Next! I know it's not in order, but I liked this better. It's like Present and Basketball, yeah? Enjoy!

Chapter 14. Waltzing (lessons) (actually number 50 on the 100 word challenge)

It was finally warm out, at least for a day, so the entire Grimm family piled outside. Charming had been cajoled into coming over for dinner, especially since he knew Snow White would be there. He was currently sitting on the porch as Jake helped his mother drag an old barbeque to the edge of the lawn. Charming sipped his drink- squeezed pomegranate juice mixed with ice and palmello juice- and wondered exactly why he was here. Snow was avoiding him, Canis was glaring at him, Jake looked uncomfortable, Relda was treating him like he was four, and the Daphne-child just kept HUGGING him.

It didn't help that the stupid fairy boy kept laughing whenever she did it.

The man sighed and shifted his feet restlessly. He saw the fairy boy headed on a collision course for the oldest Grimm child. Oh boy. This should be interesting.

The boy wandered over and started asking the girl questions. Charming wondered idly why she wasn't killing him yet. The two were basically enemies.

Charming sighed and propped his head up on his hand. Why was he alone? He was handsome, smart, rich, charming. Why could he never keep a girl?

All the women he had married were beautiful, wonderful women. But he just couldn't find that special feeling with them. Not after he'd met Snow.

It simply was illogical. Clearly the woman was unworthy of him if she thought it was all right to leave him at the altar. He had loved her, fully and completely. And then, on the wedding day, she didn't show up! Nothing was wrong with him, certainly, he'd married so many other women.

It had to be the women. They had to have been imperfect, and he had simply not noticed it until after his subsequent marriages to them. But they just couldn't hold a candle to Snow. And Charming did feel guilty. He wanted to love them, each and every one, when he first married them. But he just couldn't put his whole heart into it after Snow.

The man sat up when he saw the fairy boy bow to Sabrina. The boy knew how to bow? Maybe he wasn't totally useless. He wasn't bad at it either. The girl hesitated before taking his hand. Ha. She didn't like the boy. Who would?

The boy was dirty, smelly, stupid, obnoxious, and useless. Why shouldn't the girl hesitate before taking his disgusting hand? Charming smirked to himself. No woman had ever hesitated before taking his hand.

Charming felt his smugness slip away when the fairy boy, no, Puck, gently pulled Sabrina in and began to waltz her around their corner of the yard. He could dance? The boy moved with greatest confidence, as if he knew he was good at waltzing but didn't mind sharing his knowledge. Charming had never felt comfortable with the romance behind the dance. It had felt like he was giving too much of himself away to his partner.

The man could see Puck quietly instructing Sabrina as the girl followed his lead reluctantly. Bit by bit, the girl relaxed into Puck's hold and began to enjoy herself. Charming could see her small smile as Puck guided her patiently through the waltz.

The boy suddenly said something to Sabrina, and she looked up slightly. The boy gently tipped her chin upward. Charming could feel his jaw drop, but did nothing to stop it. They looked so comfortable together. Snow, well, none of his wives had looked him in the eye when they had danced, and he had never wished to look. What if they saw all his insecurities and fears? Better to never look at all.

The girl shook her head and looked back down, arguing with the boy. The boy frowned, then grinned evilly, but the girl didn't see because she was looking over his shoulder.

Charming settled back. So the boy was going to do something awful. How like a child. Clearly, Charming had been mistaken when he thought the boy capable of a sophisticated dance like the waltz. He couldn't even hold himself back from some kind of cruel trickery.

Charming jumped when Puck said something to Sabrina and then abruptly dipped her, bracing her with his knee. He could have dropped her! Charming himself had never found the courage to even try dipping his partner. What if she slipped? Or if he wasn't strong enough?

The dark-haired man stared as the blonde girl laughed suddenly, clutching Puck's hand and shoulder tightly. The boy looked momentarily confused, then pulled her up. Why was she laughing?

Charming heard her words: "Whoa! That was a rush! How do people do that?"

The boy looked nonplussed. "Huh?"

Sabrina smiled at him. "I think my heart rate just doubled! I thought you would drop me!" Charming nodded to himself. He had thought so too!

The man was stumped when, through, a few words, Sabrina told Puck she trusted him not to drop her. How? The boy was disgusting! Charming was well-aware of the multitude of pranks Puck had pulled on her throughout her stay in Ferryport Landing. Who would trust a boy who couldn't be trusted to not humiliate her?

Charming propped his chin on his hand when Sabrina and Puck glanced around and saw everyone watching. Well, now everything would go back to normal. The boy would be embarrassed, would humiliate the girl again, and Charming would be able to stop thinking about this.

Everyone, not just Charming, was surprised when Puck smugly told that he was royalty after all, and Sabrina and him continued to have their impromptu waltzing lessons. Charming saw how Daphne grinned to herself before going back to distracting Elvis from stealing uncooked hamburgers from the plates. He wondered if the little girl was unsurprised by all if this. Was she the only one that had noticed this relationship? Charming focused back on the two dancers, and with a jolt, saw that Puck was taller than Sabrina. He had always been small! The boy didn't look like an eleven year old anymore, Charming realized. He's growing up.

Charming wondered if the boy even realized that he was giving up his immortality for a human. Why bother? The girl would vanish in a few short years, and then the boy could move on with his life. Just like Charming had.

But he hadn't. Charming sat up, putting the empty glass down absently. Charming had never gotten over Snow. After all, he had gone from wife to wife, trying to find the perfect match to Snow's beauty, kindness, and wit. All the women were wonderful, but they weren't her.

How much better was he than Puck? The boy, when he cleaned up, had the potential to be handsome. He was clearly intelligent, having managed to trick people for thousands of years multiple times. He had to be rich, or at least comfortable, since no one could live without money these days. And Puck had just demonstrated that he could be charming, if brought to it. Charming sat back against the porch step.

The boy was brave. He was willing to die for the people he loved. He wasn't afraid to tell people he cared, in his own twisted way. And, more and more clearly, the boy was willing to give himself to someone else, putting aside his own cares. His own everlasting life.

And that's why, Charming thought. Why Charming could not find love, but this silly child could. Because, unlike him, Puck wasn't afraid to try, to fight for the person he loved. For the people he loved.

And Charming wondered how much better he really was than everyone else.

And, done with the two-shot. What did you think? Please R&R,

Tam