Sisters Grimm Oneshots

Peace

It is a rainy day in late June, and the Grimms have all gathered at Granny's lopsided house for the summer, as they do every year. It is one in the afternoon, and it feels as if it as been one in the afternoon forever. For once, the house is not a whirlwind of chaos and noise.

In the kitchen, Relda and Veronica are catching up over a pot of tea. Every now and again they burst into muffled laughter, hesitant to break the peaceful silence even as they laugh over something one of the kids did this year.

On the screened-in part of the porch (Relda asked for this when she got Boarman and Swineheart to help her rebuild), Mr. Canis and Red are meditating to the sound of rain hitting the roof. Basil is sitting between them in the same cross-legged position, a look of fierce concentration on his face as he tries to copy whatever it is they are doing.

Upstairs, Henry and Jake are staring into the magic mirror, watching scenes from their past flit by. Both men are trying not to cry as they watch their father run to his death. They do not look at each other, because neither can bear to see their father reflected back at them. This grief is long overdue, and two decades' worth of pent-up emotions are coming out. When this is over, they will be that much closer to being healed.

In his room, Puck is in the planning stages of something that will make Sabrina hate him again. It's easier than dealing with the way she smiled at him over dinner last night, and the butterflies it brought into his stomach.

The other three are in the living room, each with a book. Daphne is using Elvis' side as a backrest, sharing pretzels with him and showing him the pictures in her book of fairy tales. Pinocchio has laid claim to the easy chair, and his slight frame is nearly buried in the stack of science texts he has brought with him. Sabrina, sprawled out on the couch, has a copy of an Agatha Christie mystery in one hand and a cup of tea (stolen from the kitchen) in her other.

She pauses and looks up, noticing suddenly that this is the quietest her family has been since the time when her family was just her and Daphne. She smiles, says nothing, and returns to her book. This, she decides, is contentment.