red," he said quietly.
Red didn't look up, reaching up to grasp Mr. Canis' shirt and hand, not wanting to be left behind.
Mr. Canis squeezed Red's hand reassuringly, leading her towards the door to go out into the car.
"Why don't you go get Jake, Briar, and Cory?" Henry suggested to Veronica, "and I'll go out to the car with the girls?"
"Alright," Veronica kissed him softly, then headed to the playroom to retrieve her son.
*.*.*.*.*
An hour later, Jake was tapping his fingers on the table in the Grimm house, frowning. "And that's all the information he had?"
"Yes," Veronica said, burping Cory in her arms. "Understandably, Puck and Sabrina are freaked out."
"Is there any possibility that he could still be lying?" Briar asked, looking anxious. She sat beside Jake, and looked at Veronica and Henry.
Only most of the adults were in the room at the moment - Mr. Canis was making sure Red was doing okay, and Daphne and Puck were off in the house with Kerdy and Sabrina. Henry, Veronica, and Relda were filling Jake and Briar in.
"I think at this point we've all concluded that he isn't," Henry said with a shake of his head. He reached over and stroked Cory's hair. "Unfortunately."
Cory burped, then wiggled his entire body and tried to get Henry's hand closer to his face to bite it. With love. Really.
"I don't think he has all of his facts correct," Veronica murmured. "But I don't doubt that most of what he said is true."
"This is terrible," Briar whispered, reaching for Jake's hand. Instead of take it, Jake pulled Briar completely into his arms and stroked her hair, nuzzling her.
"We'll find a way to stop it," he told her gently. "I won't let anything happen to you."
Veronica watched them with a smile, shifting Cory before he chomped one of Henry's fingers off.
*.*.*.*.*
He stood at the bay window of the guest room, troubled eyes scanning the generous view. He didn't enjoy it, of course. He didn't enjoy anything anymore. His only purpose left in life was to make sure the horrors didn't repeat themselves, no matter the cost.
It wasn't like Will had always gone around threatening little girls. He knew that he'd reached a point of no returning.
He didn't care.
His hand went into his tunic, and he pulled out a sketched drawing of a happy family. The mother and father were smiling tenderly down at a little girl. It would have been a pleasant memory for Will, if the picture hadn't been stained by faded reddish brown marks. His daughter's blood.
"I don't care who the Heartless is in this time," Will whispered, clenching his other fist. "I will find her and make her pay for the crimes she would one day commit.
He replaced the picture and headed to the door, making sure it was locked. For now, he had to wait.
Down the hall, William Charming was gripping the phone tight enough that his knuckles had turned white. He stood alone in his study while Snow tended to the baby, his posture rigid while he listened to Swineheart's words.
"No, that is all. Thank you."
He hung up and narrowed his eyes, glancing off into the distance while he tried to figure out his thoughts. Too many events happening at once. It didn't bode well.
'So you've finally left the castle, have you, Bluebeard? And just where the hell do you think you're going?'
*.*.*.*.*
"I promise, I'm just gonna lie down," Sabrina said for what had to be the hundredth time. "I'm okay, Puck."
He frowned in worry over her, but nodded and backed off. "You sure, Grimm?"
"I'm sure," Sabrina told him, giving him a quick kiss. Then she was ushering him from the room, closing the door behind him and sighing softly. There was too much on her mind. She needed to sort her feelings.
She could practically see him on the other side of the door, looking at the paint with uncertainty on his features. She figured he was worried, and would either camp outside the door, or harass an adult to find out more about the situation. Either way, Sabrina had to tear herself away from the closed door. She had things to do, and she couldn't simply hide in her fairyboy's arms.
Pushing her hair back, she headed over to the bed and sat down, propping herself up against the pillows. With her good hand, she reached under the bottom pillow to pull out a large leather-bound journal. It was dark blue with images of dragons coiling around swords and jewels, unicorns gathered in a field near a fairy spring. It had been a present from Henry for her thirteenth birthday.
Sabrina opened to the first page, looking at her own writing. It was her Grimm diary. The book she recorded her adventures in. Like all other Grimms, she seemed to use it half to keep track of fairytales and events, and half to vent her feelings about those events. She liked to write in pencil, since half the time she made errors from writing too fast or wrote things she wanted to take back, but Relda had insisted she record it all in pen. For that reason, she only wrote when she really needed something recorded, and rarely re-read it.
'I wonder what future generations of Grimms will think about me when they read this,' she thought, touching the yellow-brown pages. It had been made to look aged. 'Will they see why I did what I did, or will they think I'm just a spoiled kid who acts too rashly?'
Pushing back her thoughts, she found a blank page and began writing, slowly and carefully tracing out each letter so she wouldn't have to stop until she'd gotten it all out.
*.*.*.*.*
As you know by now, my entries are never dated. If you want to find out when this happened, go find Daphne's journal. We probably wrote about the same thing, and she cares when things happen. I don't.
Today, a stranger to this time showed up in my kitchen and threatened us all with an iron sword. He said his name was Will Charming, and he was from 150 years in the future. Apparently we all die, and Puck betrays my family.
I'm not sure how I feel about this. I love Puck (shut up, if whoever is reading this starts laughing, I will find a way to get you back) and he loves me, but what if there is something that could make him change sides?
I'm getting ahead of myself. Anyway, Will said that some Everafter called 'The Heartless' basically rules the world with her consort/pet, the 'Villain King Puck'. I have to hand it to him, that sounds like a name Puck would give himself.
According to Will, my generation is the era the Heartless came into power. She snapped or went crazy and killed the Scarlet Hand members (good riddance, I say) before moving on to everyone else. Mainly, my family and the people trapped in Ferryport Landing. From what Will said (and I don't think he has all his facts straight, but who can blame him if anyone who knew the Heartless died like a hundred years before he was born? I'm guessing a hundred years, anyway. Man he's technically old. Then again, so is Puck. Shut up again.) Puck was part of a plan to help destroy the Heartless, but she got the drop on him and spared him if he'd join her and well… Be evil. More about that later, I'd rather get to the point.
I don't want to write about my dream. Go watch a horror movie, use your imagination, then multiply that times like 5 billion. Then you'll know how I feel.
I'm trying to figure out who the Heartless could be. The most logical answer is Red Riding Hood, but… I don't want it to be her, even if everyone thinks I do. True, it'd be the easy option, but I do like Red. She's sweet, and she doesn't want to be evil. If it IS Red, then it's not her control… Which really makes about no difference for the end result.
Ok I'm gonna make a list to try and figure this out. Possible suspects, and why they can or can't be it.
Red Riding Hood-
1. She's been known to be creepy as hell.
2. She has mental problems that she has to use meditation to control.
3. She shows up in my dreams, which have all sucked.
4. Will doesn't know if she died or not.
5. Everyone underestimates her.
Moth-
1. SHE IS CRAZY.
2. She wants to rule the world. I think. 3
3. She wants to marry Puck, and she'd definitely spare him if she had the power to control him.
4. Will's only reason why it probably wasn't her was that she wasn't weak to iron.
Note to the reader: Fae/faerie types are all weak to iron. It's like poison to them. That's why Will has an iron sword. To fight… Puck.
5. Having Puck kill me seems like something she'd really enjoy.
Oh yeah. That's another thing Will said. Puck apparently killed me right after joining the Heartless. Either cause he wanted to, or cause she told him to. Nice,huh?
Goldilocks-
1. She's lonely and in love with my dad still.
2. I haven't seen her since she woke my dad up.
3. She's severely OCD. What if she snapped one day and decided the world was too big or too small and she needed to kill everyone to make it 'just right'? (Low blow, I know.)
4. Will said he knew she died, and I don't know why she'd spare Puck.
5. Maybe looks change, but she's totally blonde and the Heartless had black hair. I know faerie-peoples can change appearances sometimes, but unless she carries hair dye in her bag of doom, the description doesn't match.
Snow White-
1. I know I KNOW. But I had to write down all possible ideas. Anyway, she has black hair and is an Everafter.
2. She kicks ass?
3. Nevermind.
Klarissa-
1. Will said she was dead, and I know she has no magic, but I don't trust her.
2. Description doesn't match, but she's psycho.
3. I want it to be her.
4. Just because she doesn't have magic doesn't mean she can't get it.
5. She wants me dead too, and making Puck do it seems like her brand of 'insane bitch'.
Morgan Le Fay-
1. Not sure I spelled her name right. She's pretty and kinda matches the description.
2. She's powerful as hell.
3. Have you seen her son? I'd snap and punish the world too.
4. Sparing a guy seems like something she'd do.
5. Since I don't know if Puck was ordered to kill me, it could just be that she wanted the Grimms dead before she found an alternate way of bringing down the barrier.
Any One of 'The Three'?
1. 'nuff said. They're powerful and work for William Charming (they even worked for him when he was an ass.)
(And yes I know Morgan is one of the three, I just figured it could be one of the other two after I wrote her list.)
Titania-
1. Powerful
2. Lonely with Oberon gone. Apparently, Mustardseed said she's been throwing all kinds of grand balls and trying to get him interested in other faerie girls. She's been at it for like a year now, but Mustardseed isn't having luck with the girls. They all ditch, or something. Seems like she's bored and might go on a killing spree?
3. She'd spare Puck.
4. I don't think she's too fond of me.
5. Mustardseed said she's been visiting Moth in faerie jail, and each time she's done, she looks more pissed. Maybe the crazy is rubbing off?
Sigh. Yes, I wrote 'sigh', and sighed out loud. Got a problem? Too bad, this is a book you're reading. Anyway, I can't think of anyone else right now. There are so many Everafters… It could be any of them. And my shoulder really hurts. I stopped Will from slicing my boyfriend in half, and now I'm wounded again.
I know I'd take a bullet (or iron sword in this case) for Puck, but sometimes I wonder if he'd do the same for me. He's still really playful. I mean, I know I love him, but Will's right… Feelings and people change. What if this isn't going to last forever? What if Puck really does turn on us, and he kills me? I don't want to believe it. I really don't. But… What if?
I find it hard to believe that a more mature version of the show-off fairy who got his wings ripped off trying to save me years ago would cave to a psycho girl who wanted to rule the world (See: Moth-the entry of extreme frustration. It's like a hundred pages back) but… I can't honestly say I know.
What if something could make him change sides? What if 'No Matter What' is a promise I honor and he doesn't? Is that why my dream had Puck saying it to me? With his lips stitched shut in the reflection and no eyes? Because it was a lie, or because he didn't mean it?
Maybe I should go talk to Mirror after I take a nap. Mirror always knows what to say to cheer me up. And I know I can trust him.
*.*.*.*.*
Sabrina closed the journal, shivering. Her eyelids were drooping and she couldn't write anymore. Her hand felt stiff and achy. She hated how Will had made her doubt the one thing she thought she could always depend on.
Her eyes flickered to her bracelet, and she fingered the soft cord with a frown. She just wanted to find out who the Heartless was and take care of it.
"No matter what," she murmured to herself, yawning. She needed to get rid of the doubt. Without thinking, she curled up against the pillows, letting her hand rest on her closed and un-latched journal. She fell asleep like that, looking less than peaceful.
*.*.*.*.*
Puck eased open the bedroom door an hour later. He'd stopped hearing sounds from inside the room, and although privacy was something he tried to give Sabrina, he thought that maybe just one peek wouldn't hurt anything. Just one.
His eyes fell on the figure on the bed, and he stood there for a moment with a soft look on his face. Yes, soft. No one else was around, he didn't have to act like Mister Tough Fairy.
He much preferred a peaceful look on her face when she slept, as opposed to the not-so-peaceful one that she wore now. He could see it even from where he stood. Puck walked over to the bed and reached his hand out towards Sabrina's cheek, touching it gently.
His hand paused, hesitating, when he noticed the journal lying just under her hand. He recognized it instantly for what it was, but unlike the other times he'd seen it, it was unlatched, as though she'd been writing in it before she'd fallen asleep.
Puck sat down on the edge of the bed and carefully eased the journal out from under Sabrina's hand, being careful not to jar her and wake her from her sleep. If she caught him reading her journal without permission she'd have his head. Not that a little thing like that would stop him, of course, but he'd rather just let her sleep.
The journal fell open to the most recent entry – he only knew it by the fact that every page following it was blank, thanks to her tendency not to date anything. His hand moved to her hair, running his fingers lightly through it as his eyes focused on the words and began to read. It was the sort of thing he'd expected – of course she'd want to write about what had happened that day. An uneasy feeling knotted in his stomach as he read over the first words about her uncertainty on his changing sides. It wasn't much, and she went right back into her thinking on the Heartless afterwards, but it left him worried.
Still, he read on, looking over her list and feeling a little better. After all, listing Snow White as a possible Heartless? Maybe the slight note about 'what ifs' was just her paranoia coming out? He continued reading, glancing back at Sabrina briefly with a soft look. He didn't like it when she worried so much.
He looked back to the page, seeing the end of the entry coming up.
Suddenly his hand stilled as he stared at the words at the end of the passage, a wave of shock going through him. She'd been his biggest supporter during the conversation (confrontation? argument?) with Will. He knew he could count on her belief in him in the end.
Or at least he thought he could. But her words were very clear, on the page, in her own handwriting. He'd expected her dreams to worry her, but to think he hadn't meant his promise? Promises were very serious to faeries. It felt like a slap in the face, seeing it so plainly written out in front of him.
She doubted him. She really thought that someday, he might turn his back on her to save his own skin. That he'd choose power over her. It was different from the one little worry, the small one she'd listed at the beginning. The entire last part of the entry implied she didn't trust him at all. She could trust Mirror, but not him, when he'd been through so much with her?
He drew his hand back from her hair, his body suddenly feeling cold, and stood up. With his jaw clenched and his mouth drawn in a tight line, he snapped the journal shut and put it back down onto the bed. The look in his eyes as he regarded her was full of hurt and betrayal.
Without a word, he turned and left the room abruptly. He shut the door bitterly, his heart fractured and the sting of tears blinding his eyes.
*.*.*.*.*
A/N:
Sky: Sorry to all the reviewers who had FF eat their review, or reviewed and we couldn't reply :X The site went haywire. Also sorry this is a bit of a shorter chapter.
THANK YOU TO ALL THE REVIEWERS SINCE CHAPTER 20 WENT UP!: SeekDreamsAndFindHope, Schadenfreude62, Mystestar, Lyla Domae, DragonFly, gothicgal000 (Don't get grounded more!) curlscat, ILoveGeorgeCooper, msjezzi-bella, obsessedwithbooks, Trickster Queen464, Hypocritically Her, Viva-Musica, Zeorzia, Blue-Eyed-Lily, SweeneyToddLover26, chemicalsilver, ACertainPeanutButterSandwich, Tanglenight, ZOMBIEfiedCrayons(EEE! Welcome back!), blueberry (x3!), DeDe, Ascaisil, flying-dreaming-dancing (I used dashes so FF doesn't eat your name like a web URL XD) silent-entrance, and Katy ^^
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