1. Chapter 1 (1/2)

a/n. first of all, thanks everyone for such positive feedback! i didn't think so many wattpadders would enjoy my one-shots. :) it's a pucktastic feeling, haha.

as well, sorry for the major delays in updates. sometimes it's because i have no inspiration, others i have too much school work. :/ i was only able to put this up this weekend because i only had two ap assignments to do.

(agh, for some reason, fanfiction will not let me upload the cover photo, so i will post a link on my profile to the drawing on deviantart. :d)

anyways, enjoy! as well, happy pi day! (i tried to post this at 9:26 pm to go along with the digits of pi (3.141592653...).

rated: t

disclaimer: i do not own the sisters grimm, nor the song by gavin degraw that this story is based on.

not over you

uncle jake flicked over an envelope to him across the kitchen table.

"what's this?" puck asked. the envelope had "grimm" on the front in swirly, fancy lettering. that's weird. he was used to seeing chicken scratch when receiving letters from the grimms (mainly basil).

"maybe if you open it, you'll find out."

"geez, jake. don't need to be sassy about it." puck flipped the tab over and pulled out the card. huh. this is different. "a wedding invite?"

"yes..."

something clicked in puck's head. "wait, daphne's getting married?"

"er-"

"i thought she's only fresh out of college! she found 'the one' already? granted, it seems she finds a lot of 'the ones', but it's surprising to see she's decided to settle down, even though she's only like twenty four; it doesn't even make sense because she basically has forever to decide. i think she's rushing it..."

"puck-" jake started. he was interrupted again, and jake felt that his adopted nephew already knew what was up.

but this was puck's way of denying it.

"i don't like this idea, jake." puck stood up and grabbed his phone. "i'm going to call daphne about this-"

uncle jake grabbed his wrist. "puck, stop."

"what?"

"it's not daphne who's getting married."

puck furrowed his

ows. "then who? basil?"

"no..." he said slowly.

"who else could it be?" puck demanded. "if not basil or daphne, then who? the old lady, god bless her soul, isn't here anymore; henry's already married veronica; you're not getting married," uncle jake winced, "and sa

ina's sure as heck isn't-"

"it's sa

ina."

puck looked at him. "what?"

"you heard me, puck," he said softly.

jake saw it slowly sink into puck's mind. he looked confused, that jake could tell.

and puck also looked a little hurt.

"sa

ina's the one getting married." uncle jake opened the card and handed him the picture.

puck's mouth formed a thin line. "oh."

he stared at the photo for a long time. he didn't say anything.

jake said quietly, "puck?"

the man suddenly chuckled. "who would've thought that ugly would somehow be able to find someone who could actually stand to look at her?" puck was smirking, shaking his head and laughing to himself.

jake could tell his laugh was forced despite his expression.

puck wiped a tear from his eye. "phew. that was a good laugh." he slid the photo into his pocket and glanced at the clock. "wow, it's late. we better get to sleep now. need to be refreshed for some more magical hunting tomorrow, right?"

puck stood up, glancing at jake when he saw he wasn't moving. "jake?"

"yeah, i'll go to my room soon." he stared at his adopted nephew, almost in pity. "i just need to fix some things for tomorrow's trip."

"cool." puck nodded his head. "see ya, jake."

he padded his feet on the wooden floor towards his room and put his hand on the door knob, twisting it.

"wait, puck," uncle jake said.

he turned around. "yeah?"

"how do you feel about...sa

ina getting married?" uncle jake relented from beating around the bush. "you're okay with it, right? no hard feelings?" he looked at puck's face.

puck was good, for his expression was emotionless until he laughed. "how do i feel? i don't really have a say in it, do i?"

jake remained quiet.

puck then chuckled, a small grimace on his face. "what you're thinking about, of me and grimm, is history, jake. i'm over her, she's over me- that's usually how relationships end, right? of course no hard feelings -i don't control what she does and she doesn't control what i do. she can go do whatever the heck she wants, and if that's to get married, then let her do it. and what reason do i have to stop her?" puck paused. "we're as square as boxes, okay, jake?"

he looked at him and quietly said, "yeah. okay, puck, goodnight."

"night," he half-grinned, then closed the door. he saw uncle jake's pitying expression as the door slid shut.

puck

istled. honestly, what was up with that guy? jake thought that just because his old best friend slash old girlfriend was getting married that he'd be angry about it?

well, he wasn't angry. like he said, sa

ina could do whatever she wanted; he didn't care.

he didn't care.

right?

puck sighed through his nose, clenching and unclenching his fists, taking out the now wrinkled photo.

why should he care? he hadn't had contact with any other grimm besides daphne and basil and jake for years. they certainly did not care for him anymore. not when he left them to go traveling the world with jake.

he was done with them; the grimm's were done with him.

at least, that's what he kept telling himself.

puck leaned against the door, one hand in his pocket, the other holding up the picture.

gosh, she was more gorgeous than when he had seen her last. that had been five or six years ago. her features had been defined, and she looked almost exactly like her mother: strong, independent, beautiful.

puck was definitely not angry.

he was upset.

upset mostly at himself. after five years, he really thought it would all go away.

and yet, it was still there. his feelings, that is.

and man did he feel like a lovesick fool. men didn't spend so much time thinking about their past relationships, and puck probably wouldn't have spent so much time, if only he had had past relationships. moth certainly didn't count as a past relationship, and he had never really dated anyone while traveling.

he had only dated sa

ina. and he was still hung up on her.

but apparently, she had been able to move on.

puck had always thought it'd be the other way around, as egoistical as that sounds. he would grow up into a charming man and grimm would fall over her feet for him. he'd sweep her up into his arms and they'd get a happily ever after, as cheesy as it sounded.

but of course, being an everafter, he knew there were no fairy-tale endings in reality. and with the events that had happened in his life, from his banishment to his father's death, he was an expert at unhappy endings.

he pushed himself up and slunk towards his hotel bed next to jake's. puck turned on the radio leaving it on a song that fit his mood. taking off his button-up shirt, he debated on whether he should wear a white beater or his usual onesie pajamas.

he was feeling a bit warm and decided to wear the tank top. sliding into bed, he grasped kraven the deceiver in his hands tightly.

"at least you haven't changed," puck said, smiling. "a little worn, but still as protective as ever." he didn't even seem embarrassed as he stroked and cooed at his plush toy.

he looked over at his desk, sliding his eyes over the slightly crumpled invitation. his eyes closed, sa

ina's face being the last thing he saw that night.

i hope it gets better, he thought.

the pain, that is.

dreams / that's where i have to go / to see your beautiful / face anymore / i stare at a picture of you / and listen to the radio

"hey, puck, how are you holding up?"

"just fine," puck said through clenched teeth as he swiped at a robber with his sword. "thieves are a piece of cake. how did these idiots think that catherine's pears were leaves, her vinegar dew, and the door the devil? i mean, how stupider can a person get? it's not like she really tricked them."

"i think that's what fredrick must've thought of every time he sent her out to get food," jake chuckled. "but that wasn't what i was referring to when i asked how you were holding up."

puck kicked one of the thieves in the groin. "this again, jake?"

"puck-"

"i'm fine! seriously jake! you don't need to keep asking me the same question." he threw a hard punch at someone's face. "just leave me alone, all right? enjoy the wedding, eat some reception cake, mingle with the single!"

"puck-"

"i'll help catherine and frederick, it's no problem at all, all right? all right. thanks, jake."

puck heard jake sigh. "okay, fine, but one thing. i don't recall catherine ever asking us to-"

"see ya, jake." he pressed the end button on his phone and sighed.

he flew upwards, then darted towards another thug, the one with a heavy

ooklyn accent, and knocked him out. landing on the ground, he looked at the unconscious thugs around him with a bored expression and backed out of the alleyway to give the girl her purse. he was pretty sure she didn't see anything, and if she did, he could just play it off as hallucinations in her traumatized state. hopefully the people in new york had gotten stupider since his last visit.

okay, so maybe puck shouldn't have lied to jake about where he was, and he knew no one was as stupid as himself. it wasn't a scandal that he happened to be in new york; what may have been a scandal was that he was debating whether or not to attend sa

ina's wedding. his options were: to not attend out of respect for not communicating with his family for five years, or to attend and see sa

ina again and face the wrath of the grimms. the former seemed like a better option, but puck couldn't help but want to see her...ugh. jake would probably say to him 'i told you so', and that was exactly what puck did not want to hear... now, what was he doing again? oh yeah.

he saw the chocolate haired girl with her back to him, talking amiably with someone on the phone. "here you go, ma'am. it might have some blood from when i knocked one of the guys' teeth out, though. sorry."

"that's not a problem at all!" she turned around after shutting her phone, and she winked at him. "thanks, sir."

it was like a bomb had dropped. puck made a strangled noise at the back of his throat. "marshmallow?"

"fancy seeing you here," she commented, grinning like a madwoman. "i thought uncle jake said you were in nigeria looking for a magical drum item?"

"you mean me trying to negotiate with a group of people who speak in 'clicks'?" uh, no. the only click noise i know how to make is the one that annoys everyone." puck frowned. "were you just talking to jake?"

daphne

ushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "um, no, pinocchio -but anyways, what are you doing in new york, beating up thugs for no good reason?"

"i'm not beating them up for no good reason! they stole your purse!"

"and you didn't even know it was me. that must mean you were doing this out of the goodness of your heart! aw puck! i knew you'd become a hero." she said cheekily.

"aw, shut it, marshmallow."

"and look at you! the ladies must be digging the trickster king now! wow, puck, if i didn't know you, and if i didn't have this

other-sister connection with you, and if you were about four years younger, i'd totally consider dating you. metaphorically."

"thank you, in a metaphorical way."

"no problemo!"

"so, what's in there?" puck asked, eying her "ava's flowers" bags.

"duh, flowers! for sa

ina's wedding -hey! you never answered my earlier question!"

"hm, i don't remember. what was it?"

"it was...um, darn it, i forgot. but i know it had to do with sa

ina's wedding! or something."

"uh-huh, sure. actually, why aren't you there now? shouldn't you have been there like, a really long time ago?"

daphne laughed sheepishly. "woke up late. car

oke down. had to run to flower shop. tried to use a cab. major major traffic jam. then i ran and the thugs took my purse. i would've used my warrior face on them if you hadn't shown up and de-stressed on them."

"sounds like an eventful morning, huh, marshmallow?"

"just a regular day. except for the wedding part." she giggled. "so how've you been doing?"

puck's eye twitched. he knew he didn't have the right to get mad at daphne, but holy guack he was starting to hate this question.

"i'm fine! seriously, what is with people asking me this!" puck suddenly shouted, making daphne jump.

"whoa, calm down, dude. it's just a question."

"well, i'm tired of being asked this question! especially by jake. i'm fine. why wouldn't i be fine?"

daphne tilted her head. "uncle jake keeps asking you? why is that?...wait, would this have anything to do with sa

ina's-" puck had an expression of irritation on his face.

"no. yes. maybe. i don't know. i don't even care that she's getting married. that's why i'm so sick of jake asking me this. it's like he thinks i'll regret not going to the wedding. well i don't want to go. weddings are long, boring, and unnecessary. if i was going to get married, it would be this short thing, with a small group of people, in a very secluded place, where we would say, 'i love you.' to each other and exchange those promise rings. short and simple, right? and then i'd lean down and kiss sa

ina and we'd-"

puck made another strangled noise while daphne looked at him, gaping.

"shoot, i did not just say that."

"uh, yes you did. holy crackerjacks."

"no, i didn't! this conversation is over! we're done here!" he suddenly shouted, pushing past daphne.

"puck!" she said, going after him. "it's okay-"

"no it's not okay!" he turned back to her, his face red. "don't tell me this is okay!"

"but you love her!" daphne's eyes gleamed.

"she doesn't love me."

"you don't know that!" she said exasperated.

"if she did, she would be marrying me, wouldn't she?"

daphne countered, "you didn't give her more time to fall in love with you! you left her puck, just when she wanted you the most!"

"it's a good thing i did," he muttered, glaring down at the floor. daphne gaped.

"how is that good at all? you took away her happiness!" daphne glared at him.

"her happiness is not with me!" he shouted.

"then who is it with?!"

"an ordinary person!"

daphne jumped. puck's voice never raised like that. "w-what do you mean?"

he saw the look on her face. "sorry." he released the tension in his shoulders, clenching and unclenching his fists. "i didn't meant to scare you but... it's true. she deserves someone normal, like that

adley guy. he's plain, ordinary, nothing too special."

daphne inwardly scolded herself for saying this about her almost

other-in-law, "if he is what you say he is, then why don't you go to her? you're fun, good-looking, and you have special powers for pete's sake! you're so much better than him!"

"that's exactly why."

"what?"

"marshmallow, exactly what has grimm been complaining of all her life?"

"um...you?"

"besides the obvious."

"oh, um, wanting normality?"

"yes, now you know exactly what that means, right?" he didn't let her speak. "living in a house, raising kids, buying groceries, aging peacefully and probably in a nursing home? well, what would happen if people started to notice i wasn't aging? what if someone suspects me of being a secret government experiment when they see my wings? and we still have some enemies out there; what if an everafter tried to take revenge on the grimms by hurting sa

ina? if grimm and i were to get married and live together, we would be running our whole lives."

puck's eyes cast down to the floor.

"at least if she had plain

adley or anyone else, the everafter wouldn't dare try to touch her in fear of exposing themselves."

"uh..." daphne hadn't thought about that. puck kept going.

"you know what me and grimm did one day in my magic forest room after it was rebuilt? we sat in that treehouse, talking about random stuff. she jokingly said that if we were to get married, she would want us to live far, far away from ferryport, in a small nice house, with no magic, no everafters, nada. even though she pretended, i knew it was what she really wanted. a long, happy life with the one she loves, the days flying by in contentment. she can never have a normal life with me, though. how can i give that to her if i don't age? how can she live peacefully if she has to think about all the dangers and secrets we're hiding from the world? i just can't burden her like that, after what you two have been through. running for two years...imagine running forever?"

daphne looked at him mutely, an expression puck recognized on jake's face.

"so there it is. that's why i can't be with her. she was confused when i made us go separate ways, yes, but all i was doing was nudging her in the right direction -one that ensures her happiness. and i came to new york because i wanted to see that happen. to see the smile on her face and not feel hurt over it. to see her one more time and finally relax. i want closure, daphne. i want to get over her. can you give me that?"

"puck..." the amount of pity -maybe pity wasn't the right word- she held for him was unimaginable. she just wanted to wrap him up in a blanket burrito style, stuff him into a chinese takeout box, take him home and never let him go. if daphne wasn't totally distressed about this situation, she would be cooing at his cuteness.

daphne tilted her head to the side, examining his face. "hmm." what could she do for him?

puck raised an eye

ow at her. "you're not going to tell grimm about this right? promise me. she doesn't need to know i'm here for me to have some closure. i'd actually prefer that."