Puck and Jake ride quietly back to downtown. After checking on the little dragon, who seemed beyond pleased with the snaring whip trap being gone–weaving between their legs and licking their hands–they'd made their way back to the car.

"She'll be okay," Jake assures, breaking their silence. "She's you right now, remember? I've seen you come back from way worse. Besides, she has Daphne with her."

Puck doesn't speak, brooding.

Jake sighs, knowing his young charge won't feel better until he sees her again, safe and sound. He guides them the rest of the way to Chrissy's shop. The closer they get, the more Lux starts to shift behind them. By the time they're only a few blocks away, he starts to bark with excitement.

They park, and Lux jumps out the second the door is opened. A few passersby give the unleashed dog snide looks, but others point and laugh with recognition. Go figure, the glittering golden dog has fans.

He trots forward and sits at the door to the shop. In seconds, Chrissy runs out, absolutely beaming.

"Luxie!" she cries, smothering him with kisses. "You silly boy, you worried me half to death."

He gives her a lick on the cheek and steps back, spinning around in happy circles.

Chrissy looks up at Jake and Puck. "Come in, come in," she invites, the exact opposite of their earlier visit. "Let's talk inside."

The follow her, and she pulls the lock and unplugs her open sign. She leads them deeper into her shop, away from the bright windows.

"So," she says, rubbing Lux's head, "where was he?"

Puck steps forward and explains the whole silver dragon and whip snap trap situation.

Chrissy's brow furrows. "Oh my word. Are your other friends okay?"

Jake waves his hand. "Yeah, they're alright, just went home to care for themselves."

Chrissy frowns sadly. "I really am sorry you got hurt while helping him." She walks to Puck. "May I?" she asks.

Puck glances at Jake, who nods.

She places a hand on Puck's shoulder and starts to hum, then opens her mouth to sing. No words, just a stream of gentleness and fiery warmth. A strange tingle comes over Puck. He closes his eyes, enjoying the sensation. It reminds him of some of his best memories. Fooling with those humans on that midsummer's night. Images of a fake crown, being called the Trickster King. His pool and garbage throne in the forest. Fireworks and the pressure of his first kiss with Sabrina. The relief that the Everafter war was over and the Grimms were safe.

When the music stops, his eyes flutter open. He glances down at his arms, seeing that all of the scrapes and cuts have been healed. His heart pounds stronger. He feels beyond invigorated. "Woah," he mumbles dreamily, "that's some good stuff."

Chrissy smiles, letting Jake steady him. "My healing song has come in handy plenty of times."

Jake blushes despite himself. He clears his throat. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now," she says, shaking her head a bit to clear it. "For your feather." She bends down, and her clothes and skin melt away, bursting into brilliant plumage. She's still nearly as tall as before, giving her huge wings a small flap.

Puck, despite his long life, has never seen a phoenix up close. He tries to hide his amazement, but his eyebrows still shoot up.

"Beautiful as always," Jake says in admiration.

"Take one," she chimes, voice even more melodious and rich in this form.

Jake reaches forward, then stops. "You do it," he offers, giving Puck a little push. "You guys are the ones who really got Lux back."

Hesitantly, thinking of this body's magic addiction, Puck steps forward and plucks a bright orange and blue one from her crest. A tingle goes up his arm as he steps away. He takes a deep breath, reminding himself to stay in control. Once the initial desire passes, he can feel a slight rumble from the feather. Almost like it has a warm heartbeat.

Chrissy tosses her head slightly. "You know," she says carefully, "I really am very grateful. If you want another, go ahead."

Jake swallows. "No, no. You don't have to. One is all we need."

Chrissy considers him, then reverses her transformation, feathers making way for her lovely dress. She grins. "I think things are better this way."

Jake chuckles breathlessly. "Me too."

The phoenix extends her hand towards Jake. "They work best when given, not taken."

"Yes," the man agrees, tone soft, taking her hand and shaking it. "I know that."

Puck takes a small step back. The adults both have that look about them.

Chrissy steps closer, enclosing their joined hands with her other. "I'm glad I was wrong. You really have changed."

Jake glances away from her intense gaze. "It wasn't without sacrifice."

Her smile saddens a bit, but her eyes spark with understanding. "Renewal is the best things we can give ourselves. Rise from the ashes and start again." She hesitates, then leans forward and kisses him on the cheek. She lets his hands go. "Come by again sometime, alright?"

Jake looks like the floor slid out from under him. "Um," he starts intelligently, then clears his throat. "Yeah, sure, that would be great." His voice sounds a little too high pitched.

Puck steps in, tugging at the man's arm. "Let's go, Jake."

Jake clears his throat again. "Yes. We should go."

Chrissy smiles at them, giving them a little wave, going to scratch Lux behind the ears. "Stay safe."

Once outside Jake says, "uh," looking a little unsteady. "Let's not mention that part to Sabrina and Daphne."

"Of course not," Puck says, lip curling, "and I definitely don't need to wash my eyes out."

Jake shakes his head, trying to get back on his A-game. "Well, we're a little late for lunch, but not so bad that we can't explain it. C'mon, we'll make sure we have our story straight for their disappearance on the drive over."

.-.-.-.

Daphne and Sabrina blink into existence at the side of the Grimm house. Without Puck and Jake there, Sabrina loses all pretense of being okay. "Stab me now," she mutters. "Or cut the cursed things off, I'm not picky."

Daphne purses her lips, craning her neck to observe the house. "That's a bit dramatic, sis."

"Whatever," Sabrina pants, "I hate everything about this switch right now."

"I know, I know, let's get you somewhere you can lay down." She notes the absence of their parent's car. "Mom and dad must be out. That's good. We won't have to sneak around."

The two walk to the front door, Sabrina's feet dragging every step of the way. It shouldn't be so difficult to move her legs, but it feels like all of her energy is being sapped. Daphne's hand on her back is helping, but it's nothing compared to the relief she'd had from Puck touching her.

An intense wave of longing washes over her, strange and unexpected. She doesn't think this is just her thoughts conjuring this feeling, it's a tug in her gut separate from her mind.

"Step up," Daphne instructs, hefting her sister higher. "Almost there."

Inside, the house is unusually quiet. Elvis, laying on his dog bed, lifts his head, watching the two stumble inside. He gives a small woof and wags his tail. He walks up to them, sniffing Sabrina's hand. He gives a whine.

"Don't worry, boy," Daphne assures. "She's gonna be okay."

Elvis tucks his head under Sabrina's other hand, offering his support.

"Good boy, Elvis," she mutters as they start up the stairs.

At the top of the hall, panting and spent, Daphne takes one look at the door to Puck's room and shakes her head. No way was she dragging her sister all the way through there over uneven terrain.

She shoves open the door to Sabrina's room and lays her down on her stomach.

With Daphne's hand gone, the aching creeps back to full force. Sabrina groans into her pillow, making Daphne frown.

"You okay?" the girl asks.

"Just...Pain," Sabrina manages.

Daphne paces a few steps, trying to think of something that could help. "A heating pad, maybe?"

Sabrina doesn't give a negative response, so Daphne goes ahead with her idea. She pulls a corded one from a bottom drawer and plugs it in, setting the pad carefully on Sabrina's back.

The major knot of discomfort eases the smallest degree, but even better, the warmth is helping Sabrina feel more drowsy. "Daphne," she whispers, blinding reaching out to grab her sister's hand. "I'm sorry I didn't say anything sooner."

Daphne kneels down near the bed. "It's okay. I understand, I think. Knowing how private you can be, I'm sure you didn't want to even tell Jake, or Puck if that would've been possible."

Sabrina's eyelids are drooping, falling together. "Thanks for not," she yawns, "teasing us too much."

"Oh," Daphne smiles, "don't worry. The teasing will come. But for now, you rest. I'll see if there's anything I can find on healing fairy wings. Though, Puck will probably know best–and he didn't say anything to help except time. Also, I should probably make sure our parents don't find you here like this." Realizing that Sabrina is already asleep, he stands, watching Puck's–no Sabrina's–chest rise and fall. She tucks a blanket around her sister.

Daphne is still wrapping her head around the situation. But, at least, she finally understands why her sister had barely talked to her since they reunited. Being apart for the summer was one of the longest spans they'd ever been apart. Time will do that, of course, but she's glad things haven't changed. She'll have her back, that's one thing she's sure of.

"Sweet dreams," she says quietly, letting the door click shut behind her.

.-.-.-.

Puck struggles all the way through lunch. Everyone has questions for him and Jake, asking after Daphne and Puck. The old lady is especially interested in what they think they found and why the young witch was intrigued. They give details where they can, but stay vague in other areas. Eventually interest in the magical discovery fades as they start eating. Red is disappointed that Daphne isn't here for their afternoon plans, since, apparently, the girls had planned something special. Basil is depressed because 'Puck' is no longer around to mess around with him.

Things had been hard enough, pretending to be Sabrina during idle chitchat, but now, everyone at the table seems to have something to say to him, about everything. He can't leave the pressured situation because then they'd have more questions about his emotional state. Maybe it shouldn't be so stressful to be surrounded by people, but for Puck, it is. He idly wonders if the constant jostling and prodding of the family ever gets to Sabrina. As it is, his ribs feel tight, like he's about to explode. Maybe start yelling, or stomping. Something to get all these pent up feelings out.

Then there's another thought, is this his reaction or the body he's inhabiting?

Everything is too confusing to keep track of. More than anything, he wants to be alone. No, not alone. He wants to be with Sabrina. Every spare second he gets, his mind is drifting back to her and the injuries she sustained. It's been a long time–excluding getting his wings ripped out–that he's been hurt that bad. But he can remember how awful it was. Drained, exhausted and aching beyond measure. But he had it better–he'd had the capable hands of Cobweb to take care of him, his mother to feed magic to him.

He's drawn away from his thoughts as the old lady talks to him, asking him personal Sabrina stuff about the summer's adventures: what was her favorite destination? Did anything funny happen? On and on. At first, he thinks he's only struggling because he's trying to come up with Sabrina-like answers, but soon realizes there's another issue at hand. Rarely does anyone ask him deep, thoughtful questions like this. He simply doesn't think like this because no one ever draws him to.

For the afternoon, he volunteers to hang out with Basil and Red since they each missed the person they wanted to hang out with. Red drags him to look at makeup samples, asking him complicated questions about what shade looks better: lily blush or cupid's arrow. They're both pink as far as he's concerned, but he tells her, "uh, lilies are nice."

Red seems happy with this, and even Basil giggles when she swipes a few swatches of lipstick on his forearm.

"It's like war paint," the little boy crows, making Puck grin.

"Yeah," Puck agrees. Before he can decide whether it's a very Sabrina-like gesture, he swipes a dark purple one across his own cheek. The kids seem to enjoy this, though, and they buy a few items, including the purple one since Basil insists.

They spend the rest of their time perusing a video game store and a skate shop. Basil swears he'll be fantastic on a ripstik whenever his parents allow him to get one, but his dad says they're too dangerous. Silently, Puck decides to sneak the kid one–when he's himself again, no way is he letting Sabrina take credit for that.

They eat dinner at a pizza place with a real pizza oven, much to Red's delight. Puck nearly inhales his portion, glad to have finally found something that these taste buds like.

By the time they all load back into the Jeep, now with six seats, Puck is exhausted. He dozes off despite the conversations everyone tries to have with him.

Once the group is parked, Jake shakes him awake. "I'll distract the others, go see how 'Brina is doing."

Puck nods and stretches. "Right," he says, remembering his worry.

He goes into the house, skirting the laughing group by the TV trying to pick a movie. Daphne catches his eye and casually tilts her head to the stairs. She mouths, sleeping, at him. He nods in gratitude, letting her turn back to the others to discuss the merits of animation vs live action.

He's halfway up the stairs when someone places their hand on his shoulder. Puck starts, whirling around. "Oh, hey," he says, calming down somewhat. "Hi...mom."

Veronica smiles lightly at him. "Hey honey, can we talk?"

Puck swallows his panic and yawns. "Can it wait til–til–" a real yawn takes over his fake one, making his eyes water. "Until morning? It's been a long day."

"It won't take long."

Beyond the general dis-ease Puck has with interacting with Sabrina's parents regardless of whose body he's in, Veronica has a reputation. She may not be as sensitive of a detective as Relda, but she is a people person. She could hound out a person's soul, see all the cracks and crevices. And Puck certainly had a lot of those, especially right now.

"Uh, sure," he agrees, despite his reservations.

As they continue up the stairs, Veronica starts light. "How was your day?"

"Good," he says, nearly leaving it there before he remembers that Sabrina usually adds more to her answers. "It sucked that the nail salon was closed, but it was nice to hang with Red and Basil."

"That does sound like a good day." She pauses, then continues, "Sabrina, your father and I were talking about you today."

"Yeah?" Puck says, attempting to sound unconcerned. He hadn't convinced her to ground him, had he? They'd been so careful the past two days–their stories were airtight. Well, more or less.

"We're worried about you. You've been so reserved since returning," she confides as they come to the upper hall.

"I have?" Puck responds carefully. "Guess I've been thinking about…" he takes a breath, stalling so his mind can come up with the answer. Why would he–she–be so caught up in since being with him and Jake?

He flexes his fingers and gently runs them through the long, soft tresses. It's such a nice sensation he wonders why he doesn't see her doing it more often. What makes Sabrina tick? If he could answer that question, his life would be a lot simpler.

"Thinking about what?" Veronica prompts.

"About," he swallows, "well, I got to spend so much time with Jake and Puck…" For some reason, he can feel his throat swelling shut. It certainly had been nice to have Sabrina around again. Adventuring, teasing her, pranking her, seeing what she was like as a teenager. Even the arguments were fun. Sort of.

Veronica has a knowing smile. "It's always disappointing when the fun times end."

Puck looks away. "Yeah. I guess so."

Unexpectedly, the woman pulls him into a hug. "You'll see them again, sweetie. You know they'll miss you too. Besides," she pulls back and softly brushes some hair behind his ear. "Life has a lot more adventures ahead. Magical or not, you have your whole family to back you up."

The tightness in his throat is back with a vengeance, and his eyes start to burn. Oh no–he is not about to cry, regardless of who he looks like right now.

"Thanks," he croaks, taking one swipe at his eyes.

Veronica puts a comforting hand on his back. "Let's get you to bed."

Puck follows slightly behind her, still blinking furiously. He really wishes he skipped out on that conversation. It was definitely meant for Sabrina, not him. For a second, he feels a surge of jealousy for her. He quickly smashes it down.

Veronica opens the door to Sabrina's room and flicks on the light. She stops in her tracks, tilting her head in confusion. "Puck?"

A dirty blond head tucks into the covers. "Five more minutes," says a tired voice.

Puck freezes. Why was Sabrina here? They were in a mountain of trouble.

Veronica puts a hand on her hip. "Why are you sleeping in Sabrina's bed?"

Sabrina blinks, coming out of her stupor. Her eyes go wide as she sees both her mother and Puck there. Veronica's eyes are disapproving, and Puck holds his hands out in a gesture of, what in the world were you thinking?

Sabrina struggles to sit up, failing to hide a painful wince. With consciousness comes awareness of the aching and lethargy.

Luckily, Veronica seems to take the wince as an admission of guilt. She folds her arms, pursing her lips.

"Uh," Sabrina says intelligently. "I was–um, setting up a prank."

Puck takes the lead immediately. "Seriously?" he huffs with fake irritation. "Come on, can't I have one peaceful night?"

Sabrina waves her hand flippantly. "Sounds boring."

"Why are you still here?" Veronica presses.

Sabrina struggles with this one. "Well, after flying Daphne here, I was tired."

Veronica ducks down conspiratorially to her supposed daughter. "Do you need me to kick him past next week?"

Puck can't help a little laugh. "No, no," he says, "I'll take care of it. I need to make sure he didn't leave something here." An actually good idea comes to mind. "He probably left something and wanted to make sure he'd be here to see my reaction."

Veronica chuckles at this and gives the fairy a stern look. "There better not be any word of pranks tomorrow morning."

Veronica gives the teenagers one more thoughtful look, then leaves the room. The second Veronica's footsteps retreat down the stairs, Sabrina collapses.

"Ugh," she gripes, the muscles in her back tensing. "Why'd you have to go and wake me up? Now I have to deal with this pain again."

Puck rolls his eyes. "You'll be okay, stink face."

He hops on the bed, jostling her. "You need to get out of this room."

"It's my room," she mumbles, but attempts to get up, regardless. She flops back. "Actually, I'll stay here, thanks."

Puck shakes her shoulder. "If your dad finds you–me–in here he's gonna flip. Your mom too, since she expects me to evict you."

Sabrina grumbles, sticking her face in her pillow. She takes a deep breath. It smells nice.

Puck sighs, placing a hand on her back, right where the wings would be. "C'mon, Grimm."

A shudder runs through Sabrina as the pain fades. "You have no idea how good that feels," she groans.

Puck's face goes red. "You really need to stop saying stuff like that," he mutters, "it sounds wrong out of context."

"What context?" she mutters, in too much pain to connect dots. She can feel the aching recede from her back the longer he stays. "Seriously, why does it feel so good when you touch me?"

Puck takes a deep breath through his nose. She's not going to stop saying things like that anytime soon. Might as well entertain her. "I'm not sure. It could be..." he scrunches up his face in thought. "It could be because of the magic in your body."

"I don't have magic," she whispers, all but ready to pass out again.

"Yes you do, dogface," he argues, absently rubbing his thumb in circles on her back, "you couldn't be immortal if you didn't."

Sabrina nearly makes a keening sound, the motion feels so nice. "Well, it didn't feel this good even when Daphne touched it and she's a witch."

Puck considers this, hesitating. "Then maybe–I mean, it's always different when you–nevermind," he amends, realizing he's about to admit something he doesn't want her to know.

Sabrina turns her face to look at him, green eyes dark. "When I touch you it feels all warm and intense and distracting?" she finishes for him. She could almost laugh at his panicked expression. "I'm in your body, remember? No secrets."

Puck glowers at her. "Yeah, fine, okay. It does feel like that."

"Ha," Sabrina chuffs, snuggling into the sweet scent that emanates from the blankets.

Not one to be out done, Puck frowns. "You're not innocent to this either," he challenges. "I know I look great and all, but I don't feel like blushing everytime I look in the mirror."

"Narcissist."

Annoyed, he leans in close to her ear. "Oh, please, just admit it. These are your feelings, you think I'm attractive."

An odd kind of shiver goes up Sabrina's spine. So maybe, he was right. And maybe, when she was actually herself, a little part of her was thrilled every time he touched her. Was she about to actually say that out loud?

No way.

Sabrina forces herself to sit up. "Think what you want, Stinkpot. Where exactly do you want me to go, anyway? I can barely move."

Although he's frustrated with her deflection, he can hear the family laughing downstairs. He considers the situation for a moment. "We'll just have to get you to my room, on the trampoline." He splays his fingers wide against her back. "You feel better while I'm touching you–so I'll just keep doing this." He shakes his head. "Never tell anyone about this."

Sabrina nods, happy to agree as long as he can keep her more comfortable. "Fine, let's get this over with."

Together, they manage to get Sabrina out of bed and to her feet. They slink into the hall, but thankfully no one is there to ask questions.

Puck wedges his door open with one shoulder and guides her over to the trampoline. With the help of a few random boxes Puck left lying around, Sabrina manages to crawl onto the black surface.

Puck follows, watching the look of discomfort twist on her features. For a moment, he considers leaving her, but, unfortunately, sympathy for her overwhelms his pettiness.

He lays on his side next to her and places a hand on her back. He can feel the almost instant release. Curious, he sits up and puts both hands on the spot.

"Oh," she sighs, "that's even better."

Puck shifts. He had no clue how much a tone of voice could affect him–or it could just be Sabrina's body. He'll have to remember to test that out later, when he's back in his own head.

"Don't get too comfortable, Grimm. I can't stay here all night."

"Sure you can," she says. "Come a little closer."

Confused, he leans down, having to take the extra hand off her back. When he does so, Sabrina suddenly grabs him around the middle and pulls him against her. With one arm wedged under her and the other wrapped over her ribs, both of his hands rest against the sore spot.

Sabrina hums in contentment.

Puck, on the other hand, squirms in protest. "Hey," he complains, trying to wriggle away, but finds he can't. She's so much heavier and stronger than him right now. "Who ever said this could turn into snuggle hour?"

"This isn't snuggling," she retorts, narrowing her eyes to slits. "Consider this an investment in not having injured wings when we swap back."

Puck stops trying to escape but scowls nonetheless. "I never said this would help the wings get better faster."

Sabrina closes her eyes, losing lucidity fast. "Mm. Pain killer then."

He huffs a small breath, settling into the embrace. Admittedly, it isn't that bad. The air in his room is cool, and he's hated feeling cold since their switch. It's much warmer pressed up against her. But he's not sure how he's going to fall asleep, because his heart is pounding out of his chest. He can barely look at Sabrina without blood rushing to his cheeks. This should be a moment to celebrate and tease her mercilessly, but it's really hard to be smug when he feels like this.

For a moment, he considers her, masquerading as him. The heat gets worse the longer he stares. And for a moment, he starts to entertain the thought of tugging them closer together and–

He slams his eyes shut. The sooner he can return to his own thoughts and body, the better. Because then he can finally get back at her for all of these roller coaster emotions.

.-.-.-.