Next! I'm not as happy with this one, but I hope you like it!

Chapter 5. Temper

Puck dislikes lots of things about Sabrina. There's plenty to dislike.

She's suspicious, rude, childish at times, can be obnoxious, is frightened of things she doesn't understand, and she refuses to trust him.

These things drive him nuts. It bugs him that he can pinpoint where every trait came from, and that he knows most of these traits come from the time after her parents disappeared and before she came to Ferryport Landing.

She's suspicious because every time she started to trust someone they stabbed her in the back or abandoned her. She's rude because she tries to defend herself from being hurt, and if she scares everyone away then no one can get close. She's childish because she had to grow up too soon and never got the chance to learn the reasons why she has to act the way she does. She's obnoxious because, once again, if no one wants to get close then she can't start to care. She's afraid because all this responsibility, from being a fairytale detective to being Daphne's caretaker, has been thrust on her so quickly that she never had a chance to adjust to it. But what makes him the angriest is that she refuses to trust him. And he knows why. It's because he won't give her a real reason to, because he's afraid to have someone rely on him. No one ever has before, and now there's a chance that she might be able to.

All of these things make Puck so angry that all he wants to do is somehow find a way to go BACK to before her parents disappeared and make sure it never happens. Because then he might have a chance to see the Sabrina who could have been. The girl who can trust people not to let her down, who can tell when she's being rude and can stop herself, who was able to take her time growing up, who isn't afraid to let people in, and maybe even the girl who can bring herself to trust him. And maybe he would be able to let her.

But over time, Puck adjusts to this anger, and starts realizing what he does like about Sabrina. The bits of her that remain inside this frightened girl who's been so hurt and that no one is trying to heal. He likes that she cares so deeply about her family that she's willing to give up her very life for them, even if it scares the dickens out of him. He likes that she still is tentative about Granny's food because even he can tell that it's a bit odd. He likes that she stands up for herself against everyone because she knows that she has the right to, thank goodness that those crazy foster people didn't beat that out of her.

And even though it should be what drives him the most crazy, Puck loves Sabrina's temper. When she gets angry, she glows. Her suspicion is aimed at the right people. She is rude in the most hilarious of ways. She stops being childish and a glimpse of the woman she may become shines through. She stops being afraid of what she doesn't understand and focuses on what she does. She lets in the people who have the most ability to help her, and happily bosses them around. And she's almost always right when she's angry.

And best of all, Sabrina trusts Puck when she's angry. So, perhaps in spite of himself, or really despite himself, Puck encourages her whenever she does get angry. Because then he gets a glimpse of what Sabrina could have been, and what she thinks he can become.

That's temper, hope it was good!

Please R&R!

Tam