A/N. Firstly, I'm so sorry if I seem to be ignoring friends –both anonymous and people who have FFs. I most certainly am not –I've just had –as last chapter's A/N implies- a rough week. I just finished my fish project (Yaarrr!) and I'm tired. I just remembered that I promised TheAfterShock an update tonight on FB (in exchange, you'll review this time, I assume?), so I don't want to be a let down. But anyways, I'm glad that you liked my "Steps to Fooling" thing in last update's A/N. XD I plan to follow it forever and ever.

GAH.Why. Won't. Basil. And. Henry. COOPERATE. I tried putting them in this chapter, but GAH. Every time I tried, I kept writing that they find out about DxMSeed's relationship, and they're not supposed to. Yet. D: So, sadly, Veronica is only appearing in this again. But I promise -I'll have more than one chapter where Henry, Basil, Sabrina, Puck, and the other Grimms (though I dunno what's happened to Granny; if she's passed away or not...) appear. I wish I could put Puck or Sabrina in here somehow…

I had a lot of fun writing this chapter anyways. That's the best part of writing -having fun! ^^ I hope those of you who want to join the FF authors on this site keep that in mind.

Sorry, no review replies again. Usually, when I'm on FF, I read reviews, try to remember to reply to them later, upload the chapter, reply to a few PMs, then log off. Really sorry. Hopefully –if time isn't too consuming- will I do reply to them.

Ummmm, one more bad news…this might be my last post in FF. Ever. I just found out that I'm slowly getting arthritis and that I might never be able to type again. So…bye guys.

Chapter 57: The Grocer Has A Secret

"Happy is the heart that still feels pain; Darkness drains and light will come again," I sang quietly to myself, bending over to re-lace my shoes. "Swing open up your chest and let it in. Just let the love, love, love begin."

"You're in a good mood."

My heart leapt into my throat as I quickly erected myself, twisting around on my heel. My mom raised her eyebrow at me. My face blazed and I quickly ducked my head to hide my blush.

"In fact, you've been in a good mood all week," my mom commented thoughtfully. "And you're ditching me tonight, even though I'm home…"

I looked back up at her with a frown. "Sorry…"

She held up her hand. "Hey, you made plans first. It's not like I'm going to make you cancel them. Besides, if my hunch is right, you wouldn't cancel these plans anyway."

"What hunch?"

She smirked, giving me that awfully creepy, knowing smile. "Rhymes with Fister Lemaiy."

"Sorry mom, I don't know any nun named Sister Tremain," I responded cheekily, feeling my face heat up again. She was too smart for her own good.

My mom laughed. "Good one. How are you getting there?"

"He's coming to pick me up."

"That works out perfectly! I have to go back to work later, so I need the car," she explained. "It's going to be a very late night. I probably won't be back until the early morning… Why don't you ask Mustardseed if you can stay at my night?"

I looked at my mom in shock. "What? No, mom. I'm not asking that."

The doorbell suddenly went off, startling me. My mom grinned widely and locked gazes with me. I knew at once what she was planning to do. We both started for the door at the same time.

"Mom!" I called after her. "Mom, no!"

"I'm just answering the door, Daphne!" my mom responded, giving me an amused look from over her shoulder.

Before I knew exactly what happened, I found myself lying face-first on the ground. A groan of pain escaped my lips just as I heard the front door open. My mom greeted Mr. Firay enthusiastically as I glared at the floor in front of me, cursing my clumsiness. I had tripped over the rug.

"Daphne, get off the floor," my mom ordered. "That's rude."

Mr. Firay chuckled as I pushed myself back to my feet, brushing off my shirt. It was just my luck I decided to wear black. It brought out the dirt fantastically. My mom disappeared from the hall, leaving Mr. Firay and I alone. He smirked at me and I felt my cheeks heat up.

"You're coming with me to the grocery store," Mr. Firay informed me, swinging his keys around on his finger. "Hope you don't mind."

"I don't," I said quickly, causing his smirk to grow.

"Okay, Mustardseed, I have Daphne's bag here," my mom said, suddenly reappearing with my backpack in hand. "It's got everything she needs."

I stared at her in bewilderment. "What? For what?"

"Staying over, silly," my mom responded, rolling her eyes. "I told you I'm working late. Your father's out again, and Basil's at a friend's house, so someone has to watch over you."

"But— but," I spluttered, turning to Mr. Firay, to my mom, and back again. "Wait a second. Did you guys have this all planned out before hand?"

Mr. Firay gave my mom a secret smile. "It seems like I'm the favorite babysitter, Daphne."

"Babysitter?" I repeated incredulously.

My mom quickly clapped her hands together. "Mustardseed, didn't you say you had to go to the supermarket? If you don't hurry, it will close."

"It's only seven!"

Mr. Firay glanced at me, raising an eyebrow. "I guess we should get going. Here, I'll take Daphne's bag." He held out his hand to my mom, taking the backpack from her hands. "Ready, Daphne?"

"Yeah," I muttered, shooting my mom a dirty look. She had this all set up.

Mr. Firay dipped his head to my mom. "Nice seeing you again, Veronica."

"You too!" my mom chirped. "Come by for dinner sometime! Daphne's not the only one who likes your company."

"Mom!"

Mr. Firay chuckled, hoisting my bag over his shoulder. "I can take a hint. We'll make plans soon. Take care." He turned and went out to the car, leaving my mom and me alone.

"You're creepy, you know that?" I said, frowning at her.

My mom only smiled in return. "Daphne, guys like Mustardseed don't come around every day. He's a once in a lifetime catch, honey. When I met your father, it was the same for us. I don't want you to lose him. And he doesn't seem to want to lose you either."

I blushed slightly, ducking my head, and murmuring an incoherent agreement.

"Besides, he is a good person to have around to baby-sit you," my mom continued in a thoughtful voice. "He's very reliable."

"Bye mom," I said, brushing by her. I was eighteen. I didn't need a babysitter.

My mom laughed. "Bye, Daphne."

By the time I climbed into the passenger seat, Mr. Firay had already buckled and turned on the car. As soon as I snapped my seatbelt he pulled out of my driveway. The radio was off, leaving us in an awkward silence. My mind raced, trying to think of something to say to fill the quiet.

"Your mom's something, huh?" Mr. Firay started, sparing me a glance. "She's funny."

I grunted in responding, causing him to laugh. "She's kind of crazy. It's like she expects us to get married," I told him, glancing out the window.

"I wouldn't mind."

My head snapped towards him so fast, it cricked. Rubbing it, I stared at him with wide-eyes. "What?"

Mr. Firay glanced at me from the corner of his eye. "Not now, but in the future, I wouldn't mind."

"Really?"

"Is it that hard to believe?"

I shook my head quickly. "No! Well, yes. Or rather… I don't know," I mumbled, embarrassed.

Mr. Firay chuckled. "Daphne, I love you. Why wouldn't I want to marry you? You're just too young right now."

My heart skipped a beat, and for a moment I lost all train of thought. I didn't think I'd ever get used to having Mr. Firay say those three words so casually. Finally his words registered, and I pursed my lips. "You're not."

He smirked. "Daphne, we haven't even gone a date yet. We can discuss the future in the future."

"True," I responded, grinning at him. From the corner of my eye I saw the supermarket whiz by. "Um, Mr. Firay?"

He didn't respond. I frowned slightly. "Mr. Firay?"

Still no answer.

"Mr. Firay!"

"Sorry, my father isn't here right now," he responded in a business-like voice. "Please leave a message after the beep."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "Sorry, sorry. Matt?"

"Yes, Ms. Grimm?" he responded, shooting me a sweet smile.

"I thought you said we were going to the grocery store?"

"We are."

"We just passed it…"

Mr. Firay shook his head slightly. "We can't go to that one."

"Why not?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows. "Is it closed?"

He laughed. "No, it's open. But if we went there, there's a chance that someone from school might see us. A lot of students work there."

"Oh," I said in realization, a frown slipping onto my face. "Then where are we going?"

"Two towns over."

My frown grew deeper. We had to go two towns over just to go grocery shopping? It would have just been easier for Mr. Firay to do it by himself. I looked out the window, watching the streetlights as we drove under them. "Do you think it's going to snow this month?"

"Snow?" Mr. Firay repeated.

"You know, the cold stuff that falls from the sky—"

"Atmospheric water vapor that's frozen into ice crystals. I'm a teacher, Daphne –I even skipped a few grades in school. I know what snow is," Mr. Firay interjected.

"So, are you going to answer my question?"

"It might flurry, but probably nothing that will stick," he told me. "Maybe around Christmas if it's cold enough."

I blinked. Christmas? My hand shot to my phone in my pocket. The date read December fourth. Christmas was in less than twenty-one days. "What do you do for Christmas, Mr. Firay?"

"I don't know," he responded simply.

"Well, what did you do last year?"

"Well, not much considering I was in jail…" He trailed off, sending me an amused look.

I grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, I forgot."

"Don't be sorry," Mr. Firay responded, letting out a bark of laughter. "I'd rather you forget."

"Well what did you do the year before that?" I tried again.

"I spent it with Daphne," he told me, his voice lowering considerably. I could almost pick up a tone of guilt.

It was hard not to smile. Mr. Firay didn't like talking about Daphne with me. Not that I could blame him— heck, I didn't want to talk about her with him either. She was a taboo subject. She was a likable person, but it was just too awkward to talk about her.

"Um, if you want… I bet my mom wouldn't mind if you wanted to have Christmas dinner and stuff at my house," I murmured, growing hot. "You know... only if you want to. You don't have to."

Suddenly Mr. Firay took a sharp right, sending my head into the window. I winced, pulling my head away from the glass. Mr. Firay threw me an entertained look. "Sorry. Almost missed the turn."

"I kind of figured."

"But about Christmas… I want to go."

My eyes widened. "Really?"

"Really. Daphne, you're really doubtful about my decisions, aren't you?" he accused, pulling into the parking lot of a grocery store I've never heard of.

"That's not it!" I denied instantly. "It just seems… Too good to be true."

The sound of the engine died out and Mr. Firay turned to me. A smirk was playing at his lips as he leaned over his seat towards me. "And why is that?"

I did my best to keep my face composed. With Mr. Firay so near, my heart beat had increased tenfold. "I don't know," I responded truthfully. "Whenever I think of us, I think of those crazy romance novels where something like this could only happen."

Mr. Firay raised an eyebrow. "So we're like a couple in a crazy romance novel?"

I nodded. "You're the cool guy that everyone wants, and I'm girl who somehow ends up with him, even though there's nothing special about me."

"Well it's a good thing we aren't characters in a romance novel," Mr. Firay stated. "We're nothing like that. I'm the one who's lucky to have you. Now come on, the grocery store is calling."

After an awful, freezing minute walk from the car to the store we entered, Mr. Firay grabbing a basket from the rack in the front of the store. I glanced down the row of cashiers, searching for anyone I recognized. Luckily, no one looked familiar. Mr. Firay started walking away from me, and I quickly hurried to catch up.

"Mr. Firay, what are you getting?"

"Depends on what you want," he responded, glancing over his shoulder at me. "What do you want to eat?"

I looked at him in surprise. "I get to choose?"

"That's why I'm asking."

"Can we have…" I hesitated, trying to think of something that wasn't steak. "Er… Tacos?"

Mr. Firay abruptly stopped, causing me to run into him. He chuckled and took a step forwards as I rubbed my nose. "Tacos?" he repeated, sounding interested. "It's been a while since I've made those. Let's try it." Without warning, Mr. Firay grabbed my hand and began tugging me down aisle ten.

My face heated up as I hurried to keep up with him. Was holding hands in such a public place such a good idea? Mr. Firay stopped in front of the Mexican section, staring down a box of taco shells and seasoning.

"Should I buy pre-made?" he murmured to himself, squinting at the box. "Maybe it's our best bet… Daphne, do you think you can find the cheese and lettuce? I'll grab the hamburger and the other stuff and meet you in the bakery. Which is on the far right of the store," he explained pointing towards the area. "The vegetables and cheese are there too."

Reluctantly, I let go of his hand. "Sure."

He grinned at me. "What? Don't want to let go of my hand?"

"No," I denied, quickly turning away. "See you soon."

It was a straight shot to the vegetable section. Luckily for me, the lettuce was right next to the cheese. Suddenly something flashed by the corner of my eye. I spun around quickly, my heart jumping in alarm, but found nothing. Warily I took a few steps backwards, still looking around.

"Boo!"

A loud, piercing shriek left my mouth as I twisted around in horror, half-expecting Bryant to be standing there. When my eyes landed on a familiar blonde, I was relieved, then angry. I aimed a kick at his shin. "Sage! You scared the crap out of me!"

Sage laughed, easily avoiding my assault. "Obviously. Otherwise you wouldn't have screamed so loudly. I'm sure the whole store heard that."

"What are you doing here?" I asked with a frown.

Sage looked pointedly at his chest. I followed his gaze, realizing he was wearing a black apron. A little nametag was placed on the right side of his chest, reading Sage R.

"You work here?" I asked rhetorically.

Sage nodded. "I have to pay for college somehow."

"You go to college?"

"You don't know anything about me, do you?" Sage asked with a sigh. "After all that we've been through… You'd think I'd leave a lasting impression."

I rolled my eyes at him. "We don't ever talk about you, Mr. Secretive Grocer."

"I know," Sage responded with a grin. He took the lettuce from my hand and weighed it with his palm. "So are you here alone?"

"No, um, Mr. Firay is here too."

"Matt is here? With you?"

"Yep."

Sage suddenly had a huge grin on his face. "Really? That's great!" He suddenly threw himself at me, nearly knocking me off my feet as he gave me a giant bear hug. He squeezed me so hard that I found it difficult to breathe. "So I take it something good happened?"

"Sage," I wheezed, trying to get him to let go. "You're killing me."

"What?"

I struggled to push him off me. "I can't breathe!"

"I can't hear you," he sang, holding me tighter.

I opened my mouth to protest again, but Sage was abruptly pulled away from me. He looked behind me and grinned sheepishly. I didn't have to turn around to know it was Mr. Firay.

"Hey, Matt," Sage greeted.

"Sage," Mr. Firay responded in an irritated voice. "Mind telling me why you tried strangling Daphne?"

"I'm just happy!"

"I'd hate to see what you'd do when you're on cloud nine," Mr. Firay muttered, putting a hand on my shoulder. "Did you get the cheese and lettuce?

I pointed to Sage's hand, turning around to look at him. "He's got the lettuce. I've got the cheese. And I thought we were meeting at the bakery."

Mr. Firay gave me a flat look. "After you screamed, I figured something was wrong so I followed the source of the noise. Good thing I did, otherwise Sage might have actually killed you."

"I would not have," Sage protested, sniffing. "Well, if I did it would have been an accident."

I smiled wryly at him. "You sound so concerned."

He shrugged. "Que sera sera. Anyway, what are you two doing tonight?"

Mr. Firay raised the basket in his hand. "Making tacos."

"Oh, can I come?"

"Nope," Mr. Firay drawled, reaching over and yanking the lettuce out of Sage's hand. "You better get back to work."

Sage turned to me, pouting. "Daphne?" he said in a begging voice.

I stared back at him, biting my lip. He jutted his lower lip, giving me the puppy dog look, and took a step closer to me. Mr. Firay sent me a meaningful look and I quickly ducked my head. "It's Mr. Firay's house. I can't just invite you over."

Mr. Firay smirked as Sage's expression fell. He crossed his arms and turned his back to me. "I see how it is, Daphne."

"Aw, Sage—"

"Nope, nope, I understand," he said, holding up his hands. "You two don't need me anymore."

"Sage that's not it," I protested, grabbing the back of his apron. "What are you talking about?"

Sage glanced at me from over his shoulder. "Now that you two are together you want me out of the picture."

"Yep," Mr. Firay responded just as I cried, "No!"

Sage raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Don't listen to Mr. Firay," I told Sage, shooting Mr. Firay a dirty look. "I don't want you out of the picture."

"But I want you out of the picture."

I stared at Sage incredulously. "Huh?"

Sage took a step closer to me, looking menacing. I took a step back, eyeing him warily. Sage sighed, shaking his head. "You see, Daphne. I want Matt for myself. We're destined to be lovers and I— oof!" Sage doubled over, clutching his stomach as Mr. Firay punched him in the gut.

"Sage, go be stupid somewhere else," Mr. Firay demanded, grabbing my hand. "We're leaving."

"I see you still can't take a joke," Sage wheezed, looking up and grinning at Mr. Firay.

Mr. Firay scowled as I blushed, remembering the time I had blurted out that Mr. Firay wanted to be with Sage.

"Daphne, let's make plans to go somewhere soon. Maybe take Shaine and Sairi somewhere," Sage said, brushing his hair out of his face.

A smile spread across my face. "Sure!"

"Let's go," Mr. Firay ordered, tugging on my hand. "I want to get something for dessert."

"May I suggest the chocolate mousse cake?" Sage called as Mr. Firay started dragging me away.

"I don't like chocolate," Mr. Firay responded. "Goodbye, Sage."

I looked up at Mr. Firay in surprise. "You don't like chocolate?" How could someone not like chocolate?

"Some of it is okay, but most of it is too sweet for me," Mr. Firay explained.

"Too sweet?" I repeated in a skeptical tone. "Coming from the man who uses three pounds of sugar in his coffee?"

Mr. Firay smirked down at me. "Hey, sugar and chocolate are completely different."

I laughed. "Whatever you say, Mr. Firay."

"Matt," he said forcefully. "Daphne, call me Matt."

My cheeks blazed and I ducked my head. "Sorry, um, Matt."

"That's better," he responded, emitting a low chuckle. "I like the sound of that much bet— shit."

Before I knew what was happening, Mr. Firay shoved me to the side with enough force to send me toppling away. I fell behind a large display of cereal, landing painfully on my wrist. When I looked up to glare at Mr. Firay, I saw him with an eerily familiar person. My eyes nearly bulged out of my sockets when I realized it was Puck. Both of them stared at each other.

"Puck?"

"Mustardseed?"

Mr. Firay blinked. "You…you've gotten a lot bigger."

Puck rubbed the back of his neck, looking a bit awkward. "I guess so. What are you doing here?"

Mr. Firay held up his basket. "Getting dinner."

I scrambled to my feet and quickly turned, sprinting down the aisle. My heart thudded in my chest as I pushed open the door and jogged outside. The cold air instantly sent goose bumps up my arms, and I pulled my jacket tighter, heading towards Mr. Firay's car.

We were two towns over! Why was Puck here? Wait, I forgot he lived in this area with Sabrina! That was too close. A shiver ran through me, and I leaned back against the car, watching my breath come out in white steam. I wonder what they could be talking about. Maybe they were making up after years with no connection of each other? Frowning, I glanced around the dark parking lot, seeing if anyone was around. From what I could see, I was alone… My heart skipped a beat and I groaned, sliding my back down the side of Mr. Firay's car until I was squatting.

The paranoid feeling was back. Even though I knew Bryant was in jail. To stop myself from looking around and freaking out more, I dropped my head into my arms, focusing on the sound of my breathing. No one was out here— there wasn't anything to be paranoid about. Well, besides someone finding Mr. Firay and me together. But other than that, I was safe.

Five minutes later I was literally shivering in my shoes. I plucked at the strings of my jacket, wishing I had a pair of minutes. And a hat. And a scarf. And anything else that could keep me warm.

"Daphne!"

My head snapped up and I saw a figure jogging towards me. As the person grew closer, I noticed it was Mr. Firay, a grocery bag in hand. He slowed to a walk and stopped in front of me, looking annoyed.

"Why did you come out here?" he demanded. "Do you not realize it's only about thirty degrees out?"

I frowned at him. "I couldn't stay in there!"

"You could have waited by the front of the store. It's not weird for two people who know each other to be in the same store," Mr. Firay pointed out, frowning back at me.

"It is if we all known each other in some way! And I don't think Puck was expecting me to be two towns over from where I live," I said to him. "Now, what did you guys talk about?"

He ignored me. "Get up." He held his hand out to me and I grabbed it.

"What did you tell him?"

"I'll tell you in the car… Your hand is freezing," he told me, making a face as he pulled me to my feet.

I blushed. "Sorry."

Mr. Firay rolled his eyes. "Sorry? Come on, get in the car." He unlocked the door for me and opened it.

I climbed in, following his form as he went to the other side of the car, tossing the bag of groceries in the back before hopping in the driver's seat. He quickly turned the key in the engine and flipped the heat on high.

"Give me your hands," he demanded.

Curiously, I moved my hands toward him. He enveloped my hands in his, pulling them into the sleeves of his jacket. Immediately my hands felt much warmer. Mr. Firay smirked at me. "Better?"

Ducking my head, I nodded. "Yeah, thanks."

"Anytime," Mr. Firay told me. "And I'm sorry for pushing you. I was surprised and pushing you away was the first thing I thought of. Are you okay?"

I smiled at him. "I'm okay. But seriously –did you guys make up? Are you connected now? Do you plan on visiting him often now?"

"Maybe, yes, and I don't know. We only had a few minutes before he had to take a call, but don't worry about it. Are you sure you're okay? You're not bruised or anything, right?"

"I'm really okay." His concern brought a blush to my cheeks; I wanted to slap my cheeks to stop blushing, but then I realized I'd look stupid.

"Good," Mr. Firay breathed in relief, oblivious to my internal conflict. "But that was close. I guess if we want to go somewhere together, we'll have to go further." He saw my questioning look and sighed. "It's not that I don't want to see Puck again. It's just that I want to properly talk to him again –not just pass him in the grocery store…"

I looked up at him with a frown. "Is that okay?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Is what okay?"

"Won't that be wasting gas?"

Mr. Firay laughed. "Daphne, us doing stuff together is way more important than how much gas it takes to do so."

My face grew hotter and I looked away from him. "I—I see."

Mr. Firay chuckled, letting go of my hands. "Alright, let's go home."

A/N. Hey, -odd question, but- did anyone watch the KCA Saturday night? I thought this was aggravating, but also funny. They had the awards for Best Movie actress and there was Emma Watson, Kristen Stewart, another girl, and ...man, I'm blanking, but she was in the Muppets movie, and also Enchanted. That redhead. Well, I wanted either her or Emma to win, and I was saying out loud, "PLEASE DON'T HAVE KRISTEN WIN." The TV says, "And the Best Movie actress is: Kristen Stewart!" It was one of those slow-mo moments where someone says, "NOOOOO!" DX And I didn't like her speech at all. She was pretty much like, "Oh, cool, I won. See you, peeps!" Done. *clenching fist* And I had the same deal with Justin Bieber (except his speech was good) -I said, "If Bieber wins, I will cry." TV: "JUSTIN BIEBER!" I was happy he got slimed, though. Wa ha ha.

*coughs* Am I too old for Nickelodeon? Oh well. ANYWAYS...

You know that part where Mustardseed says he wouldn't mind marrying Daphne? When I wrote that, it totally reminded me of this song, and then I realized, most chapter that I write -I listen to a song. So from now on (hopefully), I'll have like a 'Song of the Day', but it's not a question kind of thing. It's more like you guys can find out what songs I like. :D

Double April Fools! Puck did appear in this chapter. (AND YARRR! I ADDED SAGE!) And I do not have arthritis. :D I might be in danger of getting it, though. Because I type too much. Maybe.

You're all getting an update on Wednesday or Thursday, and the next update will either be Monday or Tuesday. Why? I won't be at home from Friday to Monday (we get home Monday, I think) because it's the start of my Spring/Easter Vacation. Yaaay! But that means...*dun dun dun* My inbox will fill up again! D: I hope they have some computers on the ship (or WiFi, but I dunno how that could be possible in the ocean) so I can organize my FF alerts and whatnot...

~LαΓα

Song of the Day: I Wouldn't Mind by He is We