Archive of Our Own

The next time Puck and Sabrina talk about their childhoods, or lack thereof, is on Sabrina’s seventeenth birthday. While he and Uncle Jake had continued their misadventures and tracking down of magical items, Puck kept his promise from that night back when they were thirteen.

Even if Jake had more to see, more to do, more to run away from, Puck always came back. Even better, he always kept in touch.

At first, it was just cheesy, annoying postcards. They always slightly insulted her, but never in a meaningful way. More in the way banter between friends tends to be. Which is what they were. Friends. One thing she did notice was that they were never addressed to the Grimm Family. They were always addressed to her. Once, she’d asked him about it in their monthly phone call when they were fifteen.

“It’s my way of making sure you kept your promise, ‘Brina.”

Her brow furrowed, and for once, she didn’t exactly know what he meant. “What promise?”

He laughed with a sound like twinkling bells. “To Daphne. That you would stay.”

A week later, she had gotten one from Cairo with a graphic design nightmare plastered on the front. It read:

Hey Brina, Jake is being an asshole again. We almost died, so I made him buy you the worst postcard I could find as compensation. I also dyed his hair Daphne’s Barbie pink (?) cause I couldn’t use it on you. Good thing I know it works on blondes. See ya soon if we don’t catch on fire in the desert.

She had traced his scrawl, messy and uncoordinated as it was, with a fond grin sliding onto her face. She’d gotten the dye from Daphne, and as soon as they’d returned from that trip, and dyed his hair before he could do hers. It didn’t matter anyway, because he had dyed hers blue. But at least they kind of matched.

By the time they were sixteen, Granny Relda had gifted them both cell phones. Henry had protested, but when Sabrina went AWOL because Puck missed their check in because of a mishap on the Andean plateau, he relented. And to think she and Daphne had almost made it to Peru without anyone noticing.

They weren’t often in the same timezone, unless Puck was on the other side of the Equator. Their phone calls could last hours. Half of it spent bickering, half of it spent catching up, and like five minutes of the call were spent quietly talking about serious things before they finished it with something to lighten the mood.

On her birthday, when they were both lying in the dark with the phones by their ears, Sabrina felt the blistering weight of her past bearing down on her harder than usual. After dessert, she and Basil had been sitting in the library reading before bed. In a nonchalant kind of way, Basil had asked her about New York and what it was like growing up there.

Years ago, when she went back with Granny Relda, Ernest, Mr. Clay, and Daphne to save Puck, Sabrina had felt the city in her bones.

The smell of her favorite hot dog vendor just up the road or the sound of people constantly moving and hustling from place to place–it was her home. She was New York. Even with the orphanage (and perhaps because of the foster homes), she was a city girl to her core.

She knew the city like the back of Daphne’s hand.

Even after leaving the city behind for Ferryport Landing, she could recall the sounds, and sights, and smells she had grown up with on an endless loop in her head. But they were marred by the scars of old foster homes. Of the people whom she had run from. Of a time she wished she could forget. Of the version of her that had existed prior to having a brother or losing her parents or kissing a fairy or killing a giant. That Sabrina Grimm was a whole separate person from the one trying to formulate a sentence to answer her brother.

Basil had sat there, waiting for her to respond. Sabrina had stuttered through some vague answer about the subway construction and skyscrapers and not going into Macy’s ever again, which left her brother with a look on his face like he couldn’t recognize her.

She had crawled into bed, lying facedown like she could forget the moment her brother realized his big sister was crazy. She stayed like that for a while, almost forgetting that she was waiting for a call when Puck’s face flashed in her mind, and she flipped over and grabbed her phone. She could practically see him, scruff and exhausted as he slouched back onto the double bed in the motel he and Jake were staying in.

He might have dialled her quicker than lightning, but in an instant, she had answered. “Hey, ‘Brina. Happy birthday, knucklehead.”

“Thanks, Puck. I assume it was you who sent the massive balloon display to the house this morning?”

He chuckled, “Of course! I just stole Jake’s credit card to make sure you’d get them on time.”

“Well, they showed up at like 5AM so we definitely got them.”

“Good, they followed my instructions well. Did you like them?”

Sabrina rolled her eyes and told him she had. To be honest, she liked the effort he put into things like her birthday now that they were older. Sometimes she forgot that when she was younger, she had put all her money and effort into making sure Daphne had that kind of day, but always let it go whenever it came to her own wishes. Even after moving in with Granny and the whole birthday wish from Bunny episode, she still never asked for more than she thought people would give.

She remembered the first Christmas in the orphanage when she’d scrounged together about twenty bucks and 40 minutes where she could run to the corner store to buy Daphne a present. She’d picked out a cheap tube of sparkly lip gloss, a tiny stuffed animal, two bars of chocolate, and a bag of chips for them to share.

It wasn’t much, but the look on Daphne’s face was worth it.

“I’m just trying to keep you on your toes,” Puck cut off her memories with his usual snark. “How else am I supposed to make sure you’ve kept up with escape training?”

“By getting me into enough trouble by making me have something to escape from?”

The two of them let out a shared laugh, and Puck began to fill her in on their latest excursion into the Mexican jungle.

As their conversation meandered, she brought up her interaction with Basil.

“It was so embarrassing, Puck,” Sabrina groaned, pressing her face into her pillow as the incident replayed in her mind. “It’s like I’ve been his cool big sister who fought dragons and ended a war, but stuttering through the basics of New York City felt like all those things were for nothing.”

Puck snorted, but his voice was gentle. “Definitely not for nothing. Who else could’ve survived the godforsaken crazy lady who was supposed to look after you and Daph until you got here? I would’ve set fire to the whole place before she could’ve opened her big fat mouth.”

“I almost did. I was kind of nasty after the first few weeks. It’s kind of wild how much of that time I tried to forget.”

“But you haven’t.”

“No, I haven’t. But I did plenty of things I wasn’t proud of in order for us to get here. I would’ve kept doing them if Granny hadn’t found a way to get us here.”

“What do you mean?” He asked softly. She could picture him as he was, lying down on his bed of the week, curled towards her voice on the right side of the motel bed. She realized she was unconsciously doing the opposite, as she lay twisted around her blanket, facing the left side of her bed.

“I mean…” She began, not sure how to continue. “Well. Maybe I’m not sure. But we had some shitty foster parents. So even if there was one good thing that would’ve been okay to stay for, I did whatever I had to in order for us to leave. Sneaking out, breaking property, running from the cops and hiding in homeless shelters, and even beating back if we had to. I never did any arson, though. That would’ve been something else.”

“You know, you never really talk about the foster homes too much,” Puck notes gently. His tone is light and quiet, like he’s ready to drop the topic at any sign that Sabrina isn’t willing to handle it.

With Basil’s question on her mind, Sabrina lets out a deep breath. “I know. I should, probably. Daphne thinks that by bottling it all in, I’m forcing myself to relive it over and over again. And she’s probably right.”

“I’m always here.”

“I know. I’m glad you’re here.”

They lapsed into silence for a moment. Sabrina could feel her heart in her throat. She was lying there, having turned seventeen, and yet she couldn’t even be honest with her best friend.

Sabrina’s eyes fell shut, and she imagined she was lying down next to Puck on the roof and they were having this conversation in person. And so, she just let herself talk.

“You know, our first foster home wasn’t that bad. Ms. Smirt didn’t hate us yet, so she placed us with the Hopewells. They were pretty nice, I guess. But I was just too angry and too upset to see it. Mrs. Hopewell asked us to call her ‘mom’ one night after we’d been there for a month. She had put Daphne to bed and was trying to see if I would respond well. You know me, so obviously I didn’t, and that morning at like 4 AM I dragged Daphne out of bed with our suitcase, and we snuck out for the first time.” Sabrina let them memory wash over her. How gentle Mrs. Hopewell had seemed in comparison to her gruff husband, but how quickly it felt like she was trying to replace their parents. “I was so scared Daphne would forget our parents that I took us out of the safest home we’d be in since our parents had disappeared. She was just so young that it felt like we were betraying mom and dad by calling other people their names. Ms. Smirt wasn’t forgiving, especially since we didn’t go back to the orphanage, but instead hid in a homeless shelter in Queens for three weeks before being found out.”

She could hear Puck humming in response. She knew, even without seeing him in person, that he was listening closer than ever before. And now that the floodgates had opened, Sabrina couldn’t stop herself.

She told Puck about Ms. Longdon, who swore her toilet was haunted, and the Donovans, who loved lima beans a little too much for their liking, prompting Puck to guffaw. She recalled Mr. and Mrs. Bonari using them as personal servants, going so far as to dress them up in traditional English butler outfits, or how the Trois family made them sleep in the stable they had out back behind their house with mini ponies that got into their suitcase and ate all of Daphne’s underwear. She mentioned Mr. Glover who was terrified of soap, Ms. Roach who had them garden for hours in the hot sun, the Carnats who kept them around only to be pool cleaners, Mrs. Robinson who Sabrina had locked in a closet after forcing them to wear maid costumes while she was home, Mr. Diggy who used them as ditch diggers, Mr. Oysterman who they used to torment with rocks and acorns when he made them climb trees to catch birds, and of course Mr. and Mrs. Guggenheimerstein who had them help Mr. Guggenheimerstein run his roofing business by being amateur roofers.

Of course, not all foster parents were just crazy or weird or peculiar. Some were more dangerous, more damaging.

Puck slowly broached the topic. She could tell by the tone of his voice that he was thrilled that she was sharing this part of herself with him, but he knew she was still holding back. “Damn it, ‘Brina, you’ve had some crazy escapes. I swear some of these are wilder than your jump into the future.”

She snorted, but let out a sigh. “I know. We had to bite Mr. Oberlin, this guy from the Bronx, so we could run away. With the Mercers, we fed their pit bull, Diablo, meatballs stuffed with cayenne pepper to keep them busy so we could tie bedsheets together and climb out of the window. Our funniest escape was probably the Deasey family ostrich farm.”

“Ostrich farm???” Puck’s incredulous gasp had her chuckling. “They have those there?”

“Yeah, it was kind of ridiculous. They had this ostrich farm out in Hoboken. God, those birds were evil. Maybe even eviler than Heart ever was. They were massive! Especially to the two of us. One chased Daphne for the first three days we were there and only ever stopped when it was feeding time. They’d peck at our heels when we were cleaning out their stalls. One tried to stomp on me until I kicked it back. The last straw was when one spat in my face. I was just totally done.”

“How did you guys get out?”

“It was my second time really learning how to pick a lock. We’d done it before, but on handcuffs, not front gate locks.”

“Handcuffs?”

“Different family.”

“We’re getting to that next, then. I wanna know all the mini crime sprees of the Sisters Grimm. But tell me what happened next first.”

Even with the heavy topic at hand, Puck always managed to make her laugh. Like genuinely laugh until she was left with nothing but a grin. “Sure. But yes. It took me a week of highly interrupted lockpicking time before I got the gate open. We might have accidentally left the gate open behind us, but we booked it to the nearest train station after walking there overnight. Daphne crawled under the turnstiles, and I hopped it so we could the train back to the city. We were back, taking a nap in Central Park before the cops had managed to track down all the ostriches who had decided to terrorize everyone from Bayonne to Palisades Park. God, we got in such trouble with Smirt for that stunt. She locked us in the basement for a week when they found us.”

“You two really knew how to cause chaos.” Puck’s voice had a proud tinge, and she could see his smile all crooked and warm like he was right next to her. “But I’m assuming they’re not the worst ones you had.”

“No. We had some nastier ones. The crazies were one thing. They were vaguely dangerous, but some were just weird. We stayed with them the longest. People like the Johnsons were ones we were happy to leave quickly.”

He hummed thoughtfully. “I think you’ve mentioned them before.”

“Yeah, I might have. When we first got to their house, things were alright. They told us the basic rules and stuff. Everything seemed perfectly normal until it came time to go to sleep.”

She got quiet for a moment. And she could tell Puck was recalling that one time when they were twelve, when he had handcuffed himself to her to stop her from sneaking out.

“I wish I knew,” Puck’s voice cracked, and she had to rein in the urge to comfort him because he was 4,649 miles away from her and she couldn’t tug him into a hug like this. Not unless he snuck out to snag the Gnome King’s belt and a shit ton of massive batteries.

“I never would’ve told you. Not back then.”

“Still wish I could’ve done some things differently.”

“I know. But I wasn’t in the space to tell you that you should’ve approached me differently. Even Granny wouldn’t have known. She just knew I was angry, not that–”

“The foster homes had been so bad that you decided to delete any trace of any trust any adult could ever build with you.”

She sighed, once again wishing he were next to her. “Yeah. The first night they handcuffed us to the radiator, I thought it was just because Smirt had told them the horror stories about us. But then they did it the next night. And the night after that. And it’s not like I could justify it since they hadn’t just handcuffed me, but also Daphne.”

Puck’s voice grew strained, and she knew she had said something wrong. “‘Brina, you know you shouldn’t have justified it if it was just you.”

“I know, Puck. But I was older, and older kids were more trouble in foster care. Especially older siblings.”

“Would you say the same about Gabriel?”

The question smashed her jaw shut for her. Because no, I wouldn’t have said it was acceptable if it had been Gabriel. But Gabriel was in charge of Isa, Mateo, and Diego, and I had Daphne. I had a girl who looked at me like I hung the moon until we got here because things changed, and I didn’t need to have us run again, and I couldn’t adapt.

“No.”

“Then you need to know it wasn’t right–that it isn’t right for you to excuse their behavior towards you just because it included Daphne.”

She huffed out a breath. Objectively, he was right. She knew that. But it had just gotten so hard for her to see that tidbit of information.

“I know. I’m trying here, Puck. But I haven’t even really come to grips with this shit happening to me that until I get there, I can’t even undo all the bad things it taught me.” She heard his pained sigh, like he wanted to grab her shoulders and shake her until she got it through her thickass skull, but she simply wasn’t there yet. So she flipped the story back to the next bad thing. “And it wasn’t like they were the worst. Being handcuffed to the radiator was barely a blip when it came to the Keatons.”

“The Keatons?”

“Yeah,” Sabrina stared, letting her shoulders fall back and losing their tension as the conversation shifted. “The Keatons just wanted house-sitters, but they didn’t want to pay. So they picked us up from Smirt and promptly locked us in the basement before leaving on vacation for two weeks.”

Puck had been sipping on water and promptly choked on it. “Huh? Just tossed you two in? No hello? How are you?”

“Yep. Literally pinched us until we complied. They locked us down there and told us to watch the house and call if we saw any intruders.”

“How were you supposed to call from the basement?”

Sabrina gaffed, rolling her eyes. The sheets under her legs made her skin itch as she remembered the leaky and nearly pitch black of the crawl space the Keatons had called a “basement.” “No idea. Not like there was a bathroom or food either. Just some canned food with no opener and a bucket. Breaking out was the only option.”

“What did you guys do when you got out?”

“We kind of ran amok in the house. We used their credit card to order food and slept in the beds. We dressed in nice clothes and watched slightly inappropriate TV. We ate whatever we wanted and absolutely didn’t clean. When they got back, they screamed at us for an hour and a half before calling Smirt.”

“Jeez, that’s like an overreaction considering they were basically trying to kill you. I’m glad you guys got out. Did they at least bring you anything?”

“You remember those massive, worn-down T-shirts from Bermuda that Daphne and I sometimes wear to bed? That’s from the Keatons.”

“I’m going to go rogue and fight these people, ‘Brina.”

“Eh, as long as you don’t get caught, I won’t stop you. It’s not like they were the worst.”

She could hear Puck take a deep breath across the silence of the phone. She knew he wanted to ask, but he wanted her to want to tell him. And she did, but–

She had just never talked about it. It’s not like Daphne knew. She just knew that Dennison was loud and mean and made them sleep in a truck. She never saw the bruises or the fear or ever had it happen to her. Because Sabrina never let it get that far. It’s why they ran the last time, after all. Dennison had tried to turn his anger on Daphne when she broke a plate trying to get it out of the cabinet.

He raised his hand to hit her sister, but Sabrina had struck first, slamming a lamp over his head. It’s no worse than he’d done to her–

“It was the little things, at first, you know,” Sabrina began, screwing her eyes shut. “He’d push me around, hip-check me in the kitchen. Growl at me under his breath. He was pretty tolerant of Daphne, saying she reminded him of his daughter. But me–”

Sabrina let out a breath, pressing the heel of her hand into her eyes, like she could block out the barrage of silver memories swirling in her vision.

“I apparently reminded him of his wife. Who had taken their daughter and split town. So he didn’t like me. God, he hated me. Like, I wasn’t miss popular at my old school or when I first went to school here, but no one looked at me and just wanted me dead. Well–Heart and Nottingham–but that’s beside the point. Anyways, I made sure Daphne was unaware of how much animosity he had towards me.”

Her hair suddenly felt scratchy, even in the crown braid Daphne had done for her.

“I had done the dishes wrong or something, so he’d gripped my upper arm hard enough it bruised just so he could slap me across the face.”

She could hear Puck swallow hard, swallowing in some air through his teeth.

“It wasn’t the first time a foster parent had been awful, but it was the first time I didn’t know what to do. Other than that and the days when he made us sleep out in his truck because he had his ‘lady friend’ visiting and didn’t want her to know we were there, it was fine. He lived close to a good school with good food and good teachers. But–at some point, it became too much. I was having trouble hiding the bruises as the closer it got to warmer weather. I was going to put up with it for Daphne, and then he just snapped.”

“Snapped?” Puck asked, his voice apprehensive and a little shaky.

“Yeah, he just started getting more irritated. I found out later that it was because his custody case was falling through and his daughter hadn’t really wanted to see him. But at that point, I think he was furious with her. So when Daphne accidentally broke a plate, he went to hit her. Instead of letting that go, I smashed a lamp over his head and we booked it. Thankfully, I think he realized that I would absolutely throw him under the bus if he tried to get me in trouble, so we were let back into the orphanage with minimal fuss. But he still comes up in my memory sometimes, when I think of Snow. She and I have talked a little about it, but I haven’t ever told her the whole truth. I don’t think I’ve ever said it out loud before, actually.”

Sabrina stared up at her ceiling. She could feel the soft cotton of her sheets under her fingertips and the soft stretches of embroidered vines on her bedspread. She could smell the lilac candle burning by her beside that Red had made her for her birthday. She could still taste the chocolate-orange cake Granny had made on her tongue.

“You okay?” He asked softly.

She sucked in a breath and stretched, trying to loosen the pit in her stomach and the stress lines in her shoulders. She wished he could be there because she needed something to ground her. Apparently, he knew her too well, because he just started jabbering and talking about nothing and everything until she laughed. It was something innocuous about Jake snoring his ear off and literally making someone call their room because they thought he was vacuuming.

“‘Brina?”

“I’m okay. I’m okay. I want to tell you, I want–”

She paused. She knew he was waiting for her. He wasn’t willing to push her to a place she didn’t want to go. Not after all they’d been through together.

“I want someone to know. I want you to know.

“Okay, ‘Brina. I’m here, you know I’m here. Now, tell me about the next crazy one.”

“Sure thing, goof. Not even sure if they were all there, but they acted like they were. The Spanglers seemed just straight up a little loony. They were convinced the Bengal tiger they had bought from some backroom dealer in Hell’s Kitchen was just a plain housecat with temper tantrums.

“No way.” Puck’s voice was light, and she almost wanted to thank him for changing the tone, because she ached in a way that made her mind flip back and forth through a shattered mirror of all these places she’d been and all the things she’d done to escape them.

“Oh, way. We literally only stayed like a week because they wanted us to clean the room it was in, and when I say it was probably one of the nastiest things I’ve ever seen in my life, I mean it. So instead, we left the door open to the apartment complex hallway and let the chaos happen so we could book it out the window in the bathroom.”

“Dude…” Puck’s voice trailed off, imagining the possibilities of a tiger loose on the streets of New York.

“And no, you can’t reenact this.”

“Sabrina Grimm! You know me too well.”

She snorted, “You can, however, go beat up the LaMarcas.”

“Oh,” Puck questioned, “and why is that?”

“God, they were nasty. They had these two boys who did competitive wrestling and boxing, so they wanted training dummies. I only lasted two days before I decided Daphne and I had to go.”

“Two days? Is that your record?”

“Kind of, I mean, we left Mr. Greenly in like an hour or so after Sinbad’s boat incident.”

“True, but still.”

“I know. We stayed with a few a little longer. Like Mr. Framingham was one of the last ones we had before we made it to Granny’s. He had this really gnarly vet clinic. It seemed kind of sketchy right off the bat, but then he decided to rent us out as dogcatchers for his underground puppy mill.”

“Um???”

“Yeah, I know. But we just claimed we were too slow and never actually brought him any. We stayed for a bit just so we could sabotage his business and free the dogs in Central Park.”

“Jeez, you two really were wild. Now I know why you immediately went for the kill when I showed up. Foster care is fucked.”

“True. But it’s not like it never taught us how to use our powers for evil. You were cocooned when this happened, but when your dad was trying to throw us to the crowd, we Mr. Drisko’d him. Mr. Drisko was this god-awful foster father who kept ferrets. And not like one, but like 30, all of whom were the devil incarnate. He got so mad at us one day when we refused to give the ferrets pedicures that he turned to spank us.”

“Yikes! Was this before or after Dennison?”

“After. So you know, I wasn’t really willing to tolerate anything like that, especially not to Daphne or in front of Daphne. So, we did what we do best. Beat him up.”

Puck’s laughter echoed all tinny against the phone microphone. “When Oberon snatched our wrists, Daphne and I only had to mention Drisko before we were stomping down hard on the tops of his toes so we could knock him over, and just began with the relentless kicking.”

“Dude…I would’ve killed to see that.”

Sabrina’s grin returned lightly. “It was a weird time, that’s for sure.”

Puck fell quiet, and Sabrina waited for him to speak first. His tone shifted the same way hers did when the more dangerous families came up. When she had felt the most scared, most vulnerable. “You know, when he banished me for not marrying Moth, it was a gift in disguise. Sure, I wasn’t exactly happy to be leaving the city and my old haunts and everything I had grown used to since we showed up in New York to rebuild Fairie. But it allowed me to leave them for the first time.”

“It must’ve been hard, starting over. Especially with no money, no home, and–”

“No annoying brother to rein me in and stop me from trying to toss you in a pool.”

“It’s the younger sibling energy.”

“Yeah.” From the tilt of the word, she could tell he was thinking about Oberon. “Dear old dad would’ve loved it if Mustardseed were his heir. Though I don’t think he’d have ever gotten either of us to marry Moth.”

“Good. She literally murdered people.”

“Still wild to me. Though she annoyed me literally every day, she never struck me as a murderer.”

“To be fair, I only kind of saw it when she literally left us with the pirates and then later made me drink poison so she could stand over me and gloat.”

“God, that was annoying. Though no worse than my dad.”

“In the annoying category?”

“In the anything category. He was narcissistic, temperamental, and a straight-up asshole. It’s like seeing pre-reality-of-a-rewritten-story Charming, but dial up the dramatics by 1,000.”

“That sounds like the man I met who dragged Daphne and I over to the stage with a grip so tight I was sure he’d break something.”

“Sounds about right. He was always so pushy, physically and generally. If he was in a bad mood, it’d be a slammed door or a food tray tossed. If he was upset with my mom, we’d find them trapped in a screaming match for hours. If he was upset with some waiter, he’d dump water over their heads. And not like my conversations with him were much better. He’d yell at me to grow up, I’d make a prank go off, and he’d get so red that he looked like a ketchup packet. I could never please him. Even when I tried. And I did try, way back when we first got to America. I wanted to switch it up, and I think the godforsaken trip made me get a new personality for a few weeks, cause I spent that entire time trying to be the prince he wanted me to be. But he’d still find little things to critique and little jabs to poke at me with.”

“Like what?”

“Like, ‘Puck, why haven’t you cleaned up yet, you still smell like Bottom’s bottom half.’ Or ‘Puck, you didn’t even read this. I can’t ever trust you to know anything about Fairie if you’re so incompetent you can’t read a simple message.’ Or ‘Puck, why can’t you be more like your brother? Or better yet, be more like me. I’m perfect.’”

“Please tell me he did not say that out loud.”

“He did.”

“Jeez, that’s fucked and egotistical.”

“He was.”

“Did anyone ever say anything?”

“My mom tried, y’know, but she wasn’t the King of Fairie, so it didn’t matter.”

“I’m sure she tried, but–”

“Dad was too obsessed with himself to let her have any moment of peace. Or time to dedicate to anyone but him.”

“At least you and your mom can be in the same room without an argument nowadays?”

He tsk’d thoughtfully. “True. Though I think that has a lot to do with you.”

“Me?”

“Sabrina,” Puck started, his arched eyebrow practically screaming at her, even though she couldn’t see his face, “You go and read old Fairie books with her. You let her ramble about history for four hours. You drag me up to visit and get me to dress nice enough. You may be Veronica’s daughter, but she probably likes you almost as much as Mustardseed and I.”

Sabrina’s jaw was tossed on the floor, and she wasn’t sure she could find it. “Like I knew she enjoyed our chats but–”

“No one else talks with her about things like that. Even Mustardseed stopped being interested in the past when it became clear he needed to set the vision for the future. She likes reminiscing and reliving things she’s forgotten. You are the only one who really does that anymore.”

“I guess I didn’t know.”

“Well, she’s mellowed out since Dad died and they’re no longer in constant lover’s quarrels, but she’s lonely sometimes. And you tend to make sure she’s not, even unconsciously. The amount of people you’ve sent to Fairie by word-of-mouth alone is reason enough for her to approve of you.”

“I swear, I’d never thought I’d endear myself to her ever.”

“Well, since she got her own form of freedom, she likes seeing it in others. It’s why she was so jealous of your mom or distrustful of you and Marshmallow. You all had the one ability she didn’t: to go anywhere and do anything and be anything you ever wanted. And all she wanted to do was go back to when she knew she was happy. Sure, she wasn’t, not really, but she’s partial to nostalgia for sure.”

“Your family baffles me.”

That got a full belly laugh out of him. “I know.”

“Hmm. Though I will say, you never give Mustardseed the credit he deserves for putting up with you the way Daphne did with me.”

“Welllll,” Puck began, dragging out the word. “You’re probably right. But in comparison, he knew the kind of person he was and the person he’d be if he could just grow up. He dedicated his time to books and people in a way I just never could.”

“You’re good with people. Sometimes. Mostly when Daphne’s around, or I get on your case. Or Granny does.”

“Yeah, but Mustardseed is a natural at it. He’s always been quieter, but he’s got the vibe that he just knows what he’s doing. And he’s always wanted me to be happy with whatever happens. Even when I was yelling at him about our dad, he didn’t care. He just wanted me to be happy with my choices and my future.”

Sabrina’s hands smoothed out the fabric of her pajamas, fiddling with the lettuce-hem edges. Puck was probably (definitely) wearing his raggedy t-shirt and sweat shorts that Daphne had thrifted a few years ago when she was in her ‘thrifting era’ that he’d worn to death but refused to give up. She could tell he was fidgeting, same as her, so she broke the silence. “You wanted him to inherit the throne, didn’t you? Not just now, after the war and your dad dying, but decades ago.”

“Centuries, probably. I just wanted to be a kid. And a kid didn’t want to rule over the Fairie kingdom and marry a spiteful, crazy, and murderous traitor. I just wanted to play pranks on people and make fun, interesting stuff. I never liked the politics of it. Not the way your mom does, or even Daphne. God, the old man just made me so angry with his persistent push towards marrying Moth. Like, no eleven-year-old should be getting married. I was still a kid in my head, and so was she. It was a psychotic move on his side.”

She could hear Puck tossing and turning in his bed, like the conversation was making him restless. She didn’t want to push, but she wanted to give him a chance to let it out the way he had at Oberon’s funeral. But god did she want to be there next to him. For his sake and her own. “What happened after that?”

“I just packed a bag and got out one night when everyone was sleeping. It wasn’t even like I was trying to survive out there; it was just like some random food and clothes and that hoodie. I never knew I’d need a new one ‘cause I was so sure I was never gonna grow. And then suddenly I was stuck in this little bubble of a town, which didn’t seem to matter at the time. I had what I wanted: my own space and freedom, and no one telling me what to do with my life. But I also couldn’t shake the urge to run back to Fairie. It was all I’d ever known, and I didn’t know how to be without it. But I decided fuck it and set up shop in the woods, thinking no one would look for me there.” His voice sped up as he talked, like he was trying to get it all out as quickly as possible.

“You never really talk about the why when it came to leaving New York City behind. Just the how.”

“You know why I left.”

Sabrina curled onto her right side, facing the window and the glazed light of the moon. “I know, I know. I do. Moth made it clear.”

Puck hummed, his voice distant. “Yeah, and she almost killed you for being the reason I was going to go home.”

“Puck,” Sabrina whispered, shivers running down her arms.

“She met you, and I wasn’t even out of that goddamn cocoon, and she somehow knew that I would once again not pick her. Not like I even thought about staying for more than a minute at that time. I just wanted to go home, and somehow home wasn’t just the forest and the pixies or even just my room. It was–”

“Granny.”

“And Marshmallow. And even your wacky uncle and the big bad.”

“You love Uncle Jake.”

“Yeah, but back then he was straight up annoying.”

“Sure, not like you were just jealous or anything.”

His groan echoed across the phone. “Okay, whatever, maybe you’re right.”

“I usually am.”

He paused. Sabrina could feel him gearing up to say something. “You know I also meant you when I said I wanted to go home.”

Sabrina swallowed, letting out a soft breath. “You know this will always be your home now. Granny Relda doesn’t do take-backs.”

Puck’s snort echoes across the phone. “It’s weird to me that the old lady found me at what might have been my worst.”

“She found me at the same time, to be fair. And Iwasn’t wandering around a forest at night smelling like toxic fumes.”

“Yeah, yeah, you liked it.”

“Did not.”

“Totally did.”

“You were noseblind until you had that bath, I swear.”

Puck snickered, and Sabrina could practically see the grin sprint across his lips. “You and I really are a pair of something. How anyone survived us growing up is a mystery.”

“I don’t think anyone actually survived it.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.”

The two of them lay in silence for a minute or two. Just listening to the sound of their breathing and the wind sliding through the cracks in the windowpane. The weight of their past still lingered heavily, but Sabrina could finally breathe, as the buzzing in her head and the constant vigilance sealed into her silver-laced bones could rest for a moment. Though she’d wanted to continue to let Puck go wherever and do whatever he wanted, she desperately wanted him to come back home, just for a bit. She went to open her mouth, and let it fall shut when Puck began speaking.

“Thank you, ‘Brina. For telling me the truth, and letting me tell you mine. It’s just–”

“A lot?”

“Yeah. And you know if I could be there–”

“You would be. And you will be. When you guys finally come back. For now, you might just have to give Jake a hug in my place.”

Puck groaned playfully, prompting Sabrina to snicker. Yeah, they’d be alright.

Finally, summer rolled around, and Puck jumped at the opportunity to return home. He and Jake had been out of town nonstop for six months straight since Christmas. All he wanted was to lie in his newly built bed inside his magical pocket dimension room with the waterfall in the background and Sabrina just down the hall.

He and Jake had taken a red-eye to get back to New York, so even though he slept, Puck was still a little grumpy as they sat on the train ride upstate. Jake was knocked out, snoring softly in the booth across from him. Puck knew that Jake wasn’t really ready to be back.

Two weeks ago, during a trip to the French countryside, they’d ended up in Briar Rose’s home forest. At first, everything had been fine. They had gone about their business, meeting new people and visiting antique shops and witches’ hovels to look for more magical items. Puck had found Daphne a charmed necklace and wand, Basil a glowing rock that could turn him invisible, Red an old paint set, Pinocchio a new atlas, and Sabrina some first-edition copies of any and all fairytales he could find.

And then they came across the cottage. It hadn’t been on purpose. They got lost in the woods one day and stumbled straight onto a trail. Puck didn’t understand at first. And then he saw the roses.

The cottage was covered in them. Overgrown and fully in bloom. Jake had gone deathly silent. Just starting at the bush before he took a few steps forward to smell the flowers. When he plucked one gently from the vine, another immediately grew in its place. It dawned on him that this was Briar Rose’s home all those years ago.

They’d left quietly, but the rest of the trip kind of soured. So when Granny asked them to come back, Puck had decided to make the executive decision for him and had Sabrina book the tickets.

As their train pulled into the station, Puck nearly took Jake’s arm off in an effort to get off.

“Jeez, kid, I just woke up, give me a sec. I know you’re excited to see ‘Brina, but–”

“Who says I’m excited to see her?”

“Your face and your late night, hours-long phone calls, and those cutesy postcards you send each other.”

Puck’s jaw was on the floor, and he could vaguely hear the conductor telling them to disembark. So he peeled his mouth up and snapped it shut, snatching his bags off the floor and practically sprinting off the train.

Ferryport Landing, for all the spring showers, was surprisingly sunny. It seemed brighter than the last time they were there (winter, but whatever). It might’ve been the sunshine, but it also might’ve been Sabrina and Daphne leaning against Sabrina’s new blue car. It practically gleamed and glittered, but all Puck saw was her smile (gag, but he was learning that maybe that was normal when you grew up).

He barely had a second to wave to her when someone slammed into him, nearly tossing them to the ground.

“God, Marshmallow, I’m not going anywhere, but my ribs might be if you keep that up!”

She laughed into his arms, and Puck couldn’t help but smile. Especially when he saw Sabrina sauntering over, smirk on her face and nose scrunched in laughter.

Of course, that’s when Jake stumbled out and wrapped all of them in a hug, asking if they had any coffee. It wasn’t until later that night that Sabrina and Puck got to talk.

Back on the roof, the two of them pressed up against one another, side-by-side. The sun was setting into purple-pink skies. It was perhaps the calmest Sabrina had felt in a while. Like she could turn off the master vigilance dusted in silver looming in her mind.

“Okay,” Puck interrupted her train of thought, turning to her with a grin. “Give me the tea.”

Sabrina gaped. “Literally, what is Daphne teaching you?”

“She sends me TikToks to communicate.”

“Ah.”

“But for real, what’s happened since I’ve been gone?”

Sabrina caught him up on everything that had happened. Red painted a new mural for the school. Basil had devoured video games like nobody’s business. Granny Relda had pulled out some new recipe that–for the first time ever–actually made everyone so sick that they had to take a week off to recover. Even Mr. Clay, who had been teaching a weekly yoga class downtown with Beauty and Goldilocks, to help people deal with their emotions. Also, Beauty and Goldilocks were definitely into one another, but neither had made a move.”

“Who the hell told you that?” Puck was gobsmacked. “That seems too good to be true.”

“Well,” Sabrina started, “When Natalie was complaining about it at lunch, it clued me in.”

“No way.”

“Yes way. As far as she’s concerned, she can’t believe Goldie won’t make a move yet. She says the ‘sexual tension’ is ruining their weekly Thursday night dinners with the awkward vibes.”

“I’m shook.”

Sabrina rolled her eyes and continued. Talking about the work her mom had been doing downtown with the Merry Men and their law degrees, helping to get Everafters sorted with paperwork so they could start to live the lives they wanted. How her dad had taken to gardening to ease his frustrations about not moving back to New York and leaving the Everafter thing behind.

“Is that why everything smells like tomatoes?”

“Oh yes. And that’s just the beginning. Wait until it’s really harvest season.”

She launched into her final tales about Pinocchio's chit-chats with the Blue Fairy and the progress they’d made at reconciling in the aftermath of Ghepetto being gone for so long. And of course, Daphne’s dating life.

“She keeps dating boys she only kind of likes. They fall in love with her almost faster than she gets spooked and dips. If I didn’t know any better, I’d straight up think that she’s secretly Snow White reincarnated. Or Charming, which gives me the heebie-geebies.”

“Marshmallow will learn. She just wants to experience everything while she’s young. One day, love will hit her over the head with a sledgehammer, and we won’t hear the end of it.”

“True, true.”

“After all, she learned from the best.”

Sabrina arched an eyebrow at him. “And who might that be?”

“Jake and Briar.”

“Ah, that’s accurate. Speaking of that, don’t leave me hanging. How was the trip?”

“I almost blew up a train. But that was after Jake made us run from the witch whose house he accidentally stole.”

“Please tell me how you stole a house.”

“It was Jake, and I was asleep for most of it, so I’m not really sure. I think he Goldielocks’d it, but that wasn’t clear when she was trying to blast us off the mountainside.”

Puck continued, telling her about their trip across the Caucasus Mountains. He told her about the spooky lakes he’d seen in the TikToks Red had sent him that he’d been trying to convince her uncle to take him to. Unfortunately, Jake decided that magic witches trying to kill them was better than tempting fate with radiation.

“But we will be taking the Reds and Marshmallow and probably Wendell on a trip to Lake Baikal. Isa and Diego already said yes.”

“Well, if the Andersens are in–”

The two of them shared a laugh. Puck explained to her, in great detail, how he raided like four German chocolate stores so badly that he had to store his suitcase in the pocket dimension Morgan had helped him set up for travel. And how he did fall face-first into the Thames because someone called him Peter Pan. It took a turn when he began to share details on their final stop before returning home: France.

Puck recalled the darkness of the forest. How time seemed to stand still amongst the dense trees. How the shadows followed them. At least, on the outskirts. As they wandered further into the thick brush, it’s like the sun took a dagger and carved out a patch filled with warmth. The trees felt softer, and the birds felt like singing. In a way, it reminded Puck of their trip into Wonderland inside the book of Everafter. But this time, it wasn’t dogged by a feeling of madness.

Just loss. Just longing.

It was unclear why, at least until they found the path. They’d been wandering for a day or two, looking for some mystical amulet Jake had heard was somewhere in the woods. Instead of any amulet, they stumbled into the cottage. It was rustic, all stone, and covered in wisteria and moss. It kind of reminded Puck of those Hobbit houses that Basil loved. The cottage was nowhere near as grotesque as Baba Yaga’s had been, but Puck kind of liked it nonetheless.

He was going to suggest heading inside when he caught the scent.

“It reminded me of her, y’know? The warmth of the sun and the smell of the roses. But all I could think about was the funeral.”

“The smell of the rose bush.”

“Yeah. So Jake plucked one off the branch before putting it in his jacket. We left right after. I don’t think he could bear to be there longer than that.”

“He loved her. And she loved him. She was going to be my aunt, and I know she’s been gone for years, but the wound is still raw.”

“And seeing the cottage where she grew up certainly didn’t make it any less painful.”

“I don’t imagine it ever would. Losing the person you love, especially like that–well, it broke my heart, and I wasn’t the one in love with her. I know it’s one of those soulmate-type of connections, where he was just gone on her. And it’s not like anyone ever wants to bring her up in conversation anymore. It’s painful for us, but it’s more painful for him.”

“The old lady still talks about your grandpa.”

“True, but it’s been my entire life and a few years since he died. She dusted the town to make them forget what Uncle Jake did. She needed to move forward, though I know she’d never move on.” Sabrina paused, pulling at her own fingers. “I wanted so bad to know what he was like. I’d asked Briar once, since she’d been fond of him. I think in most ways, Daphne and Basil are like Granny, but she said I was like his little angry carbon copy. She said it lovingly, like she didn’t hate me for sometimes hating her. But she told me she had little room in her life to hate people who didn’t deserve it. And she knows that when someone’s out to get you and has broken your family apart, that even escaping the suffering isn’t enough to make you forgive and forget.”

“She understood you. Something most of us weren’t really capable of doing.”

“Yeah. And I took that for granted. Because I didn’t have an older sister to talk about those things with. I thought I’d have forever with her. Or, at least all of my life. And even now, I look at Jake, and my heart just hurts. In those first weeks after she died, and when I got blasted with those mirrors, I kept seeing glimpses of her in my head on repeat. And I just kept wondering how you can love someone so much, like really love them, that you can never get them out of your head? That if I lost them, I don’t think I’d move on? It’s just a little crazy.”

“I can imagine.”

With a sigh, Puck slumped into her, pressing his entire right side into her left. She nudged him back until he twisted, wrapping an arm around her waist so he could press his forehead into her neck. With a slight hesitation, Sabrina reached her left hand up to grip his knee, letting her own head fall onto his. His curls tickled at her cheek, but they were soft and surprisingly clean.

His hand was warm on her hip, clutching at the belt loop on her jeans. She felt safe and warm and happy. And god, this might have been the boy who once tried to glue her head to a basketball and dumped her in goop and annoyed her to death during their preteens, but he had saved her over and over again. And sure, she saved him right back, but they were always in each other’s orbit. Where she went, he followed. And where he went, she made sure he was alright (and that he’d come back).

With magic simmering under her skin, she hadn’t felt safe in a while. To be fair, she hadn’t felt safe since she and Daphne came home to an empty apartment. But now, on the roof of her rebuilt childhood home with her family tucked in bed and her best friends down the hall, she felt like she could breathe without the weight of her past dragging her back down. And she owed a lot of that to the boy clutching her close like she was something precious.

“I never really thanked you for letting me ramble about all of it.”

“About what?” In person, Puck’s ached eyebrow almost made her laugh. His inquisitive face was halfway to dumbfounded. He (sadly) pulled away from her so he could watch her speak.

“The foster homes.”

He nodded slowly. “Ah.”

“Yeah.”

“Well, you’re welcome. And if we’re saying it, then thank you. For letting me ramble right back.”

“You’re also welcome. I’m glad I finally talked about it. And I’m finally glad I talked about it with you. There’s no one else I could talk to about this like that.”

“Not even Marshmallow?”

“Not Daphne, not yet.”

“Well, you always have me.”

“And you have me.”

He paused, eyes on the horizon. Sabrina watched him, and she could practically feel herself soften at the sight of him. He’d grown up handsome. Sure, he’d been nice to look at when he was cleaned for the first time in years at the age of eleven, but puberty (for all its ups and downs) hit him like a brick to the face. His hair grew longer and curlier. His eyes greener. The more she looked at him, the more she saw the man from the future that the other version of her had married.

He turned towards her, eyes gentle. “What, something on my face?”

“Just your mouth.”

“Thinking of my mouth often, are ya?”

“God,” Sabrina scrunched her eyes, shoving him with a hand to the face, his grin burning into her palm, “Oh shut up.”

“Nah.” Puck wrapped an arm around her. Twisting her to him. For a moment, they locked eyes before wrapping each other in a hug. They clung to each other, like they were reliving every single moment they’d had to endure and just needed someone to ground them. Being child soldiers, being in a war, leading a war had definitely left its mark. It was lucky they still had each other, still had something to live for. Just two kids, finally learning how to live with it all.

Eventually, they had to let go. “Well, that was nasty.”

“Those are feelings, Puck.”

“Exactly, nasty.”

“Well, if you’re gonna be annoying, give me that fancy chocolate you got in Germany then.”

Puck pulls it slowly out of his pocket, dangling it in front of her, pinched between his thumb and forefinger. “You mean this.”

She reached for it, only for him to yank it back. They both eyed one another and lunged. They wrestled for a bit, each sneaking a swipe at the chocolate. Somehow it devolved into shoving and laughing. They ended up sharing the bar of chocolate as the sun fell and the stars began to twinkle brighter. Eventually, the exhaustion of secret sharing and emotional conversations took a toll, and they knocked out, clinging to one another against the slight chill of the wind.

A slight knock on the door wasn’t enough to wake either of them.

Red, dressed in Sabrina’s old jeans and a paint-splattered t-shirt, silently opened the door and slipped in. She could hear Sabrina’s heartbeat, alongside another’s. Oh, that’s Puck. With nearly invisible footsteps, Red tiptoed to the window.

Poking her head out, she spotted the two of them wrapped up together. They looked peaceful and relaxed, something she hadn’t seen in a long while. Sabrina’s long blonde hair was tossed over her shoulder, and was most of what Red could see of her. Around her back were Puck’s arms.

Red grinned, turned around, and quietly slipped back through the door. She was totally winning the betting pool after this.

A week later, they had been wrangled into taking all the kids into town for the town festival Mayor White was putting on. This was the third year, and people were thrilled to find more Everafters whom they hadn’t seen in decades arriving to visit.

Sabrina had packed her siblings, Red, Pinocchio, the Andersens, Wendell, Bess and Hamstead’s kids, and Mordred into the sleek blue minivan her mom had bought after the Jalopy “died.” (She, Puck, Red, and Daphne had absolutely destroyed the car one night after it nearly exploded on a trip to the Costco three towns over. Jake was a little devastated, but each time the car backfired, it literally caught fire.) It was still too small for all of them, but they always liked to see how many people they could fit without magic.

She drove slow enough to settle her own fears about crashing with like fifteen people in the car, but fast enough that they still got to the festival just as the doors were opening.

Daphne, ever the eager one for games and fried dough, latched onto Basil and Red’s hands and started sprinting towards the first ride. Wendell and Mordred followed with Pinocchio at a more sedate pace, Mordred hefting up one of Bess and Ernest’s kids onto either hip as the third and fourth bound ahead. Isa latched onto Sabrina’s arm and Diego’s wrist so Sabrina snatched Puck and Diego nabbed Mateo. Their fearless leader began dragging them forward, leaving Gabriel laughing as Mateo and Puck stumbled along.

Spread out across the festival were hundreds of Everafters. Sabrina spotted many she had known. Many she had fought with, and some she had fought against. Her classmates were scattered amongst a variety of visitors from out of town. But the important thing was that everyone was there. Despite the turf wars and arguments and lack of connection, they had shown up in post-war Ferryport Landing to be together.

It reminded Sabrina of Fairie, of her mother’s dreams etched in that journal.

With Puck’s wrist still in her hand, she could recall the exact feeling of the air whipping around her face, her hair all tangled from the wind. She remembered looking up at Oz and feeling like her heart was breaking. She felt like she was back in the Room of Reflections again, and she was seeing Mirror standing with Basil above the Book of Everafter.

The betrayal and the pain were still ever-present and sometimes agonizing. Though time had dulled the rawness of her emotions, her silver sight now kept the images as memories forever etched in her mind.

But the feeling of Puck’s hand slipping into hers pulled her back, grounding her. Without looking, she knew he had slowed his breathing, so she would mimic him. In spite of all her progress, in spite of the efforts they’d put into rebuilding this town, Sabrina couldn’t help but remember.

The rush of blood to her head made her dizzy. She was twelve with a broken arm and a broken heart, staring out at the curve of the valley and running for her life from the Jabberwocky. She was being held by her parents for the first time since they’d disappeared. She was yelling at her dad and driving over the newly rebuilt bridge on the way home from the center of town. She was in a future that no longer existed, a minute from home, and yet stuck with the image of the Scarlet Hand’s fortress sitting atop the only house she’d ever known to truly be home.

She was staring at Briar’s grave. At Mr. Seven’s. At Gepetto’s and Baba Yaga’s. She could feel it washing over her again, the anger and pain of betrayal like an itch under her skin that she couldn’t shake.

She’d lost so much to this town. She’d lost her innocence and her friendships and her family. She’d lost her humanity and normalcy. But she’d also gained a whole new set of people who stood by her side as they outlined a new magical policy for the town and worked on rebuilding everything they’d lost to the war. And here, at this festival, she finally found herself surrounded by people who wanted something the way she did. Who wanted to be happy. Who wanted to have a future.

The ghosts of this town would still extend their arms and wrap around her neck some nights. She couldn’t help but remember their faces and their names and everything she’d ever said to them.

But Puck’s hand in hers held her firm. She wouldn’t lose it to the silver sight lurking within her. She could be present in the moment, and so she was.

“’mon ‘Brina, I bet Marshmallow and the Pipsqueak I could win more cotton candy bags before the end of the night.”

“Okay,” she laughed lightly, letting Puck pull her forward. They caught up to the menagerie of their friends and family. They were all grinning, eyes crinkled, and laughter thick in the air. It was loud and boisterous and wonderful. As Sabrina took in all the people she loved, she turned back to look at her best friend.

Puck’s grin was still as crooked as ever, and for a moment, time froze, and Sabrina finally remembered what it was like to be happy.

Time passed quickly. Sabrina bounced around from person to person. Taking sappy and goofy photos in the photo booth with Red. Totally destroying Basil and Diego at the water gun challenge. Smashing the high score at the laser tag setup with Isa and Daphne. Snacking on popcorn and fried dough with Wendell, Mordred, and Gabriel. It felt like a dream that she didn’t want to wake up from.

The day drew on, and she found herself back at the harbor.

As the sun set over the water, Sabrina and Puck sat on the docks. Isa had seen the look in Sabrina’s eye and volunteered to take the kids to the outdoor movie with the promise she and Puck would catch up once they “grabbed enough snacks.” Daphne had given her a look, and Mateo had waggled his eyebrows at Puck, but they left with the rest of the herd.

They sat hip to hip, hands crossing over one another. As obvious as their friends and family were, the two of them just chose to bask in each other’s presence after so long apart.

While they had never seriously pursued anything beyond friendship in the years since finding out they felt more than disdain and annoyance towards one another, they had always been honest. Puck had shared with her when he was interested in the people he and Jake had met. Sabrina had done the same, though both knew it was few and far between.

When they were fourteen, Heidi Schwan, the sister of the six swan boys, kissed her at a party during a game of spin the bottle. She and Sabrina try out dating for a little (two months), but realize they were better at being friends.

At fifteen, Puck and Jake got trapped on Circe’s island in Greece. He met a girl named Plúr na mBan, the granddaughter of a legendary Irish fianna. They shared some kisses, but when he and Jake found a way to leave, she told him she wanted to stay.

At sixteen, Sabrina dated Benjamin, the youngest of the Twelve Brothers, for four months before they parted as friends. She went to the first major dance of high school with Kintarō, a folk hero from Japanese folklore, and he kissed her during the first slow song. At the same dance, Kintarō also kissed Puck.

(Kintarō left with Bella Amphibian after “accidentally” tripping Puck into Sabrina during the last slow song and forcing them together.)

Now, at seventeen, the two of them are finally back in the same place for longer than a month.

Puck has agreed to finish his last year of high school. Granny Relda had insisted, and after they had a private conversation. They’d been gone for hours, but when they came back, she’d announced Puck would be attending Ferryport Landing High and graduate alongside Sabrina. No matter what he said, Puck only had one spot softer than the one he had for Sabrina. And that was her grandmother. However, this change meant that for the first time since they were twelve, Sabrina and Puck would be living under the same roof, in the same town, attending the same school.

With that, the resurgence of their buried feelings was bubbling to the surface. It had been years since they’d kissed, but sitting on the dock with the sunset in front of them felt more like the magical first kiss Sabrina had dreamed up when she was twelve.

She didn’t even know how it happened. One minute she and Puck were talking about his ideas for a senior class prank (“C’mon ‘Brina! You said it’s a literal tradition, of course I’m gonna go all out. I’m the Trickster King!”) and her potential post-grad plans (“I’m not sure I want Snow to try and prime me to a political role, which is what she was talking to me about yesterday. I don’t know. I was thinking about Mom’s speech, you remember? And it brought up the idea of finding ways to help the Everafters who can’t navigate the human world without help.”), and the next–

“You know, whatever you do, I’m gonna follow you, right?” Puck’s confession spilled out of his mouth as he swung his leg back onto the dock so he could face her. “I’m not going to go back with Jake unless he really needs me, or you come with us. Or, I guess, if I have to babysit the Marshmallow and the carrot-top.”

Sabrina startled. Her eyes widened, and she turned her body so she could really look at him. He had this expression on his face that she had never seen before. Or maybe she had. He looked twelve again, like they were standing together after his father’s funeral, and he had this look of seriousness furrowing into his brow. This time, however, his face was serene. No trace of the anger or loneliness or sadness that had held onto his shoulders.

He was matter-of-fact. I’m gonna follow you.

She couldn’t help herself. The combination of the sun turning the Hudson into shades of gold and ruby, Puck’s open and honest confession, and the gentleness in his gaze caused her to move. She surged forward, gently slotting her lips against his.

He responded in kind. Time swirled around them, but Sabrina couldn’t have cared less. She wrapped a hand behind his neck, clutching at the golden baby hairs at the nape. He wound a hand around her hip and wove the other into her thick blonde hair. She kissed him like she was desperate for air, and Oz had her dangling above the Empire State building. She kissed him like this was the last time she’d ever see him because the Jabberwocky had thrown her into the wall of the old asylum or had torn off his wings. She kissed him like her entire world was crumbling, and she was twelve again, and the man she thought was her best friend was actually the one responsible for her pain and torment for two years. She kissed him like she was dying of a magical overdose, and she had nothing left to lose.

And then she kissed him again.

With his inhuman strength, he pulled her right off the dock and into his lap, clutching her to him like she’d disappear. For the first time since she’d been infected, the howling in her mind stopped. Her constant vigilance of her surroundings and every single plant, person, or pauper on her mind–it all stopped.

It was just her and Puck. It had always been just her and Puck (and Daphne, but that’s beside the point). Even when she wanted to strangle him or was outright furious with him, he was the best friend she’d been looking for. The person who took one look at the outside world bearing down on her shoulders and shoved it off, if just for a moment. And even when he was disappointed in her or worried about her, he refused to abandon her. Even when she and Daphne had nothing left, they’d had him. And he had them.

“I love you,” Sabrina whispered against his lips, her most treasured secret.

They shifted enough to allow them to lock eyes. All Sabrina could see was the fondness and the glazed-over heat reflecting back at her.

“Took you long enough to say it,” Puck joked, his signature grin sliding onto his face. Even though his expression was full of teasing, the tilt of the words spilling out of his mouth betrayed his true feelings. “I was beginning to think I’d never hear those words from you.”

Pulling one hand off his shoulder, she flicked his nose. “You goof.”

He chuckled, pulling her close again to press a chaste kiss to her lips. When they parted, he moved one hand to cradle her face, tilting to look at her closely. “I know. And you know I love you too, right?”

“I do,” slipped out before she could stop it. But it didn’t matter. She meant it.

His answering smirk was so annoyingly happy that she had to wipe it off his face by kissing him again.

While time seemed to stop for the two of them, it most certainly did not for the rest of the gang of fairy-tale detectives, forever children, and brand-new babies. By the time Sabrina and Puck had caught up to their friends and family, Red had already won the fruit-eating contest, Basil had picked up the biggest stuffed animal version of Mother Goose that must have existed, and the Andersen triplets were spinning Bess and Ernest’s kids into pretzels on the tea cups ride.

It’s no surprise Daphne found them first. She sauntered up to them, where they were lurking by the cotton candy booth. Knowing the two of them better than she knew herself had its advantages. Aside from the obvious (ahem!) physical changes (i.e. completely messed up hair, misaligned clothes, and Sabrina’s lipstick smeared across Puck’s face, it was the way that stood that tipped her off that Things had Changed.

Coming from behind, she noticed them standing closer than they had in recent years. They had always spun in each other’s orbit so much that they naturally gravitated toward one another physically (especially since Puck had taken to regular showers). But now? It’s like they were constantly touching. Shoulders brushing and faces tilted close enough to touch. Better yet, when she rounded the corner of the cart, she noticed them holding hands. Not in the I-will-attack-someone-if-you-don’t-hold-me-back way or I’m-doing-this-to-torture-you-because-I-have-something-nefarious-planned way either. More in the we’ve-been-basically-dating-for-years-but-we-both-had-to-grow-up-first-to-do-anything-about-it and I’ve-loved-you-since-you-tried-to-push-me-into-a-nasty-pool-dash-you-tried-to-replace-me-with-Jack-the-Giant-Killer way.

Though she thought she’d kicked the habit years ago, Daphne found herself with her palm pressed between her teeth to stop from ruining the moment. Mustardseed, who’d come up to visit for the festivities, pulled up next to her.

“Took them longer than I thought,” he mused, watching his brother and her sister laugh freely over some inside story. “Though to be fair, I’d never would’ve thought anyone would cause him to grow up.”

“Sabrina has that effect on people,” Daphne grinned, turning towards him. “If anyone was going to forsake their old ways and make a switch, it would be because of her. After all, all it took was us jumping inside that godforsaken book for him to decide getting married had perks. Even if those perks were less like a marriage.”

Mustardseed gauffed, nearly giggling as Daphne recalled the early days of Puck-and-Sabrina.

“We have bets, you know? Plenty of people in Fairie have seen the way those two look at each other. The betting pool started with Bess thinking it would take them two more years to fall in love and extends out to when Sabrina officially turns 105. Though Oz originally had suggested that Puck would only ever make a move after Sabrina had moved on. Of course, that’s preposterous because they’ve been attached at the hip for almost a decade, with minimal bouts of low contact caused only by him and your Uncle Jake getting lost in the jungle. Even my mother had a lot in.”

“Titania thought they’d get together???” Daphne’s jaw dropped. “No way.”

“Way. She’s actually grown to like Sabrina a lot more over the years. After all, no one gets Puck to visit her like Sabrina does. It helps that Sabrina’s grown interested in Fairie history recently as part of her pre-college pre-law interests, and mother has no one else who will yap about the olden days anymore.”

Daphne’s lips pursed thoughtfully. “I guess Sabrina hasbeen stockpiling old textbooks and such.”

“Mmm. Mother loves a good chat, and any knowledge Sabrina has obtained is likely more difficult to come by since we are one of the only houses of Fairie to have a full set of written histories. The books are rare and expensive, so even having one is impressive.” Mustardseed looks over to see Basil sprinting full speed at Puck, who swings him up onto his shoulders in one move. Red, on the other hand, saunters over slowly to Sabrina to show her the medal she won, as Sabrina congratulates her with a side hug.

“It helps Isa’s got a knack for finding things like old books, then,” Daphne mentions. “And Isa wants them together as much as I do.”

Speaking of the schemer herself, Isa and Mateo were pulling along their brothers and the rest of their horde towards the main stage, shouting, “The Mayor’s gonna speak! And I, for one, will NOT be missing it if she decides to tell us they’re putting in a rec center built for magic. I just have this feeling!”

With that, Daphne and Mustardseed surged forward, snagging their older siblings by the arms and chasing after the rest of the people who made up their very chaotic, but very nice, family.

At the conclusion of the festivities, the entire town and all of their guests had made it a point to come listen to Mayor Snow deliver her address. In the years that had passed since she’d taken office, things had changed so much. The rebuilt school had stirred interest, particularly in the Everafters who had found themselves wanting children (or the children deciding that it might be more fun if the former favorite-teacher-of-all-time was calling the shots). The rebuilt bank (oops) and downtown had brought back the charm of their sleepy little town. Restaurants, shops, and businesses reopened.

The people of Ferryport Landing were recovering. Sure, there were still open wounds and minor spats, but Snow was scarily efficient at quelling any and all disruptions. Without troublemakers like Heart or Nottingham, there was no one to fan the flames of the tensions. It helped that Sabrina could see when people were considering causing chaos and her first call was to Snow. Snow, of course, didn’t know how Sabrina had figured it out, but with the knowledge of the magic imbued within the mirrors and Bunny’s overall strength, Snow had learned not to ask.

Mayor Snow White looked radiant and powerful in her navy blue power suit. Ever since becoming Mayor, she’d cut an even more impressive and intimidating figure. She still taught the girls martial arts on Tuesday nights at the school gym with a lot of other people, mostly girls and women. She allowed people like Basil and Wendell, but the Bad Apples sessions were still helping to empower women and get them that feeling of control back.

Daphne sometimes didn’t realize how much she needed it until Sabrina was driving her, Red, and Basil over for their session.

Shaking herself out of her thoughts, Daphne refocused on Snow’s introductions. She thanked them for coming and for all the contributors.

Daphne slightly zoned out during Snow’s talk about unity and building community. Considering she had heard the speech two days ago when Snow was pacing around their house practicing it for Granny, she could probably recite some of it back as Snow had written it. Snow highlighted the new businesses downtown. From the nail salon to the climbing gym, it felt like their town had taken off. Sanjay, the son of seven mothers, and his wife Anjali, had even opened up a tea shop that Daphne had spent hours studying in while Red painted. Anjali loved art, so she even hosted a paint night every other week.

Princess Elsie and her husband Lyre, had opened a mixed-use bookstore where Sabrina worked part-time on the weekends. They had a bakery on one side, a new bookstore on the other, and a basement filled with thrifted goods. Lyre hosted poetry slams and things Pinocchio enjoyed. The town surely was rebuilding itself based on the things people had loved but had given up on when they realized they hadn’t been able to leave.

“I would also like to extend some thanks to some of our community members. Our town has been working together to turn Ferryport Landing into something we could all be proud of.”

Daphne perked up. Snow’s gaze was sharp and proud. Even with a massive crowd, she was calm and collected.

“I’d like to thank Veronica Grimm for rebuilding the Ferrport Landing Social Services Program. It has been two years in the making, but the center on Main Street is officially open. Veronica has been working overtime with her staff to help place over 250 Everafters into new job positions and housing within the past year.”

The applause was filled with hoots and hollers. Snow grinned, holding up a hand so she could continue.

“We look forward to seeing the expansion of her programs with the arrival of more of our friends. While we never thought we could be happy with living in a world that does not recognize us, Veronica Grimm has aimed to make it a possibility. It is up to us to take the opportunities and make something of it.”

Whistles filled the air.

“I’d also like to announce our next municipal building project. As you all know, publicly we’ve rebranded the town into something like a fairytale village.”

Plenty of chuckles were scattered around the crowd.

“It might sound cheesy, but it allows us to remain who we are in our own sanctuary. To the outside world, we may not exist, but for our community here and across the globe, we are a place people can turn to if they need help or a fresh start or simply somewhere to find comfort. Though this next project will be masked by magic to the average human, it will still tell our stories. Or rather, the stories of the people we have lost. I know the war was painful and brutal and quite hard for us to rebuild from. But this monument, over where Old McDonald’s farm was, will be dedicated to everyone we have lost. We have stories of heroes and princesses and would-be villains. Even if we did not love them or even like them, the Everafters who died during the war do not deserve to be forgotten between the pages of some book. It will be a place for us to heal, to come together, and to try again.”

The applause was almost deafening. It lasted several minutes, and Red had, thankfully, put in her headphones so she didn’t get overwhelmed.

“Thank you, my fellow citizens of Ferryport Landing, for believing in this town and each other as much as I do. I look forward to our next year, filled with growth and change and the promise of possibilities. Now, let’s head over to the docks for our final show, shall we?”

The crowd erupted into thunderous applause. By the stage, Daphne stopped Charming, calmer and happier than she’d seen him in a while. At his side were the six dwarves, who were tossing white flower petals into the air. People were definitely going to try and listen to Snow, that’s for sure.

With Sabrina and Puck quietly chatting behind her, Daphne snagged Basil and began the procession back to the docks. Under Goldie’s instructions, the show began with a bang. Everafters of all shapes, sizes, and ages were scattered across the port. People they’d fought with and against and had just met were spread out. It was more than Daphne could’ve hoped for when she and Sabrina had first shown up at the train station on that dreary day that changed their lives for good.

As the fireworks splatted across the open skies and glittered against the light of the moon, Daphne couldn’t hide her grin when she spotted Puck leaning down to kiss her sister. She’d waited so long for this, for the two of them to be happy together. Of course, that didn’t mean Puck wouldn’t get a shovel talk or seven from her, Red, and the Andersens. They might love him, but it’s still something Daphne had thought about for years.

Looking at the grin on her sister’s face, Daphne knew it was all worth it, in the end.

While their siblings and the rest of the kid horde were willing not to share the shift in Sabrina and Puck’s relationship with the adults, that didn’t mean Sabrina and Puck were actually trying to hide anything.

Granny had already walked in on them, cocooned together on the couch in the library, watching Basil, Daphne, and Red play Monopoly while Pinocchio actually destroyed the bank. She hadn’t done more than smile and leave some snacks Veronica had made.

Speaking of her mom, Veronica knew Sabrina was going on dates, having helped her do up the blonde locks into something practical but pretty. Sabrina was well aware Puck didn’t believe she needed makeup, but she did take great pride in her hairstyles now that she was older. As much as Sabrina was willing to tell her mom about the change, they hadn’t had the serious conversations about the past yet. Neither had she and her father, either, as a matter of fact. And as much as she loved them, the only thing she could see in her mind was the way they’d babied her during her last “relationship”, which drove her up the wall.

Uncle Jake, on the other hand, had fully walked in on them making out in the living room late one night, only to roll his eyes and tell them that they both had very nice rooms and to keep in mind Red still had super senses.

Incredibly embarrassing and awkward, but not as bad as when Jake had cornered Puck the next day to slip him condoms and slightly threaten that if Puck got his niece pregnant before she went to college, all his effect for the fairy would be out the door, and everything was fair game. Plus, it’s not even the worst one Puck had received.

Isa, for all her adoration of Sabrina and her friendship with Puck, was still Sabrina’s closest female friend outside of her family. The very short and very threatening letter placed on his bed was enough not to look at Sabrina too closely for like a week until she got annoyed with him.

Puck and Sabrina had spent the end of summer finding common ground and working out the minor spats of their relationship. And making out. A lot of making out. Without any interference from her parents, Sabrina and Puck developed a new normal. A “dating” normal. Titania had found out and was surprisingly supportive, but still told Sabrina not to break her son’s heart with a stern and gentle note in their monthly letters.

Of course, it was at the first homecoming dance of the year that it suddenly became obvious to her parents.

Well, not obvious, but Sabrina couldn’t help but wonder if they were ignoring the facts on purpose.

Puck had asked her a week after it had been announced in a pretty low-key way. He’d actually started to enjoy this part of school, since it was an opportunity to mess with people outside of class, where teachers would tell you to behave. But he wanted to make their first official public event special. After all, he was well aware from Isa that their first kiss had been special, but definitely not romantic. And Puck finally wanted the romantic part.

So when Puck found his way downstairs first, Pinocchio still messing with his own hair, it suddenly dawned on him that this was it. Jake was sitting in the living room, head in a book, but Puck had spent far too much time with the man not to notice the beginnings of a shit-eating grin.

Basil was lying upside down on the couch beside him, playing on the old-school GameBoy that Puck had found with Sabrina during their most recent date downtown, where Princess Elsie and Lyre’s antique shop is.

And of course, Veronica and Henry were sitting at the kitchen table, setting up the camera to take photos of the five of them before they left. The Sisters Grimm, Isa, and Red were still upstairs getting ready. Puck suddenly felt off-kilter. He had on a matching tie to Sabrina’s dress (Daphne had picked it out for him) and a corsage with handpicked flowers that Red had worked with him to make.

(“Puck, you can’t just give her random flowers. Ever since I painted her room over, she has learned about their meanings. If you give her something like a marigold and orange lilies, she’ll think you hate her and are grieving your relationship. Let me help.”)

Then Red had thrown a book at his head halfway through, trying to figure out how to differentiate between carnations and roses, and marigolds, and told him to figure it out.

He had, thankfully, but not before resorting to begging for help from Isa and Gabriel, since they both grew flowers. They’d helped him pick out pink camellia and red chrysanthemums to lie on top of baby’s breath and ivy. He knew Sabrina had gotten him a boutonniere, though he still wasn’t sure what that meant. If they matched, he was going to maybe faint and collapse right through the floor. Though he might not have to wait too long to be knocked out. Henry might just take his head off when he realizes that they’re going together. And that they’ve been together. Not together, not like that (at least not yet, but if Puck said that out loud, he’d get kneed somewhere painful), but still.

The flash of the camera going off snapped him out of his thoughts. Veronica’s camera was still going, so Puck turned his attention to the stairs. Daphne came strutting down the stairs in her pale pink dress, hair curled like a princess’. It was short and puffy, kind of like a ballerina. It definitely suited her style, which flicked between hyper-feminine, like his mom, and a kind of Ms. Frizzle themed-outfit energy (Basil loved the Magic School Bus).

Red was, surprisingly, in purple. Though Puck thought it actually matched her vibe. It looked artsy and kind of old, and it definitely wasn’t too much for a girl who didn’t often like to draw attention to herself. It looked like Sabrina had braided her hair off her face with violets, adding some glitter around her eyes to make them shine.

Isa, decked out in a long royal blue dress, locked eyes with Puck and grinned like she was about to upend his whole day. With her thick curls tossed over her shoulder and tumbling down her back, he wondered how much time it had taken them to make them not tangle (Sabrina complained of that the most whenever Daphne was too busy to brush her hair). Of course, Isa’s eyes were framed with blue eyeshadow and were as mischievous as his own usually were. He’d seen that same look when she dyed all his t-shirts hot pink and put glitter in Toby’s shoes during the school winter festival last year for insulting Sabrina. He tried to brace himself, but even that couldn’t prepare him.

Sabrina came down last, and all Puck’s thoughts disappeared. While she still stayed away from heavy makeup, she was practically glowing all golden, with her eyes sparkling and her cheeks a soft pink shade. Whatever Daphne had done with her hair had made her look like a legit garden fairy, a braided crown pulling her hair from her face, with the rest of her curls cascading down behind her. The dark burgundy of her silky gown made his tongue stop functioning. She looked strong and confident and still so soft and feminine, and Puck literally could stop breathing in that moment, and it’d be fine. The dress billowed out at her waist, and it almost looked like she was made of water.

“Oh wow,” Puck muttered, still staring at her. “You look–I mean you are–I mean–”

She chuckled at him, moving past her parents’ hugs and compliments to stand in front of him. “You don’t look half bad yourself. Should I thank Uncle Jake for your hair looking as good as it does?”

“Mmm.”

Puck couldn’t drag his eyes away from her face, the golden glitter on her eyes making the blue brighter than ever. The scarlet of her lips and the flush on her cheeks. Though she glowed silver on the regular since the whole near-death by magical overdose, he had never seen her glow quite like the sun. She looked comfortable for once. Not like the girl who got frustrated over lip glosses in the bathroom at 2AM or the girl who wore jeans for years on end because it was best for running away from people trying to kill her.

She laughed, and Puck’s sappy feelings came to slap him in the face, full-force. God, these gooey feelings would be the death of him. Of course, as Red, Isa, and Daphne wandered over, Veronica kept snapping shots, calling for Basil to stand up and join them.

At some point, Veronica stops taking photos to peek back at a few of them. Daphne had told her explicitly to take some of Puck for her so-called family blackmail collection. Veronica hadn’t understood why exactly Daphne would think that photos of Puck in a suit would be blackmail, but then she thinks back to their tween conversations about black bathwater and decides it probably seems accurate.

However, it wasn’t until Veronica stumbled upon the ones of Puck looking at Sabrina coming down the stairs that it actually made sense. Oh, so they’re in love again. She recognized the look well enough, though it was wild to her that she had missed it. The gentleness in his gaze reminded her of the beginning of her and Henry’s relationship and the way Jake talked about Briar. It makes even more sense when she spots the matching tie and dress combo.

Based on that, and Daphne’s gentle nudging, it’s likely this has been going on behind the scenes, and she and Henry were not informed. Part of her was hurt at that, since she and Sabrina hadn’t ever gotten as close as they’d been back before she and Henry had been kidnapped, but the other part knew Sabrina was on her way to being an adult and was going to keep some things to herself.

And her sister. And Red. And Isa. Some things are for your best friends/sister(s), and some things are for your mom. When she looks back up, she takes a few more candids before turning to look at her own husband, who had definitely not caught on.

It was a miracle since Puck couldn’t stop staring, though Daphne’s nudging made it obvious that he was being noticed. And then Red nudged the hand holding the corsage, and it prompted him to move.

“Uh, I got you this,” Puck says, putting the corsage in front of Sabrina. He fluffed the chrysanthemums, just like Red had told him to.

Her grin was telling, and he knew she was holding back from teasing him further. To be honest, he would take the teasing, so long as she liked his hard work. Instead of responding, she held out her left hand so he could slide it onto her wrist.

“I like the flowers,” Sabrina said with a secret smile, like she knew exactly what had transpired in order for him to get this. “Chrysanthemums and camellias?

“Yeah, Red tossed a book at me so I could figure out what it meant. I would say what they mean out loud, but I fear these three would tease me to death, and we couldn’t go to a dance if I melted like the witch when she dumped the water on herself.”

“I totally forgot about that, my god. But it’s okay, I’m sure I can figure it out. And Red only tosses things when it’s warranted.”

“It was warranted.” Daphne’s remark made Red snicker.

Sabrina reached around her sister to grab something Daphne had hidden behind her back. “I also have this for you. I hope you won’t mind, but Red gave me some clues on what you were going to choose. So did Isa. And Gabriel.”

She pulled out a boutonniere in the same colors, with the same flowers, only arranged differently, with the camellias in the center.

“Thanks,” came out of his mouth as she reached over to put it on his suit. “It’s beautiful, ‘Brina.”

Of course, that’s when Henry caught on. He seemed to finally realize that something nefarious was afoot. For a former fairy-tale detective, he caught on slower than Sabrina would’ve guessed. Considering he’s the only one they were actively trying to hide anything from, it made sense, but it was still kind of funny.

For the first few moments while Henry wraps his head around his oldest daughter, curling into Puck’s side, his hand on her hip, he lets his jaw fall open.

His face turned bright red, and, while normally, Puck would relish in Henry’s anger and discomfort, but right now, he was more worried about his girlfriend’s father setting him on fire right before they were supposed to leave. He wouldn’t want to have to shower again and find a suit again, and ruin the flowers because he thinks Red would turn into the wolf.

Thankfully, before any of that happens, the Andersen boys burst in and call for them all to join them in the yard for photos. Granny waltzes in after them and hollers, “Picture time! Come along, lieblings! The colorful leaves will look great, and we don’t want to miss the sunset.”

“Let’s walk out there in a second,” Henry said, snagging Puck as the girls headed out together, dragging Basil behind them.

Henry’s grip on his arm was tight. Thankfully, though he was an Everafter, Henry was still just a man. A dad who packed a punch, but Puck was still kind of more scared of Veronica’s right hook.

“Yeah,” Puck said, wanting to get this over as quickly as possible, “But just wait until after pictures or the old lady is gonna keep dessert from me for the next month.”

Shaking Henry’s hand off, Puck nearly sprinted out the door, immediately being pulled into a photo. Veronica and Granny Relda were dead set on having as many as physically possible, so the kids watched as the sun began to dip low behind the treeline until they could make their escape.

As everyone snagged their bags and back-up shoes and whatnot, Henry finally took his chance and pulled Puck to the side of the front porch. He was less ruby red than he had been upon first realization, but he was clearly still fuming.

“So?”

“So what?” Puck responded. He wasn’t going to make it easy on Henry if it wasn’t going to be easy for him.”

“So, you are dating my daughter. Is that what’s happening? What about when you leave next time, go galavanting off with my brother with no responsibilities and no future path?”

Puck took a second to take a deep breath so he wouldn’t start screaming. “You already know that your mother asked me to stay and finish school this year. That’s why Jake and I haven’t left since we got home.

“You know everyone else knows we’ve been together for a while, right?” Puck questioned, squinting at his potential future father-in-law. “We haven’t even really been hiding it, especially since there’s apparently betting pools on when it was supposed to happen, but Marshmallow didn’t really tell us that until recently. But whatever, if you have a problem, you need to figure it out for yourself. Everything else is between ‘Brina and I.”

“She’s my daughter.”

“Yeah, and she’s my best friend. And my girlfriend. And I trust her to bring things up with me no matter what.”

“She’s just a kid–”

“She’s seventeen, and you haven’t stopped treating her like she was ten ever since you got back. I know it’s hard, Henry, but she and Daphne had to grow up while you were gone. You need to start working on accepting that, or it won’t be me she shuts out.”

Henry falls silent, just staring at Puck like he’s never seen him. He audibly swallows before asking his next question, which isn’t really a question. “You’re serious about her.”

“I’ve always been serious about her. But we were literally twelve and a war was going on, and I ate a poisoned apple and passed out into a mystical, magical, eternal sleep. I know one version of the future showed us getting married, but it also showed us in THE end-of-the-world scenario. But even without all that, she’s always been and will always be important to me. Even if she were to drop-kick me out the window tomorrow.”

“Puck!” Sabrina called, a gentle smile permanently etched onto her face from where she was standing by the front door to the house. “We’re heading out!”

“Coming!” He yelled back. Puck nodded at Henry, making sure to lock eyes with him. “I’m not going to leave her, no matter what you think. I’ve waited a long time for us to be ready for this, and I know she has, too. She might still be ten in your head, but she’s led a war effort and survived the unthinkable. I hope that if I can trust her after all that, you can too.”

Puck turned away, feeling more jittery than ever, but with Sabrina’s grin waiting for him by the car, he didn’t even care. He hopped in after her, letting Gabriel drive them to the school. Chatter swelled around them, but he could barely keep his head on straight. It was like someone dove into his fantasies and plucked Sabrina right out and set her in front of him.

Not only was she the girl he’d literally grown up for, but she was still as badass and cool and pretty as she’d always been. Now, just with a pretty red dress and a smile that made his stomach flip flop in ways that made him gooey.

Sabrina might’ve noticed, but she was talking about school, so Puck couldn’t help but slightly tune it out just to watch her. God, he was more gone on her than he’d want to admit.

He barely even remembered getting out of the car, only remembering to extend a hand to help Sabrina out and take her arm in his own. Some voice in the back of his mind reminded him that Isa had talked non-stop about the starry night sky theme, but it did take his breath away when they walked in, and their normally boring gym was absolutely transformed. Though they always had magic at their disposal, it seemed wild that this was just some new furniture and decorations because the lights spread across the ceiling glittered and glowed in their actual constellations.

The floor was no longer the bright beige of the hardwood and had now become a midnight blue carpet speckled with lights. Puck had no clue how they’d hidden the bleachers, scoreboard, and basketball hoops so effectively behind a massive moon sculpture and wooden shooting stars surrounded by lights, but damn if it didn’t look good.

“I’m assuming the pigs helped you with this?” He asked Isa.

She nodded, a proud smile slipping onto her face. “Yep. I think we have a knack for working together. It looks good, doesn’t it?”

“Hell yeah.”

As their friend group made its way over to their table, Puck quickly took stock of the people eyeing him and Sabrina. For a moment, he felt the urge to shove her behind him just in case, but with her arm in his, he just let in a deep breath and continued on.

“You know,” Sabrina noted, clearly clocking everyone around them, “they’re staring at us.”

“I saw.”

“I think it’s a good thing?”

“I sure hope so, cause I don’t think I can run well without breaking this suit and the old lady’s heart.”

“Mmm, I’m sure Uncle Jake wouldn’t be thrilled if he had to take you to another seven rounds of suit fittings.”

“God, no, he might take me to the tundra and leave me there.”

The waiters bringing out the food thankfully diverted the onlookers away. Puck looked down at his plate only to find star-shaped ravioli and glittery-looking lemonades. Well, he’d eaten stranger, he thought as he dove in. The two of them made conversation with their friends during dinner. Wendell updated them about his detective business, which took a turn and became more of an investigative reporter role. He was putting his talents to good use in the town newspaper as their premier youth journalist. Diego talked about the basketball team tryouts, still working on convincing their friends to join (though Sabrina had already signed up and would likely crush half of them, so Puck was looking forward to watching them).

Red caught them up on the goings on of the art club, which had some drama as they were all arguing over who had “accidentally” left all the ink markers uncapped one afternoon, leaving them all to dry out and causing the teacher to faint at the thought of replacing them. Daphne and Mateo reminded everyone they’d all need to grab tickets to the fall play since they’d be putting on something that (thankfully) did not have to do with anyone they knew or knew of or lived with.

Hands clasped under the table, Sabrina felt her shoulders relax, and she leaned into her boyfriend with a sigh.

As the night wore on and dancing began, people kept coming up to congratulate them. From their old enemies to long-time friends to even newer classmates, people seemed absolutely thrilled that the two of them were together. Nonetheless, Sabrina kept having to explain that yes, they came together as dates. And yes, that meant they were also dating. And of course, no, this is not new, but also, no, they have not been dating since they were eleven, and this was the first time they ever were officially together.

The reactions were priceless, and Puck felt like he was both gathering a shitload of blackmail on people as they cried literal tears of joy at the news, but also revealed how many people had either had or still had crushes on them separately and together. It felt kind of like they were the school’s royal couple, and everyone had a bet placed on when they’d get together. (Not if, just when.)

To that, Puck pulled Sabrina in closer at her waist, refusing to let go when even Toby came up to tell them he was happy for them.

“Well, that was weird,” Sabrina began, dragging Puck out to dance as Fireball came blasting out of the speakers.

“You’re telling me! I didn’t think that many people were into us, but I guess we’re hot.”

She snorted, shaking her head at him as her eyes scrunched. “We are, so let’s go dance.”

Dancing went from middle school bangers with old-school Katy Perry and even more Pitbull to the ever classic Taylor Swift and soothing sounds of Coldplay. However, after the DJ played Mr. Brightside he called out to the students. “How about we slow it down a bit, right? I think we’re almost ready to announce the Ferryport Landing Homecoming King and Queen! Take a listen to this while I bring your student organizers up to the stage.”

With that, he put on I Wanna Be Yours. Some couples stayed on the dance floor, but after the constant dancing, Puck pulled Sabrina over for snacks and water so they could catch a breather.

“How are you doing, Brina? Are your shoes killing you yet?” He asks, taking her plate so she could grab the lemonades to bring over to their table, where Red is sitting with Diego and Wendell.

“I’m actually pretty good, but probably only because Uncle Jake gave me this weird salve that makes your feet so numb that you can’t feel pain for a couple of hours straight. Kind of like what he did when I broke my arm that one time.” She flips her hair over her shoulder, looking back at him while they weave their way between tables and chairs. “How are you doing?”

“I’m happy. You’re here with me, your dad didn’t kill me, and you look like that, so I’m good.”

They nod at their tablemates, sitting on the side closest to the dance floor. “I was kinda thinking he wouldn’t notice, considering he and mom have been blind for like four months, but the matching flowers were a little too much for him.”

“Maybe he’ll kill me when we get back home.”

“Then you’ll just have to hide out in your room in one of the fifty places where only Daphne, Red, and I can find you.”

“Only if you come with,” Puck grinned at her, causing her to roll her eyes and nudge him with her shoulder.

“Goof.”

“Says the actual nerd.”

The two of them found themselves turning their attention back to the stage as the music faded and the lights dimmed.

Isa and Mateo were grinning mischievously by the stage. Since moving to Ferryport Landing to be closer to support and friends, the Andersens had taken to the town like the Grimms with starfish on their heads to the water in the Hudson. Isa and Mateo quickly surpassed everyone in terms of ambition and became the co-presidents of their class, responsible for organizing the dances and other events for the year. In some ways, it was a good thing, but Sabrina knew her best friend, and it only spelled shenanigans.

Isa finally took hold of an envelope and climbed the stage to stand next to the DJ. As the lights swung to spotlight her, Sabrina could only notice how royal she looked. The blue of her dress against the tan of her skin and her thick head of curls suddenly reminded her so much of Briar Rose that Sabrina had to suck in a soft breath, only nodding when Puck made a motion to check she was alright.

Clearing her throat, Isa caught the attention of the entire gym. “Thank you all for coming to the first official event of the year!”

People cheered and clapped, Isa’s grin only getting slyer.

“Thank you, thank you! As your co-class president, I’m happy to announce our Homecoming King and Queen. We just finished tallying the votes, and we are so excited to share the results with you. We know how excited you are to cast your ballots. I am too. So, without further ado, here’s your new school royalty!”

Mateo hopped up on stage with the crowns (which seemed to be made of actual metal and not plastic ones from the new Dollar Tree down the road) as Isa popped open the envelope. As she peered down at the results, her grin only widened, and Sabrina suddenly knew it.

“Well, everyone, please congratulate your new Homecoming King, Puck Goodfellow, and your new Homecoming Queen, Sabrina Grimm!”

For a moment, it was quiet, and then everyone burst into cheers. Some of their classmates pulled them from their seats to deliver them to the stage, where Isa placed the crowns on their heads with a look on her face that screamed this is going exactly as I planned it. She pushed them forward and made them bow, causing another round of cheers.

Sabrina felt a little ridiculous, but also kind of flattered. It was pretty clear that, at least now, her classmates saw her in a different light than they had in middle school. Maybe it was growing pains, maybe it was murder. But high school, at least, had some positives.

“And now,” Mateo hopped in on the mic, “we would like to invite our King and Queen down to the dance floor for the inaugural slow dance.”

Sabrina turned to Puck, allowing him to take her hand and lead her down the steps and out into the open.

As they swung out into the center of the dance floor, Puck pulled her close, right hand in hers and left hand on her hip. He could feel the way her own had curved behind his back, clutching him tight. Puck’s cheeks were still a little pink, so he quietly questioned Sabrina, “I wonder what they’re going to play for us?”

Sabrina hummed, only pausing when she heard the first few notes of the guitar strums. “Oh, I love this song.”

Puck’s centuries of ballroom and fancy dancing lessons from his many tutors were finally paying off, as he slowly led Sabrina ’round the floor as the song swelled. He twirled her around as the words clouded his thoughts: I won’t be alone for the rest of my life, I’ll build a boat for when the river gets high. And I’ll meet a girl in the heat of July, and I’ll tell her so she knows that I’m broke, but I’m real rich in my head. That I broke a bone that never healed in my hand, so, when I hold her close, I might loosen my grip, but I won’t ever let her go.

To Sabrina, Puck sang, “I won't ever let her go.”

As soon as Noah Kahan’s little “Whoo” echoed across the gym, the rest of their grade joined in, filling the floor with couples and friends and unbridled joy. Wendell twirled Isa into a circle, nearly tripping on her skirt. Red found herself clinging to Daphne as she swung them around other duos. Mateo was ensnared in a dance with Bella Amphibian, somehow, making a desperate face at Diego, who was dancing with Alissa ​​Lang, the most recent descendant of Andrew Lang, and definitely not paying attention to his brother.

But Sabrina and Puck hardly noticed, too locked into each other. They kept their eyes locked on one another, and it finally clicked for Sabrina as the song moved into its second half. She wanted forever with this annoying, funny, and unbearably kind fairy. And she might actually get that. So Sabrina sang softly, “And, the edges of your soul, I haven't seen yet.”

Puck responded in kind. “Now I'm glad I get forever to see where you end.”

As the song came to a close, Puck cupped Sabrina’s cheek, quickly tucking a lock of loose hair behind her ear, and bent to kiss her. As soon as their lips brushed, people were cheering, and it was almost so early 2000s rom-com-esuqe that it threatened to pull her out of the moment, but with the boy who had saved her life and kept his promises in front of her, she just let herself live.

When they finally pulled apart, Sabrina spotted Daphne staring at them from across the dance floor, where she was still twirling Red around. Daphne winked, her grin wide and carefree. For once, Sabrina was able to return it and feel like she was as happy as she looked. It was definitely a good night.