AN~ Ah, dramatic tension. You may hate me more for this chapter than the ending of the last one. Enjoy! :)
Purpleflower23: Thank you, :) And I think getting lazy and just telling you it was a cliffhanger was a good way to make more tension and get rid of tension at the same time, don't you?
AlcoholicGoldfish: I personally think it's worse for Puck and Peter to get along than fight. Scary idea, right there... Curlscat inserting another cliffhanger was an apology for ANOTHER one, and you'll see! ^.^ Thank you!
ANannyMouse: From what I've heard, most people like long reviews, so that's fine with me :) Jane is Wendy's daughter from the last chapter of Peter Pan; Alice is from Alice in Wonderland, yes; and Minette's about sixteen. Thanks for the review!
"How did we miss this?" Sabrina asked, horrified.
Mustardseed shook his head mutely, and the others just stared.
"I mean, how did we not hear it?" Sabrina continued.
Outside, there was a horrific, major-scale battle taking place. And, from the short time the group had been standing there in shock, it looked like the Blue Foot was winning.
"We should go out there." Red said quietly. "Try to help them."
Sabrina nodded, and the two charged out. The others followed more slowly, and they joined the battle.
Sabrina pulled her sword out and transformed it to its fighting mode. "Do you see Puck?" She called to Red, stabbing at a card soldier.
The card soldier turned away from Peaseblossom to Sabrina, and the two started dueling.
Red shook her head, putting her back to Sabrina's. "Not in the sky. And the ground's such a mess..."
Peaseblossom continued to fight the card soldier, and, along with Sabrina, they had him out of commission soon.
"Thanks." She called to Sabrina.
"No problem." Sabrina responded. "Have you seen Daphne?"
"Not since I got out here." Peaseblossom said, turning to help Renee with her partner. "She was heading that way."
Peaseblossom nodded to her left, and Sabrina and Red looked at each other, then headed in that direction, fighting their way awkwardly through the fray.
Their side was not doing well. From what Sabrina could see, none of the Scarlet Hand members were handcuffed, and they were taking full advantage of that.
"We need reinforcements or something!" Red said, ducking under the swing of a sword.
Sabrina nodded, and swung her sword at Red's attacker. "I wish I had, like, a cell phone or something to call Granny with!" She muttered.
The hilt of Sabrina's sword began to glow, which in itself wasn't that surprising, because it glowed when she changed its shape, but the fact that it glowed purple- the color of Granny's sword's stone- gave her pause, and she stared at it, forgetting the battle for a second. The glow faded, and Sabrina was treated to a miniscule view of the kitchen from the dining room table, and Granny's hip.
"Granny!" Sabrina shouted, recovering herself.
Her grandmother spun wildly, then Rapunzel's voice cam from somewhere, "Your sword is glowing blue, Relda. Is that normal?"
Granny's face appeared in Sabrina's sapphire, growing larger rapidly. "Sabrina?" She said. "What are you doing, liebling?"
"We broke the study group up early, and when-" Sabrina broke off, striking at Red's attacker, who had decided Sabrina was the more important target, "-we got downstairs, these people were-" She hit the card soldier with a series of short, fast, heavy strokes, "-waiting for us, and we need help."
"All right, liebling, Granny said, worry creasing her brow- or maybe that was just the facets of the jewel, "We'll be there as soon as possible with as many people as we can get. Hold on!"
Sabrina nodded, and ran her thumb over the jewel, hoping it would cut off the connection. It did, and she went back to fighting, falling into the mindless pattern of swordfighting, the simple strike and block that was coming naturally to her now, forgetting that poor Red was being pulled along with her every stroke.
Red, for her part, decided to do her best to watch Sabrina's body for signs and try to predict what she was going to do next, so that she could keep from slowing her partner down. She managed it, sort of, and was eventually able to keep a look out for the people Sabrina was most worried about.
"I see Daphne!" Red called, eventually, snapping Sabrina out of berserker mode.
Sabrina's head twisted around wildly, and she asked, "Where?"
Red pointed, and Sabrina began fighting even more fiercely than before, rushing to her sister and best friend.
When they reached the other two girls, Bella said, "Took you long enough! Where have you been?"
"Trying to find you." Sabrina said, slicing the head off something that looked suspiciously like a zombie and lighting the remains on fire. "How did you survive without me?"
"We were doing pretty well, actually." Daphne said, offended but winded. "I killed a vampire."
"Nice." Sabrina said approvingly. "Have you seen Puck?"
Bella shook her head. "No, and believe me, I was looking. That guy owes-" She sliced at a dwarf, "-owes me for what he did."
"Can you forget it for now?" Sabrina asked wearily, turning her back to Bella and Daphne, partly to fight another opponent and partly to hide how worried she was. "Kill him after we survive this."
"And make sure he survived." Bella said darkly.
Sabrina hissed quietly, and went back to fighting in automatic mode, letting herself stop thinking, and the battle became a blur. She didn't notice how many enemies she took out, or even what they looked like, or when/if the reinforcements showed up, or what was happening with Daphne, Bella, and Red. She was in her element, and she could forget about everything else.
Only when she was too exhausted to lift her sword did she take a break to look around and notice just how badly her side was losing, even with their backup. They just weren't prepared, and they couldn't work together.
"We're doomed." Sabrina muttered, panting.
Red nodded, pushing her hair out of her eyes and looking at Sabrina in awe. "You fight like a machine."
"This is what I'm good at." Sabrina said bitterly. "But not good enough." She ran her thumb over her sapphire again, but this time, instead of glowing purple, it glowed different colors in different facets. She looked at all of them, too exhausted to be surprised at what her sword could do, and shouted at her family, "Pull out! We're not going to make it!"
Every member of her family nodded, but Henry asked, "How are we going to get back safely?"
Sabrina whistled loudly, grabbing her chicken house key with her free hand and cut of the connection. "I'll call the house and put up a barrier. Take everyone you can fit back home," she said, turning to Daphne, still holding the key. "OK?"
"You're not coming, are you?" Daphne asked.
Sabrina shook her head, surprised by the circle of calm that seemed to surround the four of them. It was only later that she realized it was the huge collection of dead and unconscious monsters keeping her enemies away. She pulled off her necklace and handed it to Daphne. "The house will listen to you, but I have to keep them from following you."
"See you at home?" Daphne asked hopefully, though inside she was dying to scream at her sister that she was being stupid and self-sacrificing. After all, no one else could do what Sabrina could. And her sister's future was set, up to this point. No matter what she thought of saying, Sabrina wouldn't leave.
Sabrina nodded. "Love you, Daffy."
"Love you, too, big sister." Daphne said, shouting over the sound of the chicken house's stomping feet.
The house stopped in front of the sisters, and Daphne and Bella climbed in. Then Sabrina turned to the handcuffs between herself and Red, and, lighting a fire in her hand, melted the chain connecting them out of existence. Red, with barely any hesitation, climbed into the house, too. It stood up, and Sabrina turned away from it, sitting down on the ground.
A barrier formed around the battlefield, glowing with the oily sheen of all Sabrina's bubbles, with Sabrina sitting serenely in the center.
The house trampled off obliviously, its chimney sticking outside of the bubble, and Daphne told it, "Go get my parents!"
Mr. Clay watched the house leave with the all but the last three soldiers on the Blue Foot's side, satisfied, and turned back to Sabrina, just in time to stop Nottingham's slash to her face. He, Robin Hood, and Charming had remained on the battlefield to make sure everyone was safe. He'd declared himself Sabrina's protector in the absence of Puck, and Snow and Jake were off searching for any of their own fallen soldiers to bring them to safety outside Sabrina's red paint-impermeable barrier, to wait for the return of the house one last time.
He looked down at Sabrina, and with a sigh, he did what he'd been keeping himself from doing for as long as possible. His body rippled as he transformed into the wolf, and he crouched over Sabrina, waiting for any attacker smart enough to find the source of their imprisonment.
The absence of Puck worried him. The boy would normally be at Sabrina's side, fulfilling his self-proclaimed role of protector. But nobody had seen hide nor hair of the fairy boy or Peter Pan since before the battle started, and he couldn't smell him, even with the heightened senses of the wolf.
He also knew that there was no way he was getting out of this, nor Sabrina. They'd have to wait until Robin, Charming, and the casualties were far away before the barrier came down, and after that, the hand would converge full-force. Sabrina was in a trance at the moment, all her dwindling energy focused on keeping the barrier up, and he didn't think he could move her out of the barrier without it coming down around their ears. Either way, they'd be stranded, surrounded by the enemy. He'd simply have to keep her safe as best as possible, and hope that they didn't kill her. His own life wasn't that much of an issue, because if he died, he'd see Baba Yaga again, but Sabrina had to live.
When everyone else was out of the barrier, he knew because all the Scarlet Hand members turned to him suddenly. Smiling fiercely, her turned to meet them
"They didn't come home." Daphne said, horrified.
She was looking at the fortress full of refugees, searching in vain for any of two blonde heads she knew weren't there.
"Did you really think they would?" Bella asked, eyes blank. "Honestly?"
"No, but I hoped." Daphne whispered, following after Bella, who was heading for Nurse Sprat.
"What is it?" Nurse Sprat asked when the two girls arrived, rubbing her eyes, which were accentuated with dark circles.
"I want to help." Bella said. "I'm the one in the biology classes, and... I can't stand this. What can I do?"
"You want to be a doctor, girl?" Nurse Sprat asked, handing her a roll of gauze and a brown bottle.
Bella nodded. "It's the most help I can be. What do you want me to do?"
Nurse Sprat handed Daphne another roll, this one of bandages. "Go clean wounds and bandage them. Finish everyone you can, and once they're done, if they can walk, send them someplace I'll know they're finished. Start on the left side of the room, I'll take that one." She pointed to the right side of the room and walked off.
Daphne and Bella spent a horrible afternoon bandaging hideous wounds, learning magical cures, and trying not to puke. When they got home that night, and Daphne saw the barrier of Sabrina's that was still up around the house, she burst into exhausted tears, and had to be half pushed, half carried inside.
Veronica, whose own eyes were quite red, ushered the two girls upstairs to Daphne's room, and, once they were in bed, sat down with a sigh on the couch, pulling Goldilocks with her.
"That was... horrible." Goldilocks said, eyes wide.
Veronica didn't say anything, drumming her fingers on the couch mechanically. Her tearstained eyes were blank, and she didn't seem to be entirely aware of the world around her.
"I... I'm sorry, Veronica." Goldi said, tentative. "It must be horrible, not sure if you'll end up losing your child like this."
"Yeah." Veronica croaked. "Kind of like not being sure if you'll lose your husband."
"What do you mean?" Goldi asked, eyes widening.
"You were his first love, Goldilocks." Veronica said, rubbing her eyes. "And... I was so distant, and he doesn't want to be here, and I lied to him for years, and... you're there. It's like a shadow, and I want to like you, really I do, but... I'm just so scared that you're going to take the man I love, and it's horrible."
Goldi smiled at Veronica sadly. "I wish. But he's yours. He loves you. He woke you up from the spell. Not just anybody could do that."
"But people can love twice." Veronica pointed out, fingers still drumming. "Charming woke Briar up, but he still loves Snow."
"Trust me, Veronica, he won't be coming back to me." Goldi assured her. "It breaks my heart, but he told me he's done with me. In his head, I'm the reason his father died, and he'll never get past that."
Veronica's fingers stopped drumming. "I'm sorry." She said. "I know you loved him, and I took him from you. I'm not sorry that I love him, or that he loves me, but I'm sorry you've been hurt. I never meant that."
"I forgive you." Goldi said. "And I truly am sorry about Sabrina."
"I hope she's OK." Veronica said, and her voice was hollow again. "You don't think they'll kill her, do you?"
Goldi shook her head. "They didn't kill you. And she's got something they want: control of the barrier."
Veronica nodded. "Two of my babies lost... I don't know how much more I can take."
A floorboard creaked, and the two women looked up, to see Red in the doorway, hesitating and playing with the thick bracelet on her arm.
"What is it, Red?" Veronica asked, leaning forward to stand.
"Mommy Briar and Daddy Jake are still at the fort." Red said, almost inaudible. "And they've got my bed with them."
"Would you like to sleep in Bella's bed tonight?" Goldi suggested. "Just until they get home?"
"Or maybe in with Daphne and Bella?" Veronica asked, seeing the look on the girl's face.
Red nodded, and Veronica stood, pulling Goldi with her. "Come on, we'll tuck you in."
"I don't know if I can take it, Jake." Henry said, putting his head in his hands. "My baby girl..."
"And Puck." Snow said, pacing back and forth. "And Canis."
Henry, Jake, Snow, and Briar sat or stood in the command center of the fort, waiting for Charming, Robin, and the reports to come back. Snow was trying to pace the room, Briar was staring at the chicken that had been a house earlier, Henry sat on a spindly chair with his elbows on his knees, and Jake stared blankly at a silver necklace with two charms on it.
"I can't believe they snuck up on us like that." Briar said. "How were we so unprepared?"
"We were set up." Snow said, tugging Briar a little too hard as she tried to pace. "Did you notice none of them were handcuffed? The Beast planned this. I can't believe I was that blind!"
"No one would have expected it." Jake said, twirling the necklace around his finger. "To hear Sabrina tell it, the man's a genius."
"He is." Henry said. "That's the problem." He clenched his fist. "I knew something like this would happen if we stayed, I knew it! But she wouldn't let me leave! And now she'd kidnapped, maybe even-" He stopped, choking on his words.
"She's not dead, Henry." Jake said. "They need her."
"Three missing, two dead, fourteen injured too badly to be healed quickly, no doctors, a limited supply of potions and supplies to make more, and another twenty or so with minor injuries." Snow moaned. "Because of an accident at my school. This is horrible."
"All right." Briar snapped, stopping herself and pulling Snow back with her. "I'm sick of this moping. Yes, it was horrible, yes, we're had some awful losses, and yes, we sucked!"
Everyone stared at Briar, who rarely cursed, but Jake smiled a bit, realizing what his wife was oh-so-subtly hinting at.
"I'll just come out and say it, that was horrible!" Briar told them. "But we can't just beat ourselves up about it, we have to move on! We'll find the missing ones, we'll bury our dead, we'll give them a proper burial, we'll heal the others, we'll learn from our mistakes, and we'll move on. You're acting like it's the end of the world, but it's not!"
"Well said, Briar." Robin's voice came from the doorway. "Now, who wants to hear the report?"