AN~ The Bella/Wendell scene was inspired by locklore from deviantart. If you want to see the inspirational image, go to deviantart and search 'sisters grimm cookie'.

Whoa. I've been getting some pretty epic anonymous reviews, guys. They all merit responses.

Puckabrina: Sorry. Not for a while. Give it time. Maybe if I get a boyfriend, I'll be inspired to make them get together sooner. Maybe you could give me constructive criticism anyway? Thanks for proof you read the ANs, by the way.

Cammycrazygirl: I figured that out. Like, right after I posted the chapter. I was like, 'Oh. Duh.' I love Briar. But if you want her alive, you need to have an AU story. That's like, my rule.

StarRose: I'm glad you like it. You made me very happy there. I'll try to update fast. It's just, it's senior year, and I'm swamped. And next month is NaNoWriMo, so I'l be dead to the world then. Also, you have no idea how much I'm actually condensing the school stuff. I went through a month last chapter. And another one here. I know I'm focusing on school too much, but I love this school. It's my bacby. I'll try to make it more plot-focused, though. (By the way, we are nowhere NEAR all the way through. We still have another year before the actual war breaks out!)

"So when's the wedding?" Peaseblossom asked during study group, once they were back in school.

"Dunno." Sabrina said. "I don't think it'll be for a while. Briar's godmothers are a little... overprotective."

"That's true." Puck called from the kitchen. "Hey, Grimm, the Old Lady made cookies! Want some?"

"For real?" Sabrina asked. "Cookies? Sweet!"

She, along with the rest of the study group, headed for the kitchen in a rush. There was a scramble to get at the cookie jar for some time, until most people had gotten at least one cookie, when Wendell grabbed the jar and hauled it away.

"Come on, Wendell." Daphne whined. "Some of us haven't had any yet."

"Actually, you've had two already." Puck said. "Ignoring that, though, Wendell, you really don't need to be eating the whole jar. Like, at all."

"Ouch, that was harsh." Sabrina said. "Please, Wendell? Even if Daphne had some already, I haven't."

Wendell, with half a cookie hanging out of his mouth, shook his head stubbornly.

Bella sighed. "This calls for drastic measures. Come on, guys."

"So, what's your plan?" Daphne asked.

Bella shook her head, her finger on her lips. "You'll see." She smiled.

Sabrina tugged Daphne and Puck through the doorway. Bella followed for a time, and Wendell seemed to relax. However, halfway to the door, Bella turned around and returned to Wendell. She walked towards him slowly, the oddest look on her face. Wendell, nervous, backed up until he bumped into the table as Bella kept approaching. Finally, she ended up less than three inches away from his face.

Daphne squeaked quietly, and Sabrina shushed her absently, watching Bella.

Wendell stared at Bella as she leaned forward carefully, turning her head to the side a little. Finally, when their noses were almost touching, she jerked away quickly. Shocked, Wendell dropped the cookie jar- directly into Bella's waiting hands.

Bella, with half of Wendell's cookie shoved into her mouth, walked away, her hips swinging, as the study group laughed and congratulated her.

"I'm gonna get your for that!" Wendell threatened, watching her retreating hips.

"Nice one." Sabrina said, reaching into the cookie jar. "Aw, Wendell!" She complained. "There's only like, three left! Why'd you make such a fuss? I hadn't had any yet!"

"Who else hasn't had any?" Bella asked, putting the jar on the coffee table. "And be honest, please."

"I didn't." Red said quietly. "But that's it."

"We'll each take one, then." Sabrina said. "Granny can always make more."

"Exactly!" Wendell complained, entering the living room. "That's why I wanted the rest!" He walked over to Bella, wearing an uncharacteristic leer.

Now it was Bella's turn to back up. She did so, saying nervously, "Now, Wendell, let's not get violent. It was only a cookie!"

Wendell said nothing, simply backing Bella against the coffee table and kissing her smack on the lips.

"Ew!" Puck groaned. "Get a room, guys!"

Most of the rest of the study group, however, was wolf-whistling, cheering, clapping, or saying 'Aw!'

When Wendell broke off the kiss, Bella stared at him for a minute, her face turning redder and redder, then she ran off without saying a word.

"Bella, wait!" Wendell called, but the only response was the slamming of Bella's bedroom door.

"Crud." Wendell muttered, his face turning as red as Bella's had been.

"Hey, you tried, buddy." Peter clapped him on the shoulder, and the study group settled back down to its normal routine, minus Bella.

The normal routine, however, couldn't continue correctly, because it was made up of several kep components: the people who needed help with math went to Puck; history, Peaseblossom; French- or any other language- Daphne; English, Alice; gym, Sabrina; and Science tutorees went to Bella. However, with Bella in her room, those people had no one to turn to for help.

"Sabrina!" Jane, who had become the organizational person for the group, came up to her, looking frazzled. "Do you know anyone else that's good at science? I've got, like, twenty people who need help, and I'm no good at it, and anyway, I have homework of my own to do!"

"Why don't you just ask if anyone's good at science?" Sabrina asked. "You're more in charge than I am!"

"I organize." Jane said. "But you're in charge. Who's good at science?"

"Ummm... Wendell!" Sabrina called.

"What?" Wendell poked his head up from the group around Peaseblossom.

"You're in charge of sciece today, because Bella's not here and, as far as I can tell, it's your fault." Sabrina said. "Besides, you're pretty good at it."

Wendell made a face, but didn't complain, sighing and turning to the group that had been following Jane. "All right, guys. I'm your substitute science tutor. Come on."

The kids followed Wendell away, and Sabrina returned to showing some of the lost boys the finer points of volleyball.

That evening, Sabrina knocked on the door to Bella's room. "Can I come in?" She asked.

"Sure." Bella mumbled from the other side of the door.

"I brought you some food." Sabrina said, pushing the door open. "Since you didn't come down for dinner."

"Not hungry." Bella mumbled into her pillow.

Sabrina rolled her eyes and sat down on the bed. "I'll just leave it on your bedside table, then. In case you get hungry later."

"Fine, I'll eat it." Bella said, sitting up and taking the plate from Sabrina, who hadn't made a move to actually put it down. "Who cooked tonight?"

"Mom." Sabrina said, watching as Bella ate. After a brief silence, she spoke up, "What was up earlier? With Wendell?"

Bella groaned. "I don't know!"

"I thought you liked him!" Sabrina said. "But then when... well... you ran away!" She was struck with a strong sense of deja vu.

"I do like him!" Bella protested. "I do! It's just..."

"Just what?" Sabrina prompted, when it was clear Bella wasn't going to continue on her own.

"It was unexpected." Bella sighed, her dinner forgotten. "And in front of all those people! It was embarassing, especially losing control of the situation like that. So I ran, because I was mortified, and I didn't want to do anything in front of all those people. And after I ran, I couldn't come back down, and I couldn't call Wendell up here and..."

There was another silence while Bella thought, then Sabrina said, "So what are you going to do about it?"

"I don't know!" Bella wailed. "And there's nobody I can talk to about it, either!"

"You're talking to me." Sabrina pointed out, a little amused.

"I mean, somone who knows about relationships! No offense, Sabrina, but you've never had a boyfriend or anything, so..."

"I get it." Sabrina smiled a little sadly, thinking of Puck. If he asked... But no. She didn't want to be tied down. Besides, they were talking about Bella now. "What about Granny?"

"She's only ever been with your grandpa, hasn't she? And I don't think he up and kissed her in front of all her friends before even telling her if he liked her or not!" Bella made a face. "Not particularly useful."

"True." Sabrina said. "Well, at least you can vent to me. Maybe we can come up with some ideas for what you should do."

"I think I'll just hope he says something." Bella said. "He might not have meant it."

"You don't want to talk about it, do you?" Sabrin accused.

Bella shook her head, shamefaced. "I've thought about it enough. I don't think you can change my mind."

"Fine." Sabrina snapped. "Refuse my comfort/assistance/thing."

"Don't be like that!" Bella said. "You helped, really you did! I just don't want to talk about it anymore. It's embarassing."

"Then what do you want to talk about?" Sabrina asked, smiling a little.

"You." Bella said. "Your love life. I've been monopolizing our boy-conversations for long enough."

"Whoa whoa whoa." Sabrina said, raising her hands. "Back up. Who said I wanted to talk about boys?"

"You did." Bella said. When Sabrina started to protest, she continued. "Not out loud, but everyone wants to talk about their crush. And I can see it in your face sometimes."

Sabrina blushed. "Well, yeah, I have one, but what if I don't want to talk?"

"You want to." Bella said. "Besides, I want to hear it. You know everything about my crush! Now tell me about yours!"

Sabrina sighed, but gave in. "Do you even know who it is?" She asked.

"I can guess." Bella said. "Puck?"

"Why does everyone think that?" Sabrina asked, "Am I that easy to see through?"

"Is that a yes?" Bella asked.

Sabrina nodded, blushing bright red. "Please don't tell him."

"Are you going to?" Bella asked.

"Not planning on it." Sabrina said. "That'd be so awkward."

"So when did you start liking him?" Bella asked, sitting up and grabbing her fork.

"Start liking him or know I liked him?" Sabrina asked.

"Both." Bella said, spearing a piece of chicken and biting into it.

"I knew I liked him on the first day of school." Sabrina said. "When I came back from talking with Momma and was all awkward around Puck? That was when. I think I actually started liking him the first day he came to school last year."

"Last year?" Bella asked. "You are so clueless!"

"Well, it wasn't like he made it easy!" Sabrina said. "He was so annoying, and then we were friends and-"

"I get it." Bella smiled. "It's just funny, is all."

Sabrina stuck her tongue out at Bella. "You don't think Wendell's funny."

"I wasn't in denial with Wendell for a year." Bella said. "Maybe a week. But that's it. Has anything happened between you two?"

"I'm leaving now." Sabrina said loftily. "I have better things to talk about than this."

"Aw, come on, spill!" Bella called after Sabrina, who left for her bedroom without saying another word.

The rest of the marking period passed with no progress between Bella and Wendell. They, as Bella had suggested, both waited for the other to bring up the subject, and, as a result, ended up not speaking to each other at all, though their friends often caught them giving each other longing looks- missed by each other, unfortunately.

"This is so stupid!" Puck complained one day. "We all know they like each other, why don't they know it?"

"Ask yourself that." Red told him, looking at Sabrina.

"That is a completely different matter." Puck told Red. "We're talking about Wendell and Bella being thickheaded right now."

"Can't we just make them tell each other?" Daphne asked.

"No." Sabrina said. "We shouldn't interfere."

"We interfered with Uncle Jake and Briar." Daphne pointed out.

"That was different." Sabrina said.

"How?" Daphne asked.

"They were already together." Red said. "And I think Sabrina's afraid if you do that to them, you'll do it to her."

"Bella and Wendell, remember, Red?" Sabrina said tightly. "We're not talking about me or Puck now."

"Right." Red smiled. "So, are we going to do anything?"

"Hope." Sabrina said. "Let them work it out on their own. It's none of our business, no matter how infuriating it is."

The marking period moved on, and by the time it was over, though Bella and Wendell weren't together yet, the students were accomplished in other areas. Sabrina, Puck, Bella, and Wendell were all through ninth grade English, through the Great Depression in U.S. history, and significantly through world history, which they were expected to be done with by the end of the year, as were most of the other students who looked their age in the school. Daphne and Red, as well as the others their age, were through sixth grade English, and at the same level of history. Puck was even further along in math, and Bella was progressing rapidly in science, pulling Puck along behind her.

And so they slipped into the third marking period, which was shaping up to be utterly different.

"I'm cutting your study hall." Snow White told them.

"What?" Sabrina yelped. "I need that!"

"You'll be fine. You're all progressing far faster than I expected. But I think you need a broader scope. I can either double up on your English class, or we can see about putting in some electives." Snow said. "It's not just you, I'm cutting all the study halls. We have enough certified teachers, we don't need you taking them, and half the students aren't using them."

"Stupid people ruining it for the rest of us." Puck muttered.

"You were the one shooting spitballs at Toby and Natalie yesterday." Red pointed out.

"Moving past that." Snow said, "I've brought you all here because you're my most hardworking students. I was wondering if any of you would like to sponsor a class during the study halls?"

"Like what?" Daphne asked.

"Art, or music, or another language, or anythign that can be taught, really." Snow said. "Maybe a home economics class."

"Red could teach art!" Daphne said. "She's really good at it!"

Red blushed. "I don't think I could do that. I get all tense when I talk in front of people."

"What if we had an adult with you?" Snow asked. "They could teach, and you'd be a teacher's helper of sorts."

Red nodded. "All right. But I'd like to learn, too. Can we have that happen?"

"I'm sure we can work that out." Snow smiled. "Any other class ideas?"

"Music." Sabrina said. "Wendell."

"What?" Wendell asked. "No way!"

"I think it's a good idea." Snow said. "We can give you an adult supervisor, too. I don't think you dad has a class that period. That's two out of nine, people!"

"I could teach cooking, I guess." Peaseblossom offered. "And my husband could do finances a different period."

"There we go." Snow said. "We need at least four more, people!"

"How about sewing?" Daphne suggested. "Not me, but maybe an adult?"

"Goldie could do that thing she's always talking about!" Puck said. "Sheng fwee or whatever!"

Jane piped up, "A woodcraft class. Peter could teach it. Or Robin Hood."

"I love volunteering people who aren't here to complain." Sabrina smiled.

Alice grinned at Sabrina, then turned to Snow. "I'll teach one, I guess."

"On what?" Snow asked.

Alice shrugged. "Chess, maybe."

"Can we have a class on chess?" Daphne asked.

"Why not?" Peaseblossom said. "We are in a specialty shcool, after all."

"Aw!" Daphne whined. "I could have done one on making up words!"

"You'll know for next time, then." Sabrina said. "I'm in Wendell's class, then?" She asked Snow.

Snow nodded. "I'll make an announcement tomorrow morning before school starts."

"That'll go over well." Puck snorted.