When I opened my eyes it was pitch black and oh, oh my body was sore. I pushed myself up a little in order to look around and sharp pain shot up my spine, radiating throughout my torso. I gritted my teeth to suppress a moan and kept sitting up as the pain transformed into a deep, but manageable ache. I took in a shaky breath and pulled my knees to my chest while I let my senses adjust to the darkness surrounding me. I couldn't see much, but I figured that I was in one of the magical interior rooms of the tree house. There was nothing to give away which room I was in except for the fine material I felt; a cushy bedspread beneath me and big pillows behind. Obviously I was in one of the bedrooms.

Soft, shallow breathing from a figure lying beside me gave me a start and I froze. It looked like Puck to me, but I couldn't be positive because all I could see was a black shape. I reached out to where the figure's head was and lightly, lightly felt for its ears. Relief washed over me when I felt the pointy tip of the ears and tangled mess of curly hair behind it.

"Puck," I whispered. "Puck, wake up."

He didn't move.

"Wake up, Puck," I said a little louder

Still no answer.

"Puuuuck…" I gulped. Fear was slithering through me. I turned over onto my knees next to him and started to jostle his shoulders. "Puck, you stupid fairy, you ugly freak-baby WAKE UP!"

I bit my lip. He wasn't waking up. I started to crawl across the bed and caught my breath as the pain I had forgotten shot through my back. I forced myself to keep going, blindly feeling my way for a lamp on the bedside table. I nearly knocked it over when I found it, my clumsy fingers fumbling it several times before it was settled back on the table. I let out a sigh of relief and turned the light on.

Puck continued sleeping quietly on the edge of the bed. I made my way back over to him to examine him for any glaring physical trauma.

There was no blood except for a few minor cuts on his face and arms. I felt his torso for broken ribs and probed his head for any bumps, finding none. With no obvious, life-threatening injuries I couldn't think of anything to do but lie back down and go sleep. I turned off the lamp and crawled back to the other side of the bed. I pulled off my sweatshirt, as I was feeling rather warmish, and curled up next Puck, worries still bouncing around my head.

As soon as I closed my eyes, I heard Puck yawn and felt him stretch out.

"Puck?"

He groaned softly. "What?"

"How did you wake up to me turning off the light and not to me shouting in your face?"

"How should I know?"

I gave an exasperated sigh.

"Hey," he sat up and turned to face me. "What's your problem, Grimm?"

"My problem?" I say, a little shocked by his tone, "My problem is that I black out after falling 30 feet in the air and miraculously awake in bed lying next to you. I have no idea what's happened because you won't wake up, I don't know if you're fatally wounded, I don't know if the beast is dead, I don't know if we're in danger, I don't know anything and excuse me for being concerned about my best friend who I haven't seen in two years-"

"Okay! Okay!" he shouted. "I'm sorry you're upset, but don't take it out on me!"

"You have no right to-"

"Hey! I saved your ass out there, Grimm! If it weren't for me you'd probably be dead!"

I stared at him for a moment, unable to see anything but tension in his silhouette. Anger and frustration welled in my cold heart. How dare he?

Ignoring the stabbing pain in my back, I jumped off the bed and stormed away.

I heard Puck curse under his breath and scramble after me. "Sabrina! Sabrina, I'm sorry!"

I stomped through the house and eventually made it back to the living room before the fairy caught up with me. He grabbed me around the waist and hauled me up.

I gasped as crippling agony radiated through my back, my breath snagged in the back of my throat. I could hardly speak for the pain, but through badly mangled words, I managed to relay my distress.

"Are you alright?" he asked as he gently laid me on the couch.

I gritted my teeth and squeezed my eyes. "My back. I think I hurt something when I landed."

I opened my eyes and Puck was standing over me, worry lining his eyes. He nodded and gave long, low whistle.

A few moments later, tiny white faeries appeared; Puck's minions.

Puck put a hand on my head and said, "They can't actually fix what's wrong, but they can help with the pain. Show them where it is."

I gingerly turned over onto my stomach. "It's centered at the base of my spine, but I can feel it all over."

I felt the little pixies step lightly onto my back and soon after my pain receded like the tide, ebbing and flowing until all that was left was gentle peace. I could almost imagine a healing glow emanating from where the faeries landed. A soft sigh of relief escaped me.

"Better?" Puck asked.

I sat up and then stood up next to him. "Not quite."

"What will help?"

I slugged an unsuspecting Puck in the face.

"That," I said as he stepped back from me.

He gave light laugh and looked at me as he felt his bruising jaw. Puck tried to suppress a smile. "That huh?"

I gave him a smirk. Then I remembered the whole reason we were there and a nervous weight pulled at my gut, eliminating my smile. "You killed it, right?" I asked. "The beast is dead?"

Puck put a palm to his chest, his face marked by mock disbelief. "Of course it's dead! After I heroically removed your unconscious self from the premises, we battled hard!" He pretended to wield a sword, stabbing and slashing the imaginary foe. "Neither of us could get the upper hand until it tripped and lost its balance and then-" Puck dramatically raised his fist and brought it down with a vengeance, "-I stabbed it through the heart."

"Did you now?" I said as he stepped close to me.

"It's very dead," he replied.

"That's excellent," I whispered, "because I want my best friend back."

I felt our hands join, Puck's forehead bent to mine, "I'm back."

"For good? You promise?" I begged. "Don't leave me again. Ever."

Puck picked his head up and gently brought his hands to my face, tilting it so that I could meet his eyes. Those seas of green held the truth at that moment, just as they did that fateful night so long ago. His thumb ran across my cheek as he shook his head. "Never again."

My heart swelled as I looked at Puck. Who would've thought the obnoxious, smelly fairy boy I hated so many years ago could make me feel like this? I fought it for so many years, pushing away any kind of affection I felt toward him. Even when I allowed myself to really call him my friend, I still couldn't imagine, didn't want to imagine rather, that I could ever feel the way I did at that moment.

I felt myself drawn in by him, by the look in his eyes and by the emotions that beat steadily within me. Slowly, Puck brought his mouth to mine in a careful kiss. Thoughts of anything but Puck and his soft, gentle lips fled my mind. I brought my hands to his face, holding it in place as our mouths moved as one. His arms wrapped around me, pressing our bodies together as warmth spread through my chest and ignited my heart. His hands moved rhythmically over my back and shoulders. Oh how I wanted him, more of him. I couldn't get enough. I kissed harder, faster compelling him on, on. Puck complied. He made me crazy; my head was spinning and my heart was pounding and my body was thrumming and oh I could hardly breathe.

After what seemed an eternity, Puck pulled away as we tried to catch our breath. My hands slid down his neck to rest on his chest while I opened my eyes and searched his face. His eyes were closed, a smile flickering on his face as he tried, but failed, to keep it from splitting his face. Warmth radiated through me as he looked at me and shook his head, laughing lightly.

"Who would've thought," he said, smoothing stray hairs back from my face, "that you would be such a damn good kisser."

I laughed in reply as he brought his lips to spot just below my ear, where my neck and jaw come together. Gently, deliberately, Puck kissed a trail down my neck. A sigh of content escaped me as his lips met the hollow at the base of my neck. I giggled when he kissed it repeatedly, peppering the base of my neck, just at the line of my t-shirt, and moved back up my neck, the kisses coming faster, faster. When his mouth reached my ear again, he whispered, "I hope your parents aren't expecting you back anytime soon."

"They're not home," I replied.

A wicked gleam lit Puck's eyes as he grinned at me. I laughed again as we came together in another kiss, but now I was distracted. Thinking about my absent parents led to thoughts about my empty house and my unfed dog.

"I have to go," I said between kisses.

"Nuh uh," Puck murmured. He dotted the side of my face with his lips.

"I didn't feed Elvis."

"The dog can wait. Stay," he said, returning his mouth to mine.

Our kiss was deep and slow and oh how I wanted to stay, but I had to pull away. "He can't. Don't you remember the last time we didn't feed him?"

Puck's furrowed his eyebrows. "Oh yeah…."

We had left Elvis unattended and without food for almost a day and upon returning to the house, we found it turned upside down. The fridge, pantry, and cupboards had been ransacked. The kitchen was littered with half eaten leftovers and wrappers and it was a mess that took us hours to clean.

"I don't want to leave, trust me. But we -" I grabbed fistfuls of his shirt and pulled him down to my level. My lips brushed his ear as I whispered, "-we can finish this at home."

I felt my legs sweep out from underneath me as Puck scooped me up. A mischievous smile danced in his eyes. "Then what are we waiting for?

He sprouted wings and tore out the door of the tree house. I laughed as I clung to him, my joy, my pleasure, my exhilaration oozing out of every pore. I felt as though I didn't need Puck to carry me; there were wings on my heart that could fly me to the moon.

But Puck jerked to a stop in midair and the laughter died on my lips as the wings on my heart withered away. Fear laced the icy wind that whipped through the air.

It was the beast. And it was very much alive.