EDIT: Sky: Re-Added scene skips.
A/N:
Sky: …
DON'T KILL US!
Okay right after we posted the last chapter, and I had put in the A/N about us not taking so long anymore… Ayns went out of town lol. I had forgotten she was going to a concert, and then I had internet problems again, and we pretty much haven't had a single chance to write the story until now. I'm so sorry you guys XD I'm not making any more promises, because I bet if I do, my house would blow up and we'd end up missing our deadline.
Few things to address: Most replies to reviews will be at the bottom, but to the person who asked us not to bold or italic Sabrina's diary entries… Sorry, not happening XD We never put A/Ns in the middle of the story, if it helps, but a diary entry that is told from first person POV will always be in bold, and flashbacks/thoughts will always be in italics. That's just how we roll.
Aaaand we're closing in on the ending here, so please bear with us if it takes us a bit on the chapters ; ; Holidays have us busy and work really sucks.
HAPPY CHRISTMAS/HOLIDAY OF CHOICE! We got this up in time for Christmas ^^ Phew!
EDIT: I AM SO FREAKING MAD AT THE DOCUMENT MANAGER. It DID mess up one of Sabrina's journal entry paragraphs. When it said "and Puck found laughed aloud as Puck" blah blah, it took out "Puck found me" and then inserted part of the story dialogue, which said "Sabrina laughed aloud as Puck" etc. I fixed it now, thank you Viva and Curlscat for noticing it. I hate when the document manager does that, because I had to go back to the original file to find out how the chronological order was supposed to go. GRRRRRRRRR.
Ahem. Anyway. Happy New Years too.
*.*.*.*.*
No Matter What
Chapter Thirty-Seven: A Christmas Surprise
*.*.*.*.*
"Just stay put for a few minutes while I write then, yeesh," Sabrina rolled her eyes, then smiled at the pout on Puck's face. "It won't kill you to stop kissing me for two minutes." He had practically kissed her non-stop on the walk up to her temporary room, and it had caused them to trip twice. They'd been in England for almost a full day while Peter took care of their tickets to go home, and there wasn't much to do while Tiger was napping other than pretend to do a flying lesson and end up kissing on the ground or in the air.
"How do you know it won't? It-"
"Puck," Sabrina interrupted, giving him a pointed look.
"Fine, fine. If I must," Puck sighed, making a show of his displeasure and exhaling loudly while sitting down on the bed and sulking.
She grinned and sat down beside the bed, putting her journal on the desk so she could write a quick entry before her fairy-boy lost his last shred of patience and yanked her off the chair and back into his arms.
*.*.*.*.*
Dear Journal. Or Diary. Or whatever this is supposed to be.
I'm not sure why I'm writing about this, but well, Puck had my journal with him. I could write all the mushy reasons I think he carried it around, but he'll probably read over my shoulder and get indignant. And now's not a good time to be lengthy anyway. I just want to get my thoughts out before I get home and overwhelmed again. Oh, and not to mention, he seemed really happy that he found me before Christmas. Not sure why, but it's still sweet, and I don't need to make him grumpy when he's in such a good mood. Moving on!
So, since the last time I wrote, I've gotten amnesia twice and saved Ferryport Landing from the Master. Mirror. Yeah. Long story and I don't wanna talk about it. These past few months, I've been hanging out in England apparently, partially intangible. I was being housed by Peter Pan, now Darling, and his family. Peter may or may not have known exactly who I was, but he had a good point about my needing to be found by Puck.
And boy did Puck find me. Yeah, I still don't know how to fly. Every time we tried to give me a lesson, we just ended up making out a lot. Not that I'm complaining. At all. Heh.
So Puck and I are going to be heading back to New York soon. You don't even want to know how long we'll be on a plane. I don't even want to know anymore. But I guess it makes sense since we're in friggin England. I should kill Peter for not telling me that, but then Tiger would be sad.
Anyway. As far as I know, I'm a full-fledged Everafter now. Crazy, huh? Puck at least taught me how to keep my wings inside without getting uncomfortable, and how to let them back out. You'd think it'd be easy, but it actually takes a lot of concentration the first few dozen times.
I know I'm supposed to write and chronicle my adventures and all that, but what do I really need to write about? How surreal everything feels? How it almost feels like the same me who once had the capabilities to become the Heartless was an entirely different person? Or what about the me that used to distrust everyone immediately, and needed Puck by my side when I lost my senses?
It feels like those things happened over ten years ago, even though it was all within the last four or so years. Sometimes I think I was meant to be an Everafter. I feel like time has been standing still for me, even while I'm aging. Now though, it really is standing still. I'm a fairy like Puck.
See, Future Puck split his magic with me back before I got my first dose of amnesia, but no one knew until… well, until I got amnesia. Apparently Titania figured it out, but since I had amnesia, no one could really tell me.
And the minute my amnesia wore off? Well, I confronted Mirror because I realized I'd been wearing blinders before. Once I confronted him, he forced me to absorb a crapload (and yes Granny, I am aware that is not a valid measurement!) of magic that nearly destroyed Ferryport Landing. Kerdy sacrificed himself by drinking a lesser crapload of magical potions to stop me from absorbing it and getting power on a Heartless-esque scale. With me in control of the magic, I managed to channel it for good uses, including bringing Kerdy back to life.
Apparently, he kept the angel wings he got when he was sacrificing himself. Poetic? Fanservice for my sister? Who knows.
So from there, I guess my conditions to the Book of Everafter required I spend three months in a non-tangible coma, and then wake up with amnesia and only one wing. I have no idea honestly why I was intangible, or why my other wing only came back when Puck put my ring back on my finger. I'll let someone else figure it out. As far as I'm concerned, it doesn't matter. I have all my memories, the Scarlet Hand is over with, the Ferryport Landing barrier's been tweaked to my liking, and Puck found me.
We're probably not sleeping before the flight. After I play with Celeste a bit, we're probably going to kiss some more. Now that I remember them, I realized how badly I missed his kisses.
Whoops. He's looking at me with that 'you're about to be kissed' look. I sure hope I don't end up staying awake so long that I fall asleep for most of the plane r-
*.*.*.*.*
Sabrina laughed aloud as Puck's patience finally wore thin, and her sentence trailed off into a scribble. The pen clattered to the floor and rolled under the desk while she situated herself in his lap and kissed him, the pages of the journal flipping themselves to distribute the weight properly.
"Dork," she murmured between kisses. Then she refused to give him a chance to speak up in retaliation, kissing him just as enthusiastically. There was a very good chance she would not be getting any sleep before the flight.
*.*.*.*.*
Sabrina shifted and opened her eyes groggily, feeling like she'd been sleeping for far longer than she had. When she felt her entire body get jostled, she yelped and clutched onto the nearest person, who happened to be Puck. An embarrassed look crossed her features as half the plane turned to look at her. The yelp had been damn near deafening on the flight, since many people had been trying to sleep. True enough, she and Puck had been so distracted, she'd felt like a zombie when it came time to get on the plane. She'd only been asleep for a few hours.
"Oh, uh..." she looked to Puck, begging him to have an excuse for her.
Puck looked at her and grinned, then looked at the people who were staring at them. "Sorry about that," he said. "She's easily surprised. You should see her on a roller coaster."
A few of them mumbled, then just turned to ignore her again.
Sabrina ducked her head. "I forgot we were on a plane," she whispered, reaching under the seat to find her carry-on bag, where she'd tucked her diary before getting on.
Puck put his hand on her leg and gave it a slight squeeze. "You were pretty out of it not long after takeoff," he said.
Sabrina's cheeks colored again, and she scooted as close as the seats would allow. "I'm just glad to be going home."
Puck nodded. "You're probably going to get tackled by your sister as soon as we get there," he said. "Knowing her, she's vibrating with excitement."
"Did anyone actually call home and tell them?" Sabrina asked, blinking suddenly. She knew she hadn't. And she knew Puck hadn't. Had Peter...?
Puck paused, and then laughed. "No clue," he said. "Depends on if Peter or Wendy decided to. It didn't occur to me."
Sabrina groaned. "Just perfect."
"Well, all that means is that we really get to surprise them," Puck said. He flashed her a grin. "That's not such a bad thing."
She rolled her eyes, then reached for the little pack at his side, opening it to check on Celeste. Smuggling her in had been hell--thankfully, she had been sedated.
Celeste raised her head and gave Sabrina a sleepy-eyed look. Clearly she was still under the effects of the sedation, as her ears flicked back and forth. But she still recognized Sabrina and gave her a soft whicker.
Sabrina smiled, reaching in to pet her, before shutting the case gently and leaning her head on Puck's shoulder. "So you'll teach me to fly when we get home?" she murmured, keeping her voice soft.
Puck nodded. "Yeah," he murmured. "We'll find a nice, private area, and we'll work through it. Don't worry, I bet you'll catch on in no time."
She smiled again, then closed her eyes. "I'm really glad you found me, Puck."
"So am I," Puck said, his tone utterly serious. "I mean, I'm glad I found you so soon. I know I would have found you eventually."
"You think three or four months is 'soon'?" Sabrina joked. "I guess it could have been worse."
"Think about how long I've been alive," Puck said with a grin, "and then tell me what the definition of 'soon' would be."
"I'm not Briar Rose, I can't sleep a hundred years and wait," Sabrina laughed. "Just be glad I slept for three of those months, or I'd be way more annoyed."
"I like when you're annoyed," Puck said with a broad grin, looking at her with mischief in his eyes.
"But you like it better when I'm being sweet on you," she said confidently.
He lightly stroked her leg, his grin changing into a smirk. "Oh yeah, I like that sort of thing, too," he said.
"Don't do that here," she said, embarrassed. "I don't like that kind of thing in public. Besides, there's an old guy snoring two seats to my left and the whole plane smells like peanuts."
"Sorry," Puck replied, not sounding very sorry at all. "Does that mean that I can do that sort of thing once we're off the plane, then?"
She sighed. "Yeah sure. I'm not gonna win this one," she joked, opening her eyes. "But I'll probably just sleep some more once I see my family. I hate being on planes, and this is a long flight."
"Rest up and get your strength up, because you'll need it when you start the lessons," Puck said.
"Why did you make that sound dirty?" she muttered.
Puck chuckled. "I didn't - that was entirely your mind," he teased.
"Great. Must be Peter's influence," Sabrina groaned. "Or yours. God, you two are alike."
The response she got was immediate. "Am not," Puck said promptly. "I'm hotter."
"Ugh!" Sabrina pulled away and sat up, sighing. "And you both drive me out of my mind."
Puck tilted his head slightly, hair falling over his forehead as he looked at her with a boyish smile. "Would you have me any other way?"
She turned to look at him, studying him for several moments. Then she shrugged. "I guess not. You're an insufferable, pompous, annoying, cocky, arrogant, rude loudmouth, among other things... But you're mine."
"That just might be one of the sweetest things I've ever heard," Puck replied with a smile, reaching for her hand and squeezing. He leaned towards her, lowering his voice. "You're mine, too."
Sabrina felt her cheeks heat up again. "Yeah, I am," she murmured, squeezing his hand once. "And it looks like we're stuck together forever for sure, huh?"
Puck nodded. "Seriously forever," he said. "We're probably going to argue a lot."
"I'll try not to kill you in your sleep," she said earnestly.
He grinned - and then he looked a little wary. "You wouldn't really consider it, would you?" He squeezed her hand again.
"I'd probably consider it," Sabrina grinned roguishly. "But that just means I love ya."
"That is a really interesting interpretation of 'love'," Puck commented, but the grin he still wore showed that he was only teasing. "When we land, you wanna get something to eat, or head straight home?"
"Home first," Sabrina decided. "Unless we have a long layover in an airport with a KFC or an Arby's. Not that I have my hopes up."
Puck shook his head. "Not with this flight," he said. "It'll take us straight into one of the New York airports and we can catch a cab home."
"Then I hope we get home during a meal time," Sabrina murmured. "Hey, I'm gonna try to sleep some more. Will you wake me up if the plane lands or if we crash?"
"Uh...yeah, sure," Puck said, though if they crashed he was pretty sure she'd wake up all on her own. He wisely chose not to say this out loud. "Just go ahead and sleep."
She smiled, then curled up again and closed her eyes, resting against his shoulder. She was asleep again within ten minutes.
Puck sat there and watched her for a while. In all seriousness, it was still hard for him to believe that he had really found her so soon. He'd been fully prepared for the search to take...well, honestly, years. He'd had no guarantee, after all, that she was even on Earth. For all he knew, she might have been held in some sort of magical limbo before being allowed to return to this world, and he never would have known.
A part of him was afraid to try and sleep, though the flight was long. He couldn't help but worry a little that this was a dream, and if he slept, he'd wake to find her gone. Though he'd made plans for Christmas that very few people knew about, he hadn't been confident that it would have been the upcoming Christmas or one years from now.
By the time the plane had landed, Sabrina was almost ready to blow off her own reunion and find a fast food joint. She'd slept through the meals and drinks on the flight, and her stomach felt both bottomless and empty.
"I'll give you a hundred dollars cash to break the speed limit," Sabrina complained, halfway to the address Puck had given. The cab driver seemed to be contemplating whether or not breaking the law would be worth it.
Puck chuckled. "You know your mom'll cook up a feast when we get there," he said. "Or order out for pizza, I'm not sure which one." He glanced at the cab driver, unsure if he really wanted to egg it on or not.
The cab driver hesitated just a little bit longer. Then he sighed. "No, no. I'll uh. I'll drive the speed limit."
"Wimp," Sabrina muttered. "Friggin law-abiding people. I'm hungry."
Luckily, it didn't seem like the cab driver had heard her.
"If whatever's at the house isn't enough, I'll run out and get you something else," Puck promised. "And it'll be normal food, too."
Sabrina sighed. But at his words, how could she not just sit back and agree? He was really too sweet sometimes. "Alright. I'll try to be patient."
Puck let out a breath of relief. He knew how she got when she got really frustrated and impatient. 'Point for me,' he thought with satisfaction when he was confident she'd settled down.
Within the last five minutes of the ride, Sabrina was twitching a little and scowling at the cab driver, who was honestly starting to fear for his life. He sped up within reason, getting them to the condo and trying to speak only to Puck.
Sabrina grabbed Celeste's carrier while Puck was paying for the ride, and since neither of them really had baggage, she grabbed the one bag from the trunk and carried it to the door to wait. She planned on handing Celeste back before opening the door or knocking, in case Daphne really did tackle her on sight. Why did she feel nervous? It was her family.
Puck half-tossed the money to the cab driver, telling him to keep the change - after all, it was Oberon's money - then headed up to the front door. "You okay?" he asked when h saw that she was just standing there, waiting.
"Should I just open the door?" Sabrina asked, looking unsure. "I mean-"
WHUD.
That was the most accurate description of the noise they'd heard, which made Sabrina jump in worry. "Um... Does that happen often?" she asked, looking at the door. It had shaken for a moment.
Puck stared at the door, his eyes open wide. "Um...never as far as I know," he said slowly. "Is that a noise a door is supposed to make?"
She grabbed the door and yanked it open, swinging outwards towards them.
"PAK!" Cory fell forward onto all fours when he no longer had the door to lean against, before shoving himself up and trying to balance.
"C...Cory?" Sabrina yelped. Had her little brother come running for Puck and hit the door!
The little boy was wearing footie pajamas with teddy bear ears and pink wings that had been stapled on.
Puck knelt down and reached out, picking Cory up. "Hey there, Cory," he said, lifting the little boy up. "How'd you know I was there?" He grinned down at the boy.
Cory beamed up at Puck, his eyes shining. "I sawded^^" he explained. That was when he noticed Sabrina looking at him with warmth in her eyes. His jaw dropped, eyes going very wide. "Sabwina! SABWINA?"
Sabrina reached for him with an emotional smile, pulling him into her arms. "Hey Cory. I'm home."
Puck chuckled, giving up the little boy with no hesitation.
"No, Cory," came Daphne's voice as she came around the corner, "Sabrina isn't...."
Her voice trailed off as she stopped in her tracks and stared at her sister in the doorway, her eyes slowly, gradually, growing huge.
Sabrina's breath caught again. She had prepared herself for the reunion, but actually going through it was completely different. She found herself clutching Cory tighter, blinking back tears. "H-hey, Daphne. Wow... you're taller."
Daphne swallowed hard. "Yeah," she whispered, knowing she had grown quite a bit in various ways, not just height. "You're...Sabrina." It didn't sound like a stupid thing to say to her. She couldn't believe she was actually looking at her sister.
Then she was moving, rushing to her sister and her brother and throwing her arms around both of them tightly.
"Oomph!" Cory snuggled between his sisters, delighted. "Daphwe, I has a Sabwina!"
Sabrina closed her eyes tightly, shifting to wrap one of her arms around Daphne too. Her throat felt too tight to speak, so she didn't say anything else.
Daphne swallowed hard, feeling a large lump in her throat. "When?" she whispered. "How? Where?" She couldn't actually form full questions, and before Sabrina could answer, she buried her face into her side.
Sabrina sniffled. "Uh... it's a really long story, Daphne. I'll tell everyone when I only have to say it like, once," she promised, sounding choked up. "Are mom and dad home?"
"I think so, Dad might be up in his office, and I'm not really sure where Mom is at the moment, I was watching Cory," Daphne replied. She released Sabrina, then tugged on her shirt. "Let's go find them."
Sabrina nodded softly, tucking Cory gently into her arms. He clearly had no intention of letting go.
A moment of panic struck, making her jump. "Oh no, Celeste!" She looked to her side, where she'd had the carrier.
Puck held up the carrier, and Celeste was poking her head out of it. "I've got her," he said as the little pony whickered and kicked at the side of her box.
"Oh good," Sabrina sighed in relief. "I completely forgot to hand her over."
"Kitty!" Cory exclaimed, reaching for her.
Celeste's ears twitched as she stared at Cory.
Daphne giggled. "Cory, Celeste isn't a kitty," she said, "she's a pony."
"Oh," Corry pushed his face against Sabrina a little. "PONY!"
Celeste looked much happier at that. Yes. She was a pony.
"I think Daphne's got the right idea, let's get inside and look for your parents," Puck said. He grinned at Daphne. "Your other half isn't around, is he?"
Daphne turned bright red.
"Oh yeah, I have to give Kerdy hell," Sabrina murmured. "Is he here today?"
Cory grabbed a fistful of Sabrina's hair to hang onto, bringing it to his mouth and munching on some of it.
Daphne shook her head. "He hasn't come by yet," she said. "He doesn't come over every day."
"Almost every day," Puck said with a grin, enjoying giving Daphne a hard time.
"My little sister's all grown up," Sabrina joked softly. "Are you happy, Daphne?"
Daphne blushed deeper, but she managed a shy smile and nodded at Sabrina. "Yes," she said. "Don't tease him too much okay?"
"No promises," Sabrina smiled at her. "So how have things been without me?"
"Not the same," Daphne replied immediately. "We've all missed you - it's been good, but it hasn't been the same without you."
"I'm sorry, Daphne," Sabrina said, her tone sincere. "I really wish there had been a different way."
Daphne reached up and wiped at her eyes, trying to act like something was stuck in them. "It's not your fault," she said, shaking her head. "And what you did...it saved Kerdy and a lot of other people." She smiled at Sabrina. "Now that you're home everything is okay."
"I'll try not to die or vanish or get amnesia again," Sabrina murmured solemnly. "I promise."
"Sabwina," Cory whispered, hugging her tighter.
"You better not," Puck said, looking at her as Daphne nodded fervently. "I think you've hit your allowed quota on anything like that."
Sabrina grinned at Puck. "I'm done with the--oh man! I just remembered I'm not getting a car!"
"Actually..."
Sabrina turned again at the voice, looking into the kitchen. Seeing her mother standing there with a goofy apron on and a phone in her hand, a sure sign that Veronica had burned lunch and ordered out, made Sabrina's throat tighten again. "M-mom. You're home..."
"It's Saturday," Veronica murmured. "I got off of work early." Her eyes were misty from tears that had yet to fall, and it just made everyone else more emotional.
Cory craned his head to look at Veronica, then tugged Sabrina's hair. "Mommy! I has Sabwina!"
Daphne looked at Veronica, and instantly there were tears in her eyes again. "Mom," she said. "Mom, look...S-Sabrina's home." She'd gotten herself under control just to have it shattered by seeing her mother's expression at the sight of Sabrina.
Even Puck had to avert his eyes, shoving a hand through his hair and trying not to look like he was affected by it.
"What's going on down here?" Henry's voice came from the top of the stairs that led up to the second floor, having heard voices in his office but unable to make out what people were saying.
Sabrina swallowed again, turning to look to the stairway as Veronica made her way over and hugged her tight.
"DADDY!" Cory started to get excited, tears welling up in his eyes as well. "DADDY I HAS SABWINA!"
There was silence from the stairs for a moment, and then Henry was suddenly rushing down them, grasping the banister and taking them two at a time - which they never saw him do.
His eyes widened when he reached the bottom and realized that Cory wasn't just daydreaming - Sabrina really was there. He stopped in his tracks. "Sabrina."
The first sniffle made Cory look up in confusion--the second made him join in and start crying. Sabrina had lost her ability to hold it back, fully crying in Veronica's arms with her baby brother safely in their embrace. The blonde teenager lifted her head to look at Henry, crying and trying to smile at the same time.
"I-I... I'm home," she managed to choke out, closing her eyes tightly as she felt more tears coming.
Henry swallowed hard. "Welcome home," he whispered, voice thick. Then he crossed the room and pulled his entire family into his arms somehow, evening managing to snag Daphne back.
"And you're getting a car," Veronica said tearfully. "Just please stop dying!"
"It's not like I wanted to!" Sabrina reached up to grasp Henry's arm with one hand, sniffling loudly. "I'm sorry, mom!"
Cory started to sob--if other people cried, he generally cried too. And everyone seemed to be crying.
"It's okay, Sabrina," Henry managed, not crying but sounding like he could at any moment. "You don't have to be sorry... you don't, it's not your fault."
"I missed you," Sabrina whispered shakily, hugging everyone so tight it started to hurt a little.
Cory's wailing was cut short by a very loud and almost angry growl. He tensed, then gasped. "Daddy!" he yelped, while Sabrina blushed. "Sabwina tummy go rawr!"
Veronica started to laugh. "We have lunch in the kitchen. Let's go sit down and you and Puck can tell us everything."
"I'm surprised she lasted this long waiting for food," Puck joked with a laugh.
"You're going to get hit, Puck," Daphne warned him.
"He's allowed to laugh; he was there when I tried to pay the cab driver a hundred dollars just to speed so I could get food sooner," Sabrina mumbled, embarrassed.
"Go rawr!" Cory echoed, staring down at Sabrina's stomach. "Tummy? Tummy?"
Sabrina laughed and kissed his head. "Are you hungry, Cory?"
"No?" Cory beamed at her.
"Well, I am," she smirked, licking her lips. "And your toes look very tasty!"
Cory gasped. "NOMYTOES!" he yelped, before dissolving into giggles as Sabrina ticked him, carrying him to the kitchen.
Daphne laughed, hurrying to follow with Puck behind them.
Henry swallowed hard, and put his arm around Veronica's shoulders. He pulled her close to him. "She's home," he whispered.
"I hope it's for good this time," Veronica whispered, wiping her eyes. She watched Sabrina gently set Cory on the kitchen counter, then playfully tickle and nip at his feet. Cory only laughed harder and struggled, clearly enjoying his oldest sister's attention.
Henry nodded, kissing the top of his wife's hair. "So do I," he murmured. "So do I."
"PAK!" Cory managed to yelp between hysterical giggles. "PAK HAP ME!"
"Nomnomnom!" Sabrina laughed, nibbling at his toes and holding his ankles so she didn't get kicked in the face. Her other hand was reaching for the pizza that had been sitting on the counter.
"Help you?" Puck repeated, grinning down at the little boy as he stood next to Sabrina. "I don't know if I can, Cory. I don't think she'd find my toes as tasty."
"PAK!" Cory squeaked in disbelief, squirming and rolling around a bit.
Sabrina giggled and let go. "Better save him," she whispered. "So I can eat."
Puck grinned again. "But you know what, I think you're worth the risk." He reached down and promptly plucked Cory off of the counter and into his arms, figuring Sabrina would let go of him as soon as he did.
"Aw, man!" Sabrina huffed, tossing herself into the nearest stool to sit down. "I guess I have to eat the pizza instead." Which she did. Quickly.
Cory flung himself fully into Puck's arms, catching his breath and giggling. "Pak! My toes!" He kicked his feet.
Puck made a show of checking Cory's feet, which made Daphne laugh, before nodding seriously. "Yep," he said. "They're all there."
Cory breathed a cute sigh of relief, before snuggling. "Otay. Sankies, Pak."
Sabrina grinned over at Puck, working on her third piece of pizza. Her eyes seemed to communicate the message that she thought he was adorable.
Puck caught the look and to his chagrin, felt himself flushing at little. He'd forgotten that Sabrina wouldn't have seen him like this with Cory before.
Daphne looked impish, and leaned over to Sabrina. "Puck's really good with Cory," she whispered.
"Is he, now?" Sabrina grinned. "I look forward to seeing more of that."
Daphne smiled, and nodded. She was sure Sabrina would - normally Puck might try to hide it, but Daphne doubted that Cory would let him.
"I has my Pak," Cory giggled. "I has my Sabwina... I has my Daphwe! Um..." He wrinkled his nose. "Where can my Kerby be?"
Daphne giggled. "I think Kerdy's at home," she said. "Want me to call him, Cory?"
Cory nodded earnestly. "Daphwe make kiss kiss!"
"Daphne," Veronica said in a warning tone. "What have you and Kerdy been doing while 'babysitting' Cory?"
Sabrina snorted into her pizza, laughing.
"Um..." Daphne looked at her mother hesitantly, acting like she'd just gotten her hand caught in the cookie jar. "...kiss kiss?"
"Grr," Veronica scowled. "I think I need to have a talk with Kerdy."
"I'll join you," Henry said, which caused Daphne to squeak.
"No!" she pleaded. "I promise it was never more than that and it wasn't even much it wasn't like we were neglecting Cory!"
"Sorry Daphne," Sabrina said. "I had to go through it, and now you have to go through it."
Daphne looked at Sabrina tearfully. "But you were supposed to make it easier for me!" she protested.
"Dad doesn't have a shotgun in his hand. Thank me later," Sabrina said coolly.
"Why don't you go ahead and call Kerdy now, in fact?" Henry asked, raising an eyebrow at Daphne.
"Um..."
"Aw, c'mon dad," Sabrina said, giving in at the look on Daphne's face. It was still her little sister. "You can't be mean to Daphne and Kerdy right now. I just got home." She looked to her parents and gave her best pouty-face.
Henry saw the look on Sabrina's face...and sighed. He looked at Veronica. "I think she's right."
"You get a freebie," Veronica said, frowning at Daphne. "But don't think this means you're completely off the hook."
Daphne let out a breath of relief. "Okay, I'll go call him then." She hurried for the phone, picking it up and dialing Kerdy's number.
Sabrina watched her go, then glanced to her parents. "Thanks," she murmured, smiling when
Henry nodded.
"Until then, help yourself to as much food as you want," he said. He gave his daughter a smile.
"I'm gonna be sick and I don't care," Sabrina admitted, going for another slice of pizza. "I shouldn't have slept through the meal on the plane."
"Plane?" Veronica asked.
"England. Long story. Peter Pan--sorry, Darling--is a jerk."
"I'm so glad she agrees with me on that point," Puck cut in, unable to resist adding his two cents in on the 'Peter Pan is a jerk' bit. Because he was.
"...England?" Veronica asked, eyebrows going up. "Peter Pan?"
"Peter Darling now," Sabrina said nonchalantly. "He married Wendy."
"What?" Daphne turned to look at Sabrina, still holding the phone receiver and staring at her. A split second later, her hand was shoved into her mouth.
Sabrina laughed. "You still do that?" she couldn't help but ask. Then she grinned. "Yeah I'll tell you all about it in a minute."
Daphne nodded, and then looked back at the phone. A moment later she frowned, and hung up. "Answering machine," she said, disappointed. "I wonder where he is."
"Give me a minute to finish up," Sabrina promised. "And then I'll tell you. We can tell Kerdy later."
"Okay," Daphne replied, but she looked a little saddened that she didn't know where Kerdy was. Puck was tempted to tease her about her reaction.
"He's probably on his way over here," Veronica commented. "He usually runs over here in his free time."
Cory reached up to pat Puck on the cheeks, smiling. As far as his baby-world was concerned, he was content and life was perfect.
Puck grinned down at Cory. "Why don't you go sit by the window?" he suggested to Daphne. "I'm sure he'll be here soon."
Daphne perked up. "Okay," she said, hurrying for the front room.
Daphne got to the window just as Kerdy, as Veronica had predicted, got to the door. He had his backpack with him, meaning he was attempting to make his visit seem like a homework visit.
Daphne saw him through the window, and immediately pulled open the door. She beamed up at him. "Kerdy!" she cried, reaching for his hand and pulled him into the house.
"Whoa!" Kerdy grinned, letting himself be pulled in easily. "Hey Princess. Happy to see me?"
Daphne nodded, beaming up at him. "Yes!" she said. "Come here! Come to the kitchen!" She didn't stop pulling him into the other room.
"What's got you so excited?" Kerdy laughed, following along. "I didn't even take my shoes off yet!"
"You'll see, you'll see!" Daphne pulled him into the kitchen and stopped, beaming. "Look!"
She didn't give any more explanation - after all, Sabrina was sitting right there.
Sabrina looked up from her tenth slice--or maybe it was only her fifth--of pizza. "Sup."
"Sabrina!" Kerdy's face lit up. "Hey, when did you get back?"
"Mmphabo," she said around the pizza.
"It's a long story, and we were waiting for you to get here before going into it," Puck said with a grin as he looked at Kerdy. "After she eats, though. We had a long plane ride."
"Welcome back, Puck," Kerdy said warmly, putting both hands on Daphne's shoulders. "You too, Sabrina."
"How're the wings?" Sabrina asked, coughing a bit on the last of her food. She was already feeling sick to her stomach.
"Awkward to manage. How about you?" Kerdy asked, having already noted that she slouched a bit more than before.
"Oh uh... I haven't figured out how to fully use mine yet," Sabrina admitted. "How'd you know I still had wings?"
He shrugged and smiled. "Well, you're a fairy now, aren't you?"
Daphne's eyes widened, and she stared at her sister. "You have wings?" she squeaked, automatically leaning back against Kerdy.
"Yeah," Sabrina looked flustered. "I have to learn to use them still. Puck said he'd teach me."
"Start from the beginning now and tell us where you've been," Veronica said anxiously.
"And go ahead and take your time - don't leave anything out," Henry said, wanting to know everything about what had happened to Sabrina - where she was, what she'd been doing...all of it.
"Let me grab some oats for Celeste and we can move to the living room," Veronica said, heading to one of the cabinets. "That way everyone can sit down."
"Kay," Sabrina picked up her soda, feeling like she'd eaten way too much. Standing made her groan and frown at the remaining pizza like it was at fault.
"Are you okay?" Daphne asked, looking at her sister anxiously as they all started to move towards the living room.
"She probably just overdid the eating," Puck said with a teasing grin at Sabrina.
Sabrina scowled at Puck. "Stop laughing at me and help."
Puck held up Cory, whom he was still holding. "My hands are full with Cory, should I put him down first?" he asked.
Daphne looked at Kerdy. "Puck's going to get hit, isn't he?"
"Hold him with one arm, and help me with the other," Sabrina scowled.
"Nah, I'll annoy him for old time's sake," Kerdy whispered to Daphne, leaning down. Then he straightened, released Daphne, and walked over to Sabrina, sweeping her up into his arms. "I'll carry you, Sabrina. Just wrap your arms around my neck."
Sabrina rolled her eyes, but decided not to protest, holding her soda with one hand and using the other to wrap around his shoulders.
Daphne pressed her hand over her mouth, trying to suppress her giggle.
Puck's eyes widened, then narrowed swiftly. "Kerdy," he growled, not at all amused or pleased by this sudden turn of events.
"You take care of Cory," Kerdy snickered. "I'll take care of your girl."
Cory shoved his hand into his mouth and grinned at his name.
Puck scowled at Kerdy. "I'm going to get back at you for this," he said, because he knew very well that he couldn't put Cory down now, or shift him and try to help Sabrina, too, with her in Kerdy's arms. "You know that, right?"
"You can try," Kerdy smirked. "But I think I can push your buttons easier than you could push mine."
"Boys," Sabrina groaned. "He just got done arguing like this with Peter. I don't need this at home too."
"Puck argued with Peter Pan?" Daphne asked, looking at Sabrina with wide eyes. "And he didn't try to kill him?"
"I'll explain," Sabrina sighed, thanking Kerdy when he set her on the couch. Once everyone got situated, she launched into her extremely long explanation of everything that had happened from the moment she had given the book the instructions that had led to her disappearance.
*.*.*.*.*
"And then Puck and I got on the plane and headed home," Sabrina finished, pushing a hand through her long hair. Puck had chimed in to explain what he'd been up to, and there had only been a few interruptions for the entire story.
"Which was its own adventure, what with her falling asleep and missing all of the meals," Puck said, looking at Sabrina with a grin - an affectionate grin.
Henry looked at Sabrina. He'd listened to the story in almost complete silence, absorbing it all. "It's almost hard to believe you're really here."
"Trust me," Sabrina shook her head. "It's hard to believe all of that happened."
"At least you're home in time for Christmas," Veronica said warmly.
Daphne's eyes lit up. "That's right, you are!" she said, looking at her sister eagerly. "We'll be able to get ready for Christmas together. Make cookies and decorate and get presents and everything."
"Yeah," Sabrina smiled at Daphne. "How come nothing's decorated?"
"We're going to gather at Relda's for Christmas," Veronica said. "Jake and Briar, Mr. Canis and Red are also coming."
"It'll be the first time we've all been together since leaving Ferryport Landing," Henry added.
Puck scowled a little. "No one told me about that," he said. "What if I'd shown up randomly and found no one here? I'd have had to spend Christmas with my parents."
"About that," Veronica smirked at Puck. "We invited your family."
"...." Several emotions crossed Puck's face at once. Shock, horror, suspicion, uncertainty, and finally it decided to settle on dismay. "You... you invited my family?" He swallowed hard, and then shook his head. "You shouldn't have done that. You don't know what you're getting yourselves in to."
"Given that Mustardseed clued me into something," Veronica said, eying Puck. "I think you'd better be glad that inviting them is all we did."
Her eyes seemed to burn right through Puck, and all of it went over Sabrina's head.
"Oh yeah," Kerdy grinned at Puck. "Irenee said hi. I visited her the other day."
Puck looked at Kerdy, and to his credit (or at least he felt it was to his credit), he didn't blush. Or he hoped he didn't. "She did, huh?" he asked, trying to keep his tone idle.
He glanced from Kerdy to Veronica, a little wary.
Veronica smirked again. "Glad we're in agreement."
"What?" Sabrina looked up at them all, taking Cory. The little boy had started fussing for her attention.
"Nothing," Puck said promptly, shooting her entire family, plus Kerdy, a warning look. He didn't know how they'd found out, though he could guess, and he was not going to have someone spill the secret to Sabrina before he was ready.
Daphne managed to keep her mouth shut, though she had to snuggle close to Kerdy to manage it.
Kerdy wrapped his arm around Daphne and grinned. "My family promised to be there too."
"Yay!" Veronica clapped her hands in front of her. "I tried to convince the Charmings to come. Luckily, I talked to Snow and not William."
"Did she say whether or not they would?" Henry asked. "I imagine Cory would love to have Cassia around for the holidays." He reached over and put his hand on Veronica's knee.
"Did you have to say the name?" Veronica bit her lip. Cory had perked up and was now looking for his favorite playmate.
Henry faltered, and looked at Cory. He'd forgotten and slipped up - usually they were careful to not mention Cassia's name in front of Cory. "Oops..."
"Cory," Sabrina murmured. "Will you play with me? I missed you lots."
Cory paused in mid-search for Cassia, staring up at Sabrina. Then his eyes shone with love and baby happiness. "SABWINA!" He threw himself upwards into her face, making her yelp, but apparently she had picked the perfect words.
Daphne beamed at Sabrina, thrilled at the fact that her sister was still just as good with Cory as ever.
"Do you want to see the rest of the condo, Sabrina?" Daphne asked. "You can see Cory's room, I bet he'd love to show it to you."
"Yeah," Sabrina hugged Cory, swallowing again. "I'd like that a lot."
"You have a room here too," Veronica said softly. "I know it might take some time to get situated. Let us know if you need anything at all. We'll eat dinner as a family tonight, too."
"I love you too mom, but please don't mention food right now," Sabrina said with a grin, getting up and holding Cory close. She imagined in a few years, he would act a lot like Tiger.
Daphne smiled and stood up, smiling at Sabrina and Cory. "I'll give you the entire tour," she said. "Every part of the house, and then I'll show you your room."
Sabrina smiled at her sister, overwhelmed again. She felt sure it would take some time getting used to being home and getting into the swing of things, but it was still nice to be with her family.
*.*.*.*.*
The Grimm household had either grown in size with the absence of so many people, or it just seemed larger after having been away for so long. After the hugs and laughs and reunions, most people had gathered in the living room to laugh and exchange stories. Red had grown a little, clearly more mature from the last time they had seen her. She was talking excitedly about the latest endeavor in Paris, and an interest she'd taken up in fashion. Not enough to make Mr. Canis cringe or take her to too many stores, but enough that she was giving Daphne advice about what to wear and when.
Red also seemed to be aware that she was dressing cuter and attracting attention from other boys. It was kind of fun to watch Mr. Canis snarl at any boy who tried to flirt with her.
Cory was in the middle of the room, lying under the Christmas tree and giggling. He enjoyed the different ornaments and lights that twinkled overhead. It was a momentary distraction, because everyone was hoping the Charmings would be over for Christmas Eve soon. They were the last to arrive--and with Sabrina insisting she would behave if she stayed with Puck in the tree house and the others dividing up the rooms as well, there were only minimal space arguments. Luckily, Titania and Oberon claimed to have their own accommodations. They didn't clarify.
Relda was fussing nonstop over her grandchildren, especially Sabrina, since most of them had thought that they wouldn't have her for Christmas.
It was while attention was being lavished on Sabrina - and Cory, since he was being adorable - that the bell to the front door rang.
Daphne looked up. "That must be the Charmings!" she said with extreme excitement. She looked at Red and smiled, standing up from her seat. The two girls had been chatting constantly.
Red smiled back at Daphne, watching as the girl stood, and then dashed to the door. At the word 'Charming', Cory sat upright, poking his face on the tree with a cute yelp, before rolling and pushing himself up to his feet. He had a little Santa hat on his head. "CASSA?"
Sabrina laughed, unable to help herself. Cory had a one-track mind sometimes.
Snow stood on the front steps next to William, holding Cassia in her arms. Mother and daughter were wearing identical fur-lined parkas, though Cassia's had little kitty ears attached to the hood of hers.
"Hi!" Daphne said, her eyes lighting up when she saw them. "Oh, wow...Cassia got big!"
Cassia beamed at Daphne, her wide, round eyes sparkling. "Cory?" she asked hopefully. Cory's name was rather easy to pronounce, and it had been one of the first names she could do clearly.
William sighed. They had a bag of presents with them, but he had refused to dress as Santa. "Won't you invite us in? Or have you not grown into some manners, Grimm?"
Daphne blushed, but she just smiled at him and stepped aside. "You haven't changed at all since the last time I saw you," she said happily. William would always be William.
Snow laughed, affection in her eyes as she stepped into the house, leaving her husband to bring in the presents. "Sorry we're late," she said. "We got caught up with a few things."
"That's fine," Veronica said, walking over to welcome them. "You're not very late at all, unless you ask Cory."
Cory thudded against Veronica's legs, having gone full speed to try and find Cassia. He landed on his butt with a comical yelp, before smiling sheepishly, a look that made him resemble his father the most.
Snow and Cassia both looked down, and immediately Cassia let out a squeal of joy.
Her mother knelt down and set her on the ground, and the little girl immediately tackled the little boy in a hug. "Cory cory cory cory cory!"
Cory squealed right back, grasping Cassia and nearly falling on her. "CASSA CASSA CASSA!"
"Sounds like Cory found Cassia," Red smiled and looked to the adults in the room. "It's a shame they live so far away from each other."
"But it's encouraging that they haven't forgotten each other, even with the distance," Briar said with a smile. "When they get older the distance won't matter so much." She watched the two toddlers half-wrestle half-cuddle around the floor.
"It's pretty impressive," Sabrina agreed. "I don't remember much from that age."
"Same," Jake grinned sheepishly.
Daphne walked over, and Snow had taken William's hand to guide him over to the group as well, leaving Cassia and Cory to play. Daphne looked thoughtful. "I don't think I do, either," she said. "Do I?"
"You don't want to," Sabrina promised. "I could tell Kerdy stories that'd make your head pop right off."
Kerdy laughed. "Her mom already showed me baby pictures. We're kinda even, since my mom did the same thing."
"My babies are adorable!" Gerda insisted, puffing up her cheeks.
Daphne beamed. "I think Kerdy's baby pictures are adorable, too," she said immediately, looking at Kerdy with affection. She spoke in the same tone of voice that she'd used when younger and trying to convince Kerdy that his name was fine.
Kerdy smiled over at Daphne, then glanced at his watch. "An hour to midnight, and then we open presents?"
"Yep," Veronica nodded. "We have games to play until then."
"What kind of games?" Puck asked, lounging a bit next to Sabrina. He was doing his best to look bored, even though inside he was secretly dying to get to the present-unwrapping part.
"Apples to Apples, charades, maybe some Uno," Veronica looked thoughtful.
"I'll sit out and watch the kids," Red offered, not wanting to play any of the games.
"I'll do the same," Mr. Canis added, and no one opted to try to force him into games. If he said he didn't want to play, then he didn't want to play.
By the time the games ended and half the room was embarrassed by their own actions from charades, most people were either exhausted and ready to sleep, or incredibly wound up and excited. The kids tore through their presents (with Cory constantly trying to offer his presents to Cassia) until it seemed every last present had been exchanged and everything was over.
Only Sabrina was unsuspecting--everyone else, including a very amused Titania and Oberon, kept watching for Puck to make his move.
Puck was quite obviously fidgeting where he sat next to Sabrina. His nerves were completely shot, and it was only because there were no more presents that he even had the guts to do what he was about to do.
He swallowed hard, trying to ignore the expectant expressions on everyone's faces. Taking a deep breath, he got to his feet. "One more present," he declared, keeping the nervousness out of his tone as best as he could.
"Really?" Sabrina looked up at him. The room was cluttered with new things, the floor decorated with ripped wrapping paper, tape, and ribbons. Cory and Cassia had matching bows slapped into their foreheads, both hugging new toys and trying to hug each other too. "I don't see anything else. It better not be another pony... Celeste would be pissed."
Titania chuckled. "She rather enjoys herself in Faerie."
Sabrina managed to grin. Celeste had been stuck with either staying tiny in the condo or full size and living near Oberon and Titania. They'd finally returned her to her normal size, with Sabrina visiting often. It was also a trick to make Puck visit his family more.
"No, it's not another pony," Puck said with a grin. He looked at her. "Wait right there."
Ignoring the look that Mustardseed was giving him - that 'just how are you going to do this' look - he headed across the room to a bookshelf. He hesitated for a moment, and then reached behind a couple of books to pull out a small, perfectly wrapped package.
"You're touching books?" Sabrina teased. "You don't want to borrow more of my romance novels, do you?"
Kerdy snorted into his hand, laughing.
Puck turned towards her and grinned. "I don't need a romance book," he said.
Package in hand, he walked back over to her. "Stand up," he said.
Frowning, Sabrina stood. She had a new fleece blanket from Briar wrapped around herself, and her pajamas had been a present from Veronica. She looked comfy and absolutely adorable, cocking her head to the side. "Why do I have to stand for this? You're not going to make my wings pop out, are you?" She scowled affectionately at him. He had discovered during their lessons that if he pinched her in the right spot, her wings popped out. She was trying to find the wing-pop spot on him.
Puck shook his head. "Nope," he said. He looked down at the present - and then frowned slightly. He'd wrapped it, so he couldn't just open the box...
Hmm.
He held out the wrapped gift to her. "Unwrap it," he said, "but don't open it yet."
"The heck?" Sabrina took the box, looking at it curiously. Shrugging, she did as he asked and unwrapped the present, leaving the little box closed. "Okay, now what?"
Puck smiled, then reached out and took the little box from her.
He paused for a moment, and while everyone else in the room went quiet, seemed to stand there in thought.
Then he slowly dropped down onto one knee, looking rather princely in that moment. "Sabrina, will you marry me?" he asked without hesitation, as he opened up the box to reveal the ring that lay inside.
The room fell so completely silent, that if a pin had dropped, it could have been heard by the neighbors. Sabrina found herself staring blankly down at the ring, not quite realizing what it meant. It was a pure silver ring with randomly placed diamonds spinning upwards from delicate lengths of silver and shimmering green material. A second glance made her realize that if she placed her winged ring through the holes and gaps, it would fit perfectly and look like diamond pixies or stars next to the wings she already had. No doubt, it had been made to fit with her ring, a custom order for Irenee.
A quick look around the room showed that she was the only one who hadn't realized the proposal was coming. Her family was smiling and emotional, while Puck's family looked smug, and all of their friends were grinning at the love and relationship that had blossomed from such a small spark. A spark that had started with anger, no less.
Her eyes went back to Puck then, and she could feel herself trembling. "Are you... are you serious?" They were only sixteen. They had two full years before they'd be adults--had he asked permission from her father? Whose name would he take? Did he want them to move out? She had no idea!
Puck looked up at her, his gaze steady. In that instant, having made the proposal, he'd let all of his nervous feelings evaporate. He looked at her now with complete and total confidence.
"I'm completely serious," Puck said, looking up at her. "I know we're only sixteen, but what's the difference between now and two years from now? We have forever, after all - there's no reason for us to not start sooner instead of later."
Sabrina swallowed around the lump in her throat, looking to her parents. Veronica was smiling encouragingly at her, squeezing Henry's hand, and also looking teary-eyed.
Henry looked at his eldest daughter, and there was nothing but tenderness and love in his expression. He'd had a lot of time to come to terms with Sabrina and Puck's relationship - and now that she was finally home, and hopefully for good, he wanted nothing more than for her to be happy.
Daphne had her hand shoved into her mouth, and she was practically vibrating next to Kerdy. She couldn't hide the excitement in her eyes.
Sabrina smiled tearfully, looking back to Puck. What else could she possibly say? "Yes," she whispered, realizing that everyone she cared about was in that very room, and several of them were there simply to see Puck propose.
A brilliant smile broke out across Puck's face, and he rose to his feet and pulled her into his arms in one movement. "Yes?" he repeated. "Really?"
"What do you mean, really?" she laughed, wrapping her arms around him. "I'm surprised you didn't say 'took ya long enough' or 'of course you do' or something like that!" She didn't give him a chance to reply, kissing him on the lips and not even caring about the ring for the moment.
At once he was caught up in the kiss and delivering it ten times stronger, his arms wrapped tight around her. He forgot, momentarily, that they were in a room surrounded by their closest friends and family. As often happened when he was kissing her, he was thinking of her and her alone.
By the time the kiss stopped, the younger kids and teenagers were blushing or clapping, while Titania and Veronica shook hands. Congratulations were passed around, and had it not been for the fact that William was trying to look away to avoid having to acknowledge what had just happened, he might have noticed what Cory was doing.
The young boy often copied Puck--he looked up to the older boy with hero-worship all the time. So, after having seen how happy Puck had made Sabrina, Cory grasped Cassia's hands and brought her up to her feet, toddling to one side when it seemed like they might topple over. As soon as she was situated, he plopped to his knees and held up another one of his presents, which was only partially unwrapped.
Cassia blinked, and then let out a gasp and reached out happily for the present, accepting the offering from Cory. "Yes!" she said cheerfully, copying Sabrina's response to what Puck had done.
Snow looked at them, and covered her mouth to hide her smile as she realized what Cory and Cassia were copying.
"Yay!" Cory hugged her tightly and gave her a sweet kiss on the cheek. "!"
"Wait. Yes what? What did my daughter just agree to?" William demanded, looking over.
Snow reached over and placed her hand on William's arms. "I believe our daughter is now engaged," she said with a smile, knowing how he'd react to it phrased that way.
"What?" Henry looked over, startled, for he hadn't noticed what was happening either.
"WHAT?" William had the room's attention now.
"My daughter will do no such thing!" he insisted, scowling at the toddlers. Who completely ignored them.
Cassia was happily holding the half-unwrapped present now, and then she flopped to her knees and hugged Cory, cuddling him. She was oblivious to her father's reaction - her daddy reacted like that often, but he was never mad at her.
"Oh let them have fun," Veronica said, rolling her eyes. "It's adorable."
William scowled. "If my daughter thinks she's marrying a Grimm..."
"You're welcome for fixing the barrier and bringing down the Master," Sabrina said dryly. "Now leave my brother alone, thanks."
The scowl deepened.
Daphne nodded, beaming. "Besides, isn't it important that Cassia is happy?" she asked William. "And she's really happy whenever she sees Cory." She looked at Kerdy. "Right, Kerdy?"
"Not a good argument since he doesn't want them dating in ten years," Kerdy chuckled, hugging Daphne.
Gerda clasped her hands in front of her. "Everything is so romantic right now!"
"No, mom," Kerdy said, blushing. He knew she was using her romance-radar to try and see if her sons were ready to settle down. He almost wanted to remind her that he was physically thirteen or fourteen.
"Oh... Forse, what about you? Are you in love yet?" she asked brightly.
Daphne blushed and snuggled against Kerdy, not objecting to the hug.
Forse chuckled. "You'd know if I were, Mother," he said. "No, I'm painfully single at the moment."
Red glanced over at Forse and offered a smile--partially apologetic, partially interested. She looked away just as quickly.
She didn't look away fast enough for Forse to miss the smile, or for him to keep from giving one in return. And he resolved to have a one-on-one conversation with Red at some point when his mother and Mr. Canis were not in the room.
He tried to ignore the look Mr. Canis shot in his direction.
"Let's go to the tree house," Sabrina whispered under her breath to Puck, since everyone else seemed to be busy.
Puck looked at her and nodded, taking her hand and leading her out of the room. Though he had relocated to New York with her family officially, his room was still as it had been when he'd left. Including the tree house.
"Shame we don't have a tree house in New York," Sabrina murmured as they snuck up the stairs and down the hall. "I miss it."
"All you have to do is ask," Puck said with a grin. "I'll see what I can come up with. After all, there's no reason we can't."
Sabrina looked to him and smiled. "I can't believe you really proposed... Hey, where's my ring?"
"Right here," Puck replied, holding up his other hand. "Can we wait until we get to the tree house before I put it on your finger? For some reason I really want to do it there." He couldn't stop himself from blushing when he said that.
Sabrina grinned again. She loved making him blush. "Okay. Race ya!" She dashed ahead, moving her blanket in front of her so she could let her wings out once they got into the room. She'd probably lose the race on the fact that she wasn't that good with her wings on less than a full month of lessons, but it was fun to be competitive. The winner always got a congratulatory kiss, which made them both win every time.
She couldn't have asked for a better boyfriend—strike that, fiancé.
*.*.*.*.*
A/N:
Sky: HAPPY CHRISTMASTIMEHOLIDAYBLAHBLAH AGAIN! No promises, but we'll try to hurry and get the last chapters and the one-shots out. Luckily things will be slowing down, but ya never know what'll happen :/
Fun fact #145: Apples to apples rocks. Uno rocks too, but if you find King's Blood, play that one. It's Uno, but with moar assassination and marriages!
Fun Fact #9919: There is no Arby's or KFC where Ayns and I currently live. When I went out of town, I got to go to them. And Carl's Jr. Do want…
Fun Fact #506: We're not going to have them get married before they turn 18 most likely. Long engagement for the win!
Sorry for any huge errors… I didn't get around to editing this til 4 A.M. Christmas morning lol T.T
THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR WONDERFUL REVIEWERS WHO STUCK WITH US! And to all the reviewers since last chapter: mindreadingweirdo, Viva-Musica, A CertainPeanutButterSandwich, Horsegirl99, pottergirl101, Lara D, rose angel 428, CGreene, iluvsummer95, Squid Lips & Chocolate Ants, Aisha, Curlscat, emerald and onyx, Elena Forest, Cookie-Dough-Always, brakeyrlilhartn2, Amy, chemicalsilver, Lyla Domae, JulzAndKate, fallingstar100, gothicgal000, DragonFly7312, moi (Sorry XD), missdean (Thankies and happy late b-day!), LittleMizWhimsical, Blue-Eyed-Lily, Sabrinagoodfellow, Lumiere Nordiques, ShOrTaNdBlOnDe, watermelonandpeanutbutter, Anon-Sare (generally in story format it doesn't matter much; in technical writing you can't start sentences with 'but' or 'and'. Of course, word grammar-correct tried to tell me "You is mine" was correct over "You are mine" so… yeah. XD) MadHattressXX, blueberryc (Thank you for all the sweet and awesome reviews :3), pearl4453, Jessi5662Souza, cullen-grimm-ride (Hm… Read below), Amy (Merry Christmas back!), Brooken Chooken (Please also read below ^^), Mickey, iLOVEyouh, and -flying-dreaming-dancing-!
Sorry to anyone I haven't managed to reply to yet!
cullen-grimm-ride: Hm. All I can really say is just let your story flow. Don't over-think specific plots, or you might get frustrated when it won't come out right. That's how writer's block forms for me. I just like to let my characters go, and sometimes they end up doing things I don't want, but that's the beauty of bringing the story to life! Writing with another person also really helps because it's the best way to 'train' yourself to adapt to things in writing that you didn't plan. That's one of my favorite things about writing with another person ^^
Brooken Chooken: Thank you very much. I'm always happy (in a non-sadistic way, I promise) to hear when something I've helped write can move a person to cry ^^ I feel guilty, but I also feel happy that someone else invested emotionally like I did. This is definitely one of the more soap-operaish (I love the new word) plots we've done, so I'm glad people are sticking with the highs and the lows. Thank you very much for the review, have a happy Christmas and awesome new year. Much luvvies!
So there ya have it! (And if names are misspelled, auto-correct+something funky in my keyboard giving me issues lol…)
LUVVIES FROM AYNS AND SKY! AND HOLIDAY WHEEEENESS!