AN~
Agd: I wasn't sure whether Dr. Jekyll would count as an everafter, but The Wizard of Oz was written in 1900 and it's considered a fairy tale, so I figured I could get away with it. And I couldn't think of any other scientists. You're right, and if there had been anyone else I could use, I would have, because I had the same doubts as you for him.
silverwombat: Thanks! And don't apologize. If you're not getting it, it means I did something wrong, not you.
ANannyMouse: Puck was kissing Moth because... you actually guessed it. And Dr. Jekyll was a tough decision for me, I mean, I needed a scientist everafter, so it was either Dr. Jekyll or Dr. Frankenstein, and Dr. Jekyll seemed creepier. You're making sense with the challenge thing. I just... have no idea what to name it. At all. Nothing really makes sense. So any suggestions will help.
Purpleflower23: What do you think of those shows? I'm quite enjoying them. And you're welcome :) Romance may be building from this point, but I make no promises.
squrriel101: I'll try to make it easier to read when I edit that chapter. Thanks! :)
Puck watched Sabrina get carried out of the room with mixed feelings. It was partly his fault, after all, what with the stunt he'd pulled, but at least she was safe from Dr. Jekyll now. And what else was he supposed to do? He'd needed a way to force Sabrina into a flashback, and that was the only thing he thought would do it.
"It's interesting in that it appears to actually be sight." Dr. Jekyll was saying to Mab. "I thought that it might be a memory, of sorts, but she actually sees the past. Her eyes are looking not directly in time, but backwards. It's absolutely fascinating."
"Yes, I'm sure." Mab said, distracted. "Moth, Puck, we're done here for now, you can go if you wish. Continue your business from earlier, if you wish."
"Yes, mother." Moth said, pulling Puck out of the room.
Puck followed reluctantly. What he wanted to do was wash his mouth many times over, to get the cooties off of it, not 'continue his business'! And, speaking of washing... "Moth." He said suddenly. "I've been thinking, about the watch room."
"What about it?" Moth asked, stopping in the hallway to lean on a wall.
"Well, are there ways to spy in every room?" He asked. "Like, the bathrooms, too? 'Cause that's creepy..."
"Oh, none in the bathrooms." Moth said. "But there's one in your bedroom, and mother has the bathrooms you use searched in case you're using them for something spy-like. I mean, flushing messages down the toilet or something."
"That would be a great idea!" Puck said excitedly, then, seeing Moth's face, continued, "If... I. Were. Not a loyal member of the Scarlet Hand, which I totally am."
"Right." Moth said skeptically. "Listen, Puck, what was that? In there?"
Puck sighed. "Um... you'd be talking about that kiss, right?"
"Of course." Moth said. "What else would I be talking about?"
Puck shook his head. "Nothing. Knowing you, anyway..."
He started walking again, testing himself to see if he could find his own way back to his bedroom, and Moth followed.
After a while, when Puck had thought up a good enough lie, he said, "I did it 'cause I needed a distraction." There, that was the truth, Maybe not a distraction for him, but... "I couldn't watch that anymore, I've spent too long rescuing the Grimms; it's almost a gut reaction anymore. And you were there, and I needed to stop myself from doing something to Jekyll, and a way to remind myself which side I'm on."
"Oh." Moth said, and she sounded, oddly, a bit sad. "That makes sense, I guess. I mean, I was hoping... but. Well. Anyway, we're back at your room."
Puck stopped himself from saying 'I know,' and turned to the girl. If she wasn't so evil, he'd almost feel bad for her. He quirked a half smile. "You up for another round of chess? Make it an even fifty?"
Moth shook her head. "No. Besides, I have school tomorrow. I have to get up early to prepare."
"Don't suppose I can come, too." Puck said wistfully. He missed math, partly, but, more than anything, he wanted to get out of Mab's castle, to see the sky again.
Moth shook her head. "Mother says not until you've proven yourself, and the Master has decided which side she wants you to act like you're on. "
"Yeah." Puck said. "I figured." He put his hand on the door, then turned to Moth awkwardly and said, "Well, 'night."
"Goodnight." Moth said, her voice quiet and a bit forlorn as Puck closed the door on her.
Shaking his head to clear it- stupid puberty virus- Puck waited for fifteen minutes, making sure Moth had left, then made a big show of getting ready for bed and going to sleep. Let them wonder why he was going to bed early, it was better than whatever else they could be wondering about. Once he'd turned off the light, he slipped a piece of paper out from under his pillow and under his blankets, which were heavy enough that the small flashlight he'd smuggled in didn't show through.
He'd begun drawing a diagram of the house, as much of it as he'd seen, centered around his bedroom, and he was adding to it. Moth didn't know he'd been counting rooms, or that he was learning his way around much faster than he should have been able to. And nobody knew that he was exploring and marking down everything he saw as he went. All those physics classes, combined with Sabrina's architect's paper present, were letting him draw a fairly accurate copy of the building plan, though it had some huge gaps.
As soon as he'd won Mab's trust, he would pin down the location of the dungeon, sneak there during... dinner, probably, or some other time when most people were out of the way, and then... well, he'd figure that out when he got there.
Speaking of which, Sabrina had seemed... she'd seemed like she believed it! Either she was a better actor than he'd given her credit for, or he was, because she'd seemed genuinely hateful of him. Or at least that's what the projector on Dr. Jekyll's machine had shown.
That man... He was bad news. About as unstable as the Mad Hatter, combined with someone as dangerous as Bluebeard... and he wasn't even crazy, he just switched over, mostly when he got angry. Puck had been afraid of what he'd do to Sabrina if she couldn't give him what he wanted.
So he'd done the best thing he could think of. And now Moth was looking like a lost puppy, Sabrina was probably even more angry with him than before, and Mab was going to start pressuring him to marry Moth, just to get her off her back. It seemed like the only one who came out on top was Dr. Jekyll.
He was going to have to do something about that, and soon. Or get out soon. Otherwise, he might end up married to Moth and have no way out, and then where would everyone be?
But first, he had to figure out where the dungeon was, so that he could get to them to get them out.
"We can bring her back tomorrow, right?" Dr. Jekyll asked Mab.
Mab sighed. "Of course. But could we possibly think about something other than the Grimm girl, please? You're like a child on Christmas morning."
"Fine." Jekyll said. "The boy."
"What about him?" Mab asked.
"How do you know we can trust him?" Jekyll asked, winding the cord of his device around the helmet portion.
"I don't." Mab said, smiling a bit. "But I have a feeling that, in about two weeks, he'll be quite firmly on our side."
"How?" Jekyll asked, stowing the device in a black leather box with a short handle.
"Well, I may not know him, but I know his type- heroes-" Mab said, "And I know my daughter. And the way I treat my daughter... well, the way she acts at home isn't the same as the way she acts in public, and this side of her will elicit his sympathy. And once she's won that, it'll only be a little while until she wins him completely. If she'd simply done that centuries ago, they might have been married decades ago, and we wouldn't have this issue."
"Have you been planning this for that long, then?" Dr. Jekyll asked, looking impressed.
"Oh, no." Mab said. "I made this plan up after he agreed. That's why I let Moth be his I treat Moth the way I do for many different ways already. She musn't be cosseted, if she's to rule. She must be strong. So I give her what she wants, but treat her as if she's superfluous. It'll make her more driven: for power; to prove herself."
"Mmm." Jekyll said absently. "Have you seen Dr. Frankenstein recently? I want to discuss this with him."
"I think he's assisting Heart in the Mayor's house." Mab said, not deigning to call it a mansion. After all, in comparison to her own home, it was minuscule. "Perhaps you should go look for him, though."
"Yes, I think I shall." Dr. Jekyll said, walking off.
Puck made use of the next day. He wandered around, seemingly aimlessly, peeking in rooms just to see what they held, but mostly to check whether or not they were locked. Locked rooms held important things. Things he wasn't allowed to see. Every once in a while, he would head to the bathroom, pull out the papers he'd stuffed inside his clothes that morning, and add the rooms he'd found to his map. Any door he couldn't open was given a question mark.
By the time Moth came back from school, he'd finished exploring his own floor, and mapped out a large section of the one above him. He was confident that, within the week, he'd be able to finish his map, and time out the places Moth could get to within ten minutes. He'd never been more grateful for being a winter fairy than now.
"Can I do your math homework?" He asked Moth. "Please? I'm bored."
"Absolutely." Moth said, dumping her bookbag out on Puck's bed.
He was astounded at how very... commonplace this seemed. Practiced, almost normal. As if this was his life.
Moth seemed to be thinking the same thing, because as they worked, she leaned in close to him and said, "We could get along, you know."
"Hm?" He asked, looking up from the simple problems absently.
"You and I." Moth said, almost seductive, but not quite. "We could be something. We're more alike than you'd like to admit. Both of us royals, but looked down upon, the least in our families- according to them, at least. Both of us exiled, sent to other places with no friends. Both of us brilliant."
Puck sighed. "Moth..." He started.
"No, don't turn me down now." Moth said. "I'm not forcing you into this. Just think about it? I love you. And we'll be spending a long time together, especially once the Scarlet Hand wins. So... please?"
Puck sighed. "Fine." He said, resigned. "I'll think about it." There was no chance he'd say yes, so... what was the harm? "Now, back to homework."
The rest of the afternoon was silent, but not in an awkward way. In fact, if Puck kept his eyes on his homework, he could almost believe he was sitting there with Sabrina instead of Moth. She was being much less obnoxious than usual.
Around five o' clock, though, Moth sat up abruptly and said, "Oh, I almost forgot. Mother wants us both back in the damper room. They'll be doing more with her powers tonight, and since you and I understand them a bit more than they do, we have to be there."
Puck sat up, resigned. "Sure it's not just that your mom wants to test me more?" He asked.
"Well, it might be that, too." Moth admitted. standing and heading for the door. "But just think, the more tests you pass, the sooner you'll be trusted!"
"Sure." Puck said, following her. "So what's this, test two, part two? Or test three?"
"Part two, I think." Moth looked at Puck expectantly, standing by the door.
Puck blinked at her, eyebrows raised for a second. He knew what she wanted him to do, but he couldn't believe she expected him to do it. But, after about thirty seconds, he sighed and pulled the door open, walking through it. He was tempted to slam it in her face, like he would have done to Sabrina, but he decided it wasn't worth it. Then he stopped. Had he just thought that? Was this what it was like being mature? He shuddered, then let go of the door.
It closed in Moth's face. Puck snickered and walked off a bit. That had felt good. Very good. He missed pranking people.
Moth caught up to him a minute later, looking miffed. "That was rude." She said haughtily.
Puck smiled to himself. Now things were back to normal. No more sad, almost nice, quiet Moth. Now she was back to her normal stuck-up self. "Sorry." He shrugged. "It slipped."
Moth sniffed and walked faster, so that she was a few paces ahead of him.
That was fine with Puck. It let him sneak glances and count doors, and meant he didn't have to talk with her.
Once they reached the room, they found Sabrina standing at the doorway, her heels planted, refusing to make the last few steps into the room. Puck grinned. That was the Sabrina he knew.
"I'm not going in there unless I get a shower." Sabrina was saying.
Puck shook his head. "Honestly, Grimm?" He asked. "All the things to demand, and you ask for a shower? I should be surprised, but I'm not." He walked past her into the room, pulling one of the magic-proof outfits on atop his clothes.
Sabrina didn't even spare him a glance, looking at Mab and Dr. Jekyll. "Look." She said. "If you let me take my shower first, I promise you I'll do exactly what you ask whenever and tell you whatever you want to know about my magic. Just let me be clean. You can even send her in with me, if you want!" She said, jabbing her chin at Moth. "But it's not fair for you to keep me locked up in filthy clothes that smell almost as much as I do, not let me move, and then test me for all sorts of stuff without even being clean!"
"She's kind of weird about that stuff." Puck said, working to keep his demeanor bored. "Showers five times a day, sometimes."
Mab looked at her thoughtfully, then said, "Fine. You get half an hour. Tops. Go with her, Moth."
Moth gave her mother a very long-suffering sigh, but grabbed Sabrina by the handcuffs and dragged her off.
They returned just half an hour later, Sabrina with wet hair that smelled strongly of soap.
"Now, if there are no further delays, can we get started?" Dr. Jekyll asked pointedly.
Sabrina walked over to the table and sat down, then turned to Dr. Jekyll and looked at him expectantly. "What do you want to work on next?" She asked, then wrinkled her nose. "Do I have to wear the thing again?"
"No." Dr. Jekyll said.
Sabrina relaxed, sighing.
"But," Dr. Jekyll continued, and Sabrina stiffened, "You do have to wear this." He set another black case on the table next to her and opened it, pulling out a long series of cables with suction cups attached to them. "This will tell me exactly how you're doing what you're doing- if it's in your mind or your body chemistry or your muscles or your magical aura."
Sabrina made a face. "Ew." She said, but made no move to resist him as he put it on her.
"Now, your other powers were...?" Dr. Jekyll prompted.
Sabrina took a deep breath, then recited, "Controlling the weather, elements, gravity, time, and barriers, and astral travel."
"Let's start with the astral travel." Dr. Jekyll said. "How do you do it?"
"I fall asleep." Sabrina said. "Sometimes I go somewhere and sometimes I don't. Usually when I want to I do, but sometimes when I don't want to, I do anyway. It's kind of boring, most of the time. Everyone else is usually sleeping, too."
"Are you kidding?" Moth asked. "We're going to have to sit here and watch her fall asleep?"
"If you don't like it, I don't think we need you here." Dr. Jekyll said, sounding a bit angry. "She's already agreed to tell us whatever we want to know, after all, and that was what you were here for."
"Can we, Mother?" Moth turned to Mab, excited and hopeful. "Please? It'll be so boring, just sitting here and watching her sleep."
"I'll fall asleep faster without them here." Sabrina said, shooting Puck and Moth a disgusted look that was somehow worse than the disgusted looks she used to send him, because it was directed at him and Moth. "It's hard to sleep when there's a bunch of people staring at you."
Mab sighed. "Go, then, if you're going to complain. But this would be good for you."
Moth turned, muttering, 'who cares what's good for me?' and Puck followed reluctantly. He didn't want to leave Sabrina with these people. What if they hurt her? It just went against the protector grain. And it went against his personal grain to leave Sabrina genuinely mad at him, and not try to apologize. He'd probably blow it, even if he did, but... that look! He'd done that to her. He'd made her look at him like that.
But he left anyway, promising himself that he'd explain everything to her, as soon as he got them out.
Still, the sound of the door slamming behind him was extremely final, and left an ache in his chest like he hadn't felt since he learned to shut people out.