A/N:
*clears throat*
Ladies and gentlemen (heheheh Hamilton reference), I have an announcement.
I am deeply sorry for the unfortunate circumstances under which I could not proceed to update this fanfiction. I have been away, and I am, as I already said, very sorry. I hold in my heart hope that you may forgive me and that you enjoy this chapter, which will be longer than the others.
Sincerely,
~Shadow

*laughs* That was pretty good wasn't it??

*sings* formalnesssssssss...

Anyway.

I'm happy to report that I'm on Season 12 of Supernatural (btw I always knew that Chuck was God, he's pretty coolio. I love his cat blog) and I'm kinda having a midlife (early life) crisis because idk what I'm going to do when I finish it (which to be honest will be in like two days) because Season 13 is still on TV and not on Netflix (Newt: Don't you mean Newtflix?).

And I started recording Season 13 when they were playing Episode 12 of it, so how aM I SUPPOSED TO WATCH EPISODES 1-11?! IT'S SO STRESSFUL GUYS.

I just realized that if any of you are planning to watch SPN, I just spoiled Chuck for you. WHOOPS.

:)

Sorry 'bout that.

But honestly I don't care.

I'm such a nice person, aren't I?

So yeah, Washington, DC was awesome and I hope I can go back there someday. ThErE wAs A sTaTuE oF aLeXaNdEr HaMiLtOn when we were touring the Capitol, and the tour guide was like "and this is a statue of Alexander Hamilton. Some of you are probably more excited than others to see him" and all my friends just looked at me and I was like rEaLlY hApPy.

Wow. This is a long Author's Note.
If you guys are still reading this, I'm proud of you.

*hands out cookies and ice cream and pie so you can join the dark side*

~Shadow

Daphne's POV:

I nearly cried in relief when the grown-ups came back. Pin had been so annoying I had duct-taped him to a chair, with duct tape over his mouth.

I probably should've let him go before Mom and Dad came back...

"Daphne Grimm!" Mom exclaimed five seconds after she walked through the door.

I gave her a sheepish smile. "He was being annoying."

Dad pinched the bridge of his nose. "Daphne, let him go."

I frowned. "Do I have to?"

"Yes."

I scowled but set to unwrapping Pin from all the duct tape.

***

We all sat around the dining room table, me tapping my fingers and feet to a song I'd forgotten the name of.

"Can you stop that?" Pin asked finally, although he was keeping a safe distance away from me.

"I don't know, can I?"

He growled in frustration and crossed his arms as my tapping got louder.

"Anyway," Dad started, "thankfully Snow still had some of the dust that let us see the fortress. It's obviously still in the same spot, though there's no one there, as far as we can tell. You were right about the tunnels, then."

"Baba Yaga argued a lot with us," Mom said, rolling her eyes, "but she finally agreed and we found out that most of the Everafters in the Scarlet Hand are the ones we trapped, but there are a few out in the world that seem to be relaying information to the main group here, like the Widow." She frowned. "What I don't understand is that the Widow was good. She was on our side."

Puck shrugged, then seemed to wince at the movement. I wondered why. "People change. Or rather, Everafters."

I nodded. "So... when can we go spy??"

Dad sighed. "I knew you were going to ask that. Soon, I promise. We just need a bit more information. Also, Daphne, you're not ten yet."

"I will be in a few days!" I exclaimed indignantly.

"Yeah, well, that's in a few days," Dad shot back, and I scowled at him.

"Fine. Be like that."

"I will."

Mom rolled her eyes and patted Dad's shoulder. "Honey, these kids have been through a lot. I'm sure they can take it."

"Yeah!" I agreed, grinning at her.

She gave me a thumbs-up.

"Whatever," Dad grumbled. "Anyway, thankfully this won't—I'm 99.9% sure it won't—become a full scale war like last time. We just have to find a way to send a spy into their forces so that they can be convinced to stay underground for a whole day one day. Then the rest of us would be able to cast the spell, although one or two of us would have to go get the spy and Morgan and Mordred before the spell is in place."

"I could spy," Puck volunteered and Dad looked at him in surprise.

But I shook my head frantically. "No! No no no! You have to stay here with Sabrina! We already have a spy don't you worry it's all good," I told Dad.

He frowned at me but sighed. "Okay. I'm guessing you're not planning to tell us who this spy is?"

I shook my head. "Sorry. This has to be tOp SeCrEt."

"Why'd you say that so weirdly?" Red asked.

I shrugged. "Because I'm cool."

"Okay."

Puck's POV:

I patted twig on the head as Sabrina, Ember, and I walked upstairs to my room. Well, actually, Sabrina was dragging me and Ember was following.

We reached my room and Sabrina pushed us in, shutting the door behind her. "Okay, Ember, you have to find a way."

Ember nodded. "I will."

"A way to what?" I asked, confused.

"To get your wings back!" Sabrina shouted, looking like she was going to cry. "You say you're fine but I can see—and feel—how much it hurts! I don't know how they did that without putting you in that comatose state, but this is worse! Ember and I talked it over, and when she's spying for us she's going to find a way to get your wings back."

I shook my head, also feeling tears come to my eyes. "That's... that's not possible."

"Yes, it is."

I shook my head again. "You know it's not! There's nothing you can do to make me better!"

Ember glared at me. "Puck, stop it. There's always a way. Sabrina cares about you! So stop acting like you don't care about what happens to you!"

I glared right back at her. "You're not the one who lost everything that made you important!"

"Do not talk like that!" Sabrina exclaimed. "Don't you dare! Your magic doesn't define you, you do! You're still important to all of us and especially me!"

I just sighed and turned away, looking up at the fake sky.

Sabrina growled in frustration and sadness and I knew she was looking at Ember for help, but Ember was just looking down at her feet.

I'll be okay.

I still have Sabrina, so I'll be okay.

I know I will.

Elvis's POV:

(A/N: Looks who's back, assbutts!)

I trotted by Puck's room and stopped to sniff under the door for any sausage.

When there was none, I sighed through my nose (what other way could I? I'm a freaking dOG) and decided to go to Red and Daphne's room. Red was always so nice to me, and I was betting on her being the one to finally break and give me some.

But when I stood up on my hind legs and opened the door with my mouth, Red wasn't in the room.

Just Daphne shouting at the other kid.

He raised his hands in submission. "I just want to go downstairs and get a book!"

"Sucks for you!" Daphne shouted back. "For all I know, you're going to get a book about how contractions are stupid and then read it to me."

"You want me to read a book to you. I would, gladly, and it would not be a book about—"

He was cut off by Daphne shaking his shoulders and saying, "Do not say things like that!"

He frowned. "Like what?"

"Like saying that you'll read to me. Sabrina and Puck and Red and probably Ember would freak out and think it's adorable!"

"Oh."

They were both silent.

After a moment, I whined from the doorway and their heads turned to me.

"Yes, Elvis?" Daphne asked. "Don't tell me you want sausage."

"Why are you talking to the dog?" the boy asked.

"Because, Pin, I love him and he's a beautiful dog so I caN DO WHAT I WANT."

"Okay, okay."

Oh, so his name's Pin. Okay. Pin. But what about sausage?

I looked questioningly at Red's bed.

"Yeah, she'd probably give you sausage," Daphne said. "You've been begging her for a while now and I think she's almost at the breaking point. But I don't know where she went off to. Probably plotting something Pinaphne-ish with Puck, Sabrina, and Ember."

"Pinaphne?" Pin asked, looking confused and making Daphne turn slightly red. "What is that?" He thought it over. "It sounds a little like my name, but also...also like yours...? Oh."

He went quiet.

If I understood what was going on and I was a human, I would have snorted with laughter. But alas, I was a dog and proud of it, so I stood there and tilted my head to the side in befuddlement.

Daphne laughed at my expression and looked at Pin awkwardly. She seemed to shake it off and said, "Okay, come on, Pin. We'll get you that book but you have to swear to everything alive and dead that it won't be stupid."

"I think it depends on whether you think it is stupid or not," he told her and she nodded in confirmation.

I watched them walk past me out of the room, and whined.

Sausage.

I promise I'll see you soon.

I love you.

Red's POV:

I was running, tearing through the forest. What was I doing? Why was I running? I tried to stop but I didn't have control of myself.

I could only watch helplessly as I ran toward the fortress. How did I know that? And why was I running to the fortress?

Dread filled me when I realized what was happening and tried in vain to take control, but to no avail.

The thing that was running was filled with hate and evil and menace. There was no way I could stop it.

I planted my feet down anyway, on the ground of the blackness I was enveloped in, and tried. Tried hard, but it wasn't possible.

I have to warn them! I thought frantically, not knowing which part of me was thinking and about who.

There was a loud snap of the branch in front of me breaking, and suddenly I was rooted to the spot. Neither part of me could move.

I sighed in relief but felt the evil struggle, trying to break out of whatever trap was holding me.

All I could do now was try to be myself again.

Ember's POV:

I took a deep breath, crossed my arms, and looked sympathetically at Sabrina, who was at the verge of tears.

"Puck," I started, but was interrupted by a loud noise echoing through the room. An alarm.

"What is that?!" I exclaimed. Sabrina looked up at the sky in panic.

Puck blinked hard and sighed. "That... That's one of my alarms. I set traps all around the forest for pranks, but maybe we've caught a member of the Scarlet Hand this time. Let's go check it out."

Sabrina reached out to him as he walked past and out the door, but he avoided her hand. I frowned at him but he ignored me.

I let out a breath and led Sabrina out the door after him, feeling really bad for her. She glanced at me gratefully and smiled slightly. I smiled back.

I would find someone else.

This was their story and I was just Sabrina's friend. I was lucky to have such a good friend anyway.

We headed out of the house and into the forest.

"Which one is it?" Puck wondered aloud, looking around. "Which one, which one?" He turned to us. "Usually I check the alarm because it shows me exactly which trap it was, but I don't think we have time for that."

I nodded, my hand still on Sabrina's shoulder. I could tell she was trying not to say something to Puck.

We soon found the trap, but what was in it shocked us more than anything.

"Is that... the Wolf?!"