AN~ Finally, on to my favorite of my stories! Updates will be slow because my computer is broken and my dad refuses to buy a new one, meaning that I have to go to his office and use that computer. I'm hoping that if I bother him enough, he'll give in and buy me a laptop.
Also: I have mentioned previously that a year has passed since book six. I take that back. It's been a few months.
The next day, Charming and Snow were walking surreptitiously through the Grimm's backyard in the rain, when they stopped short because Sabrina was also outside.
This would not be overly strange if not for the fact that she wore no shoes and no raincoat, just a big green hoodie over a pair of jeans.
"Hi." Sabrina said brightly. "Beautiful day, isn't it?"
Charming looked around at the dreary gray sky, the rippling puddles, the rain and the way it sucked the color out of everything, then glanced back at Sabrina skeptically and said, "Ahhh...no."
Sabrina glanced at him, raising her eyebrows. "You don't like the rain, then?"
Charming shook his head. "Not particularly."
He jumped when the sun suddenly started shining directly over his head, and stared at Sabrina, who was smiling serenely, still surrounded by raindrops.
Snow only blinked a few times before she said, "Can we com in, Sabrina? I want to talk to your family."
"All of us?" Sabrina raised an eyebrow, acting slightly more in character. "That might be hard to do, but we can try."
"Aren't you forbidden from having magic because of an addiction or something?" Charming asked, following Sabrina towards the house.
Sabrina shrugged. "Tell that to my body."
"What?" Snow asked.
"I'll explain during that meeting. I have to tell Bella anyway." Sabrina said, opening the door. "Go in the kitchen, Granny's there. I'll find everybody else."
Snow and Charming shrugged and walked to the kitchen. There they greeted Relda, who directed them to the dining room to wait impatiently as the family Grimm, along with Puck, Red, and Bella slowly filed into the room and seated themselves in chairs or leaned against the walls until Relda instructed them to get chairs from the kitchen and living room.
Once everyone was finally settled in, Granny Relda spoke up.
"Now," She said, "What's this all about?"
"We're here for two reasons." Snow said. "I'd like to talk to you about a school, and Billy-"
"Needs your help." Charming cut in. "But Snow can go first."
"All right, about this school." Veronica said.
"Well," Snow started, "I've had the idea for this for quite some time, and now that we know the public school will be not be opening in time for this year's term-"
"How do we know?" Puck interrupted.
"Intelligence and a lack of faculty being hired." Charming replied.
"I thought intelligence was how smart you were." Daphne said.
"It also means spies." Sabrina explained.
"Anyway." Snow said pointedly, "I've approached several other everafters who I know can be trusted that may be interested, and they have all agreed to join me in starting a give-and-take school."
"A what?" Henry asked.
"A give-and-take school." Snow repeated. "It's-"
She was cut off by the ringing of the doorbell. Sabrina stood up to get it, but Jake stopped her with a hand on her chest.
"I'll get it, 'Brina." He said. "School doesn't affect me."
"Thanks." Sabrina said, sitting back down again. "Now about that school."
"It's a private school of sorts, but there isn't a set tuition. You just give the school something it needs. For example, Alice is donating a location." Snow said. "I was wondering if-"
She was interrupted again by a tall, thin, unpleasant-looking woman entering the room. Sabrina and Daphne jumped up in shock, running to the other side of the table and shouting in unison, "Ms. Smirt!"
Ms. Smirt smiled nastily at the girls, then looked at Granny Relda. "I'm here to take the girls back."
"You have no right to do that!" Granny exclaimed.
"Oh yes I do." Ms. Smirt said triumphantly. "For one thing, you don't have custody of them anymore, we established that in the city. Also, they have received insufficient schooling here, and as no new school is to open in town, I am perfectly authorized to take the children back to a place where they will be properly educated."
"Well, if that's the problem," Snow said, "I have the perfect solution. These are the girl's parents, and I'm discussing the plans for the private school I plan to open as we speak."
Ms. Smirt's eyes lit up. "Would you care to tell me about this school?"
Snow opened her mouth to speak, and Ms. Smirt interrupted.
"In private, if you don't mind." She said, pulling Snow away.
"Well, while the intruder's gone," Sabrina said, rushing for Snow's seat at the table and tussling over it with Puck briefly (the fight ended with both of them squished on the chair together, uncomfortable, but satisfied) "I have a bit of news to share with Bella and Charming. Snow should probably be here, but we can fill her in later."
"Fill her in on what?" Charming asked.
"On my being an everafter." Sabrina said hurriedly, getting it out before she lost her courage. She looked at Bella apologetically. "Sorry I didn't tell you, but I didn't think I could trust you at first, and then I got in that fight with Puck, then I went outside this morning, and then..."
"It's all right." Bella said, but she looked a little hurt.
Charming, however, was looking at Sabrina like she was crazy. "Is this some kind of joke?" He asked.
Sabrina rolled her eyes and fanned out her wings.
"Ow!" Puck muttered, rubbing his head where Sabrina's wings had hit him.
Sabrina looked at him apologetically, then glanced at Charming. "Believe me now?"
Charming stared at the wings. "But... there hasn't been a new everafter since..."
"Dorothy and company." Baba Yaga interrupted. "But when she went to New York City, she had an incident with a fairy cocoon, and it changed her so that she didn't die."
"And why are you here?" Charming asked. "This is an obvious show of choosing sides."
"I chose sides from the moment I put up the barrier." Baba Yaga said. "And when my house is attacked by the other side, I think the Grimms are a little better companions, especially when they have a post-natal fairy."
"Natal?" Daphne whipered to Sabrina.
"Birth." Sabrina replied.
Charming, of course, wanted an explanation, and the adults proceeded to fill in the holes of each other's knowledge while the kids sat back and listened impatiently, as they already knew most of this. It wasn't until Charming started telling them what had been happening that Sabrina started paying attention.
Charming had been sending someone down to the Grimm's monthly since they'd left the town proper a few months ago. So far they had learned that he was setting up a camp for everafter that were either sympathetic to their cause (defeating the Scarlet Hand) or had lost their homes, and that a makeshift army was in the process of being formed, at a speed that drove Charming crazy.
He now explained that Snow wanted to start the school partly because it ws a lifelong dream, partly to give the Grimm girls training the desperately needed if they were going to survive, and as a way to whip the army into shape, since they had gotten absolutely nowhere since the June report.
"So will you join me?" Snow asked, returning to the group after showing Ms. Smirt to the door.
"Well, we still don't know quite as much as I'd like to." Veronica said. "But it sounds interesting."
"Will she let you do it?" Sabrina asked, nodding towards Ms. Smirt's retreating car. "She had the look in her eye that said she was getting ready to destroy your happiness."
"Oh, she'll let me." Snow said. "She has no choice. But she has a few conditions."
"Which are...?" Puck asked.
"I was going to tell you when you interrupted." Snow said, staring at her occupied chair.
Sabrina and Puck untangled themselves from each other and the chair hurriedly, looking embarrassed.
"Anyway." Snow said, sitting down gracefully, "She pointed out that, as there are only six qualified teachers in town, and I plan on having a nine-period schedule, I require at least three more teachers, and since I would like it if several of the students to teach a class which they're interested in, it is necessary for each of the students to take a crash course on teaching before they enter. Her conditions are that she teach that class, and that I run every single plan for the school by her before I put it into action."
"Wait." Daphne said. "She's staying here?"
"That's so unfair!" Sabrina said when Snow nodded. "I thought we were finally rid of her!"
"I know, and I'm sorry, but it's better than New York again, isn't it?" Snow coaxed.
"I guess." Sabrina muttered grudgingly.
"Good." Snow smiled a little, then continued. "Now, the school requires that something be quarterly donated for each person who enters as tuition. That means that you would essentially be paying for four students with supplies of some sort."
"What about me?" Bella asked.
"Your father will be one of the teachers." Snow explained. "That grandfathers you in automatically."
"Wait- you mean the frog prince?" Daphne asked. "Isn't she in the Scarlet Hand?"
Snow nodded. "But all but two of the certified teachers in town are, so I have to hire them. This means that Toby and Natalie will be going to school with you all, too."
There was a collective groan, and Bella whimpered slightly. Sabrina discreetly put a hand on her arm and squeezed it lightly.
"What exactly would you like us to donate?" Granny asked.
"Well, you have books." Snow said. "I was hoping some of them might be textbooks or maybe the sort of thing we could use to make a school library, for one thing. We also need furniture- desks and chairs mostly, but some bigger tables and bookshelves-, people to cook and serve lunches, food, help moving things into the building, at least one maintenance worker, and sports equipment for the gym class."
"We can find four of those things." Granny said thoughtfully. "I can cook and provide food-"
"I can help." Veronica added. "It'll get me out of the house."
"And the books, too." Granny continued, as if she hadn't been interrupted. "We may be able to supply other things, too."
"Hey, if we aren't paying with money-" Sabrina started.
"Actually, some people will be, since we have electric and water bills to pay, as a private school." Snow cut in.
"Well, if most people aren't paying with money," Sabrina amended, "How exactly do the teachers survive?"
"They'll live in the school." Snow said. "It's the apartment building Alice used to rent out to humans, but since there aren't any of them left in town, she's open to converting it into a school, and leaving the top floor for teacher apartments. That's actually why most of our teachers agreed to work for us. They needed money, too."
Granny nodded. "That makes sense. Would we be cooking for them, too?"
"No." Snow said. "They can reheat leftovers."
"Speaking of our donations." Jake put in, "We should probably all help out somehow, maybe take a semester. You never know when a teacher's certification will come in handy."
Snow smiled. "I was hoping you would say that. We're a little short on students, as you might imagine."
"Which brings me to my reason for coming." Charming intervened. "We need more allies. I have no idea what the Scaret Hand is up to at the moment, but-"
"I do." Bella interrupted.
"What?" Charming stared at Bella, as if just noticing that she was there.
"She said she knows what they're planning." Sabrina said.
Charming nodded, inviting Bella to speak.
Bella cleared her throat, blushing a little as everyone looked at her. "Honestly, they're trying to do the same thing you are. They want to make sure they have as many everafters on their side as possible. And the ones they can't convert, they're going to try and eliminate. They really don't want a war with the other everafters. And according to my parents, they won't be ready for a war for almost two years. I heard some of their plans, but I think they know I heard them, so you probably won't get any use out of them."
Charming nodded. "That's useful." When Snow looked at him pointedly, he added hurriedly, "Thank you."
"You're improving!" Daphne said cheerfully.
"Shhh!" Sabrina muttered. "If you draw attention to it, he might do it less!"
"Anyway." Charming said, "That gives us time to prepare. It would be so useful if we could just leave the town to track down the other everafters and convince them to help us, but-"
"I think we can." Baba Yaga said, staring at Sabrina.
Sabrina squirmed as everyone followed Baba Yaga's gaze to her.
"Is there something you'd like to share, Sabrina?" Veronica asked.
"All right, I lied!" Sabrina burst out. "Well, not lied, but- withheld information. That's it."
"And this information is...?" Jake asked.
"I can control barriers." Sabrina said. "I've never tried it with big ones, like the one over town, but if I got a good look at it, I might be able to figure out how to get everafters through. I didn't tell you because I didn't want to leave. Sorry."
"I forgive you," Veronica said, "But I'm not sure your father does."
She glanced at Henry, who was looking rather purple in the face, and Sabrina followed her glance. Something would have to be done about him, and soon.
"This would work." Charming said, nodding. "We could send out a few, ones we trust to come back and help us, tell them to tell the other everafters that we need their help, and that we can offer them something the other side can't offer- a way back out of town. Because we can't let the Hand out of the town. That would be a disaster. We'd also have to send emissaries to Wonderland, Neverland, and the Baumlands."
"We have bargaining chips." Snow said, a smile growing slowly on her face. "Sabrina, you may be the best thing to hit our side for a long time."
"Puck would go to Faerie, of course," Charming said, continuing as if Snow hadn't spoken. "Jake could use that trunk of his to visit the scattered people around the world, maybe with someone for backup- Briar, perhaps. Snow-"
"Hm?" Snow looked up.
"Would you go to the Baumlands? I'd go myself, but you're much more likely to get their support. Pick someone to go with you, whoever you want, but not me, I need to hold down the fort, so to speak. And the Hoods could go to Neverland. Lord knows Robin fits in with those boys well. But what about Wonderland?"
"Alice." Snow said. "And Canis. She's experienced, and he's unshakable."
Charming nodded. "That will work. And we're doing our own recruiting here."
"What about backup for Puck?" Sabrina asked.
Puck bristled. "Who said I need backup?"
"I do." Sabrina said, as if that settled the matter.
"You could be his backup." Snow suggested.
Everyone looked at her.
"It would work." She protested. "They'll keep each other in check, Puck is king, and, last I heard, Sabrina's a bit of an idol there for solving that case, being their king's protector, and reading Veronica's speech."
"Who do you know from town?" Granny asked, raising her eyebrows.
"Hamstead keeps in touch." Snow said airily.
"It looks like we have a plan." Sabrina said cheerfully. "If you'll let me go, that is." She added as an afterthought, looking at her parents.
Veronica nodded.
"Oh, I almost forgot." Snow said, "You'll all need to take a placement test for the school, since everyone's coming from such different education levels. If I were you, I'd start studying now. You've gone almost a year with no school at all."
The kids nodded as everyone started going their separate ways. Sabrina snagged her dad's arm on the way out and pulled him aside.
"I need to talk to you." She said. "Now."