Sorry again about me taking forever to update!!!! My summer course got REALLY hard in the last week....but other than that the summer's been good.

This was hard to write, but once I found a good base subject, it worked well. All the rain in this is what I'm going through RIGHT NOW!!!

Disclaimer: I don't own Sisters Grimm, though if I did? The Everafter War would NEVER have been written! I don't think I've ever been so frustrated by a book in my life!!!

And thanks always to libaka: you're the best!!

And on to the story!!!

Chapter 23: Sigh

Red blew wearily at her hair, wondering if she should have Sabrina just cut it all off. Three days ago, the kids had drawn pictures to distract themselves from the heat. She had been fine then, but now it wasn't hot, it was rainy and gloomy out. She always felt worse during rainstorms, perhaps because she was still a little nervous in the dark. She plucked at her cloak, wondering idly if she should take it off and let Granny wash it. Glancing out the window, she tugged it closer.

She blinked when a mug was placed in front of her. Looking up, she caught Sabrina's concerned frown.

"You okay, Red? You don't look so good."

The little girl shrugged. "I'm fine. Everafters don't get sick anyway."

Sabrina leaned on the table, one hand going to her hip in a maternal gesture. "You might not get illness-sick, but you can get sick in other ways!"

Red took a cautious sip of the hot chocolate. "What do you mean? I'm fine, really. It's just so rainy all of a sudden."

Sabrina glanced out the window at the falling rain, and turned back to Red. "But do you feel okay? You just look really down."

Red looked away, studiously ignoring the comment and peeking through the living room doorway to see Puck and Daphne playing cards intently. "I'm fine."

Sabrina huffed. "If you say so." When the older girl walked away, Red smiled slightly. Sabrina really was very nice, she just wasn't particularly good at showing it to anyone except Red apparently. The small girl tugged at her cloak and wrinkled her nose slightly. Maybe Granny had a point about it needing to be washed. She sipped her cocoa again, and peered out the window.

Everything was so dark! Red bit her lip and pulled her legs up underneath her, trying to hide away. She felt something cool press against her knee. She jumped and caught the mug before it fell, then glanced down at Elvis. He peered up at her, cocking his head slightly. She patted him and smiled wearily as he put his head back down. Elvis seemed to be able to tell when she was feeling scared, and always tried to make her feel better.

Red took a larger gulp of the cocoa, and coughed slightly. The heat made her feel better, but she still wished that it would go back to being hot. She liked it when it was hot out! She sighed loudly, huddling into her cloak.

Sabrina peered around the kitchen doorway at the little girl sitting at the dining room table. Crayons and papers were spread around the table, but Red hadn't touched any of them, instead simply sitting quietly huddled in her chair and staring out the window gloomily.

She tucked a piece of blonde hair behind her ear, hoping that Red was okay. The little girl had seemed to be getting over her shyness recently, but she had pulled away from Puck and Daphne's chaos today and opted to hide by herself. Elvis kept looking at Sabrina, seeming to say, "Do something." But she didn't know what to do!

Sabrina went back into the kitchen and half-heartedly began organizing. She tugged down the blinds to the windows, determinedly shutting out the rain. She'd gotten over her dreariness about it thanks to Puck, but she didn't have to like it.

The rain! Sabrina jerked the blinds open, then looked at Red, who was staring morosely out her own window. No wonder the girl was down, she hated rain almost as much as she hated the dark. Sabrina remembered Red telling her about how she remembered little from her time in the Scarlet Hand except for darkness and wetness.

Sabrina tapped her chin thoughtfully, then brightened when she saw a mix in one of the cupboards. Maybe that would help!

Red looked away from her silent contemplation of the rain when Elvis jolted off her knee and trotted into the kitchen. She blinked blearily, then absently finished her cup and slipped off her chair to follow the dog.

She paused when she saw Sabrina mixing furiously.

"What are you making?"

Sabrina turned and grinned. "Here, try some!" She held out a spoon covered in batter.

Red hesitantly took the spoon and licked it. "This is good! What is it?"

"Brownie mix. Want to help me finish it?" Elvis gave a panting yelp, and Sabrina frowned. "None for you, Elvis, chocolate's really bad for dogs!" The dog whined and curled up by the door.

Red took the bowl and held it steady while Sabrina continued mixing.

When the oven timer went off, the girls carefully poured the batter into a pan and put it into the oven. As Sabrina carefully set the timer, Red sighed softly.

"What's that one mean?"

The little girl blinked. "Huh?"

"You keep sighing. What's that one mean?"

"Oh." Red thought carefully. "I'm tired?"

Sabrina nodded thoughtfully. "You were sighing earlier. What'd that one mean?"

Red smiled shyly. "I'm sad."

"Why?"

"It's rainy."

"Okay. How about the one from breakfast?"

Tugging at her hood, Red thought. "I'm hungry and Puck's being noisy and gross?"

Sabrina laughed, and Red giggled. "And the one when you first wake up?"

"I'm comfy!" Red chirped, and the girls grinned at each other.

"Do you have any others?"

Red mimed thinking. "I suppose. I'd have to think about it."

Sabrina shrugged, and patted Elvis. "Hey, Elvis, do you have any sighs?"

The dog huffed loudly. Red laughed. "That means he's hungry and wants brownies!"

The blonde girl crossed her arms. "That's too bad for Elvis then. No brownies for dogs!"

The dog grumbled and rolled over. Sabrina looked at Red. The little girl smiled. "That one means he's grouchy!"

The girls jumped when a loud whine came from the living room. They peeked out and saw Puck throwing down his cards angrily, making sulky noises. Sabrina looked at Red as they walked back into the kitchen. The girl looked up and smiled. "He's saying he hates losing!"

They broke out into laughter and Elvis perked up, tail wagging. Sabrina patted his head and handed him a treat. The dog put his paws on her shoulders and licked her face. When he settled down, he gave a noisy sigh. Red laughed. "He likes treats!"

Both girls jumped when the timer went off. Sabrina pulled out the brownies and set them on the counter.

Half an hour later, Red smiled as she remembered Puck's yelp when he grabbed for the brownies, ignoring Sabrina's warning, and burned his fingers.

After accepting the brownie that Sabrina offered her, Red sat at the table, petting Elvis gently, and gave a small sigh.

She glanced up at Sabrina who looked at her expectantly, and answered:

"I'm happy."

And that's Sigh. I hope you liked it!!

Please R&R,

Tam

p.s. Chocolate really is bad for dogs. It's like poison!!