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๐Ÿ๐ž๐ž๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ก, ๐šŒ๐š‘๐šŠ๐š™๐š๐šŽ๐š› ๐šŸ๐š’๐š’๐š’


Detective Jack Benson's POV

Jack slipped on his cup of warm coffee, wandering around the police station. It was busy that day, the Village of Book End was still trying to wrap its head around the Claudia Hatter and Cressida Lockes cases. That reminded Jack to grab Miss Lockes' files from Bryony Pois.

He knocked on the door, finding it open. The woman was surrounded by messy papers and news articles, in fact, Bryony looked like hell at the momentโ€”sleepy eyes and frumpled clothes. She glanced up from her piled-up desk, sighing. "Good morning."

"Morning, Bryony."

"Detective Pois," she said curtly, "I am your co-worker, keep it professional, Benson." Alright, they'd stick to the last names then. More professional my ass, Jack thought. He handed her a mug. "Not a coffee-drinker."

"I know, it's tea. Lavender tea, actually."

"God, yes, thank you." Bryonyโ€”sorry, Detective Poisโ€”took it greedily, downing it all in one gulp. Bryony placed the mug on her desk, rubbing her eye bags. "I'm so sorry I was moody, I'm not an early riser."

Jack eyed her messy desk. "It seems like the Hatter case is taking a toll."

"I just keep going in circles!" Bryony said, frustrated as she hobbled over papers on the floor. Even in her boots, she was extremely short. Jack wondered how Bryony would climb up the stacks of beds in her fairytale, Princess and the Pea. "I desperately need to close this case," she muttered.

"Didn't you say it's just teen suicide?" Jack's priority wasn't the Hatter case.

Bryony blew off some steam. "Yes, but now I'm second-guessing everything."

"Then why do you need to close Claudia Hatter's case?"

Her face darkened. "I... It doesn't matter." She glanced at the wall of her office, decorated with all of her awards and graduation certificates from Ever After High. Back in the day, Jack had also gone to EAH with Bryony, though they never interacted until they both became a part of the police force as detectives.

They were unlikely officers of the law. Everyone assumed Bryony, who graduated with the best and shocking final exam scores, would follow through with her legacy. Nope, she was a Rebel and ditched the princess life. Similarly, everyone back in EAH thought Jack to be a lowlife thief, so imagine their shock when he became a homicide detective!

"I talked to the Spades boy," Jack said, changing the subject. "Honestly, he looks pretty innocent to me."

Bryony scowled. "You're so naive sometimes, Jack."

"What happened to Benson?"

"Fine. You're so naive sometimes, Benson." Detective Pois stooped to the floor and picked up her fallen files. Jack helped her, grabbing the papers as Bryony went on, "I grilled the Kane boy, apparently they're in it together."

"Wait, they confessed?"

"What? No, that just means they're dating, fool." Bryony organized her folders, almost knocking over her empty mug. "I don't think we'll get anything out of those two, they're like Bonnie and Clyde, just queer. They both holed up in the jail cell, we'll keep them there for now."

"Family?"

"Back in Wonderland, no way to contact them."

"Damn," Jack said, shaking his head. "Anyways, Spades and Kane have visitors."

Bryony narrowed her eyes. "Who?"

"Whom," he corrected. "The Liddells."

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Alex Liddell's POV

"Don't make eye contact with any of the cops here, Lexi, or they'll kick our asses." Bea was overly paranoid about visiting the police station, maybe because she was naturally cunning. They were seated in a small waiting room with plastic chairs that were so uncomfortable that Alex had to stand and pace around.

"You look like a buffoon pacing up and down," Beatrice commented.

"Sometimes, I forget you're not my older sister, but instead my cousin," he snorted.

"So..." Bea drummed her fingers on her thigh, glancing at Alex. "Ruby."

"What about Ruby?" Alex asked cluelessly. Bea rolled her eyes at him, crossing her legs. Huh, that was strange, he thought dumbly. He wondered why Bea would bring up Ruby at such a stressful time like this. "Seriously, give it to me straightforward."

"How would you react if someone had a crush on you?" Bea asked gently.

"Oh, that depends, I guess. Why?"

"Good Godmothers... Let me word it differently; how would you react if Ruby liked you?"

"Well, all my friends like me."

Bea let out a groan of frustration. "No, no, Lexi, you utterly stupid airhead!"

"Hey, don't call me an airheadโ€”oh." Then it finally clicked for Alex. He sank back in his chair, blinking blankly. This wasn't like how it was with Claudia, that had been a different story. But Ruby? He had only really considered her a friend up until that point. It was rather... confusing? Before Alex could dwell further on his thoughts, the door opened. "Jace, Carmelo!"

"Oh my Grimm," Bea said as cops brought forward Jace and Carmelo, dressed in beige prisoner clothes. Jace's hair was dishevelled whilst Carmelo's left eye was swollen shut. "Holy hex, what happened?"

"Fight broke out with others in the cell."

"We'll sue every one of those asses," Bea encouraged.

Jace snorted. "Please, don't." The door closed again, the cops leaving the Wonderlandian kids alone. They sat on the seats as Jace sighed, rubbing his temples. "How's everything going at school?"

"Poorly. Everyone can't stop gushing over Honey's incident."

"Is she okay?" Carmelo asked worriedly. Alex felt bad for him, he was too naive and nice to commit such a heinous crime. Still, he knew there must be some reason that the police detained him.

"Poisoning, apparently. She's in a coma at this point, no one knows when she'll wake up." Beatrice's gaze flickered between the two. "Okay, now that we're done catching up, you're telling us everything." She crossed her arms, glaring. "We know you've been keeping something from us, why else would Jace burn the suspect list?"

Carmelo glanced at Jace. "It's alright, we can trust them, they're our friends."

Alex was puzzled. "Hold on, what's this dirty little secret we're talking about?"

Carmelo softened, his eyes bruised and tired. "Two years ago, back when we were in Wonderland, I was the junior gardener for the Royal Family. Adelaide's family. I was supposed to paint the roses red, it's a Wonderlandian custom." His upper lip trembled as he spoke gently, "But I made an error in my judgement."

Bea leaned forward, serious. "Carm, what did you do?"

"I used arsenic paint, it would dry quicker and give a better finish. I knew it wasn't good, but I was so eager to get promoted to senior gardener so the Queen of Hearts would see my potential," Carmelo explained as the dread sept into Alex. "I-I never imagined it would end so horribly."

Beatrice leaned even closer, glaring like a mother. "What. Did. You. Do."

He looked ashamed now. "The arsenic was just as terrible as I knew it would be, it started to get people sick. I didn't realize it would get people that ill, but they were on the verge of death. That's when I knew I was at my wit's end, so I killed each rose and replanted new ones."

Jace's grasp on Carmelo's hand tightened. "And I sort of helped him cover it all up."

Alex arched his eyebrows. "So you gave people arsenic poisoning? Oh God, Carmelo." He stared long and hard at Carmelo in disbelief. Carmelo Spades was a kind-spirited and loving boy, not some poisoner. The fact that he committed this crime was just foreign to Alex's ears. "That's why you freaked out when Cressida suspected you were behind Claudia's murder?"

"I would never hurt Claudia, I didn't do anything. Although, because I had a past of poison and when I heard that Honey had been poisoned, I knew it was going to look bad for me," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "So Jace and I tried to burn the list."

"Better to take that risk than land in jail, though you can see how that ended up for us," Jace added.

"Jace, your bail will be posted soon," Bea recalled, but she glanced at Carmelo. "You're not so lucky, let's just pray that the judge you're on trial with has some mercy." Shortly after that, Carmelo and Jace were taken away again by the cops. The Liddells gathered their items and left the police station, strolling down main street.

"I hope they'll be okay," Alex commented, uneasy. "Everything has been chaotic."

"They will be, Lexi. Carmelo and Jace are tougher than you think."

Alex nodded as they passed by a flower shop owned by Thumbelina. Out in the front, there were red roses, reminding him of his conversation with Beatrice before Carmelo and Jace interrupted them. He stopped mid-crowd, gazing at the roses briefly. Ruby Red.

Bea noted this. "You should get them if you're interested."

"No, I was just thinking."

"I'll buy them for you, my treat." Before Alex could protest, Bea went up to the stands and exchanged a few words with Thumbelina. She smiled at the woman, laughing as she handed over a few bucks. Bea came back to Alex with a bouquet of roses, handing them over to Alex. "You're like my little brother, Lexi. I'd do anything for you."

Alex begrudgingly took the roses, thanking Bea. "I know. Aren't you just the best Liddell cousin ever?" They were teasing each other as they continued to walk down the street. She slung an arm over Alex's shoulder, grinning. "It's you and me against the world."

"Ha-ha." He glanced down at the roses. "This reminds me of the Rose Theory."

"Huh?"

"Oh, it's a thing back in Wonderland. Instead of mistletoe during the holidays, roses are the symbol of love. I think the Queen of Hearts started that tradition, or at least one of the Hearts. Why can't you recall that?" he asked his cousin.

"You're forgetting that I barely visited Wonderland unlike you. My destiny is to be Alice's Sister, so I don't get to go to Wonderland. You got the better Liddell legacy," she replied, joking. Alex hadn't really thought of that, Bea's life sounded so boring in retrospect. Maybe he gave her too much shit for her cunning ways; it was just a way for her to get that adrenaline.

They finally arrived back at EAH, standing at the entrance. Bea nudged Alex gently before saying, "Promise me you'll give those roses to a special someone."

"Seriously, Bea? Trying to play matchmaker again?"

"Oh, c'mon, Lexi. You know I love to."

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Milton Grimm's POV

Milton's fingers glided along the edges of the wall, tracing his wall through the dark of his office, searching for the light-switch. It was a game he and his little brother used to play in their early childhood. Giles, he thought. Milton had cursed his own brother with a babbling curse to save the reputation of Ever After High. He grimaced in memory of Giles before flipping on the light-switch.

Once the room lit up, the shadows revealed Adelaide Hearts in his armchair behind the desk. He clutched his chest, startled, before clearing his throat. "Miss Hearts, have you lost your way to your dorm?" he asked curtly, meeting her sharp glare. Milton knew that the Queen of Hearts was an intimidating figure, her daughter was no exception. "Get off my chair and go back to your dorm, it's rather late."

"I know what you've been trying to do," she said coldly, not moving.

"I don't have a spell what you're saying."

"I bet you do, don't you, Headmaster Grimm?"

Milton narrowed his eyes. "Are you accusing me of something?"

"Yes." Adelaide didn't flinch, standing up from his chair. She was poised, looking Milton square in the eye. "You've been trying to close Claudia Hatter's case early and label it as suicide because you want to save your own skin. You know that if a student was found killed on campus, parents would pull their kids out of your school and Ever After High would get a bad rep."

Milton flared his nostrils, belittled and aggravated. "Miss Hearts, unless you have proof, I suggest you leave my office before I suspend you. Or worse, I'd expel you from EAHโ€”"

"I have proof, already sent to Detective Pois and Benson. It just so happened that Normandy Caterpillar and Hailee-Diane Dumpty caught you in an empty classroom, trying to blackmail Bryony Pois. I'm sure that woman will also get her license revoked." Adelaide watched as realization struck Milton. No, no, but I told Bryony to keep her mouth shut and follow my orders. "The police are already on their way."

"You can not defy meโ€”"

"I suggest you sit down." A Cheshire-Cat-like smile grew on Adelaide's face as Milton sat down on his armchair, uneasy and disturbed. Sweat trickled down his forehead as he gulped. She continued to speak, "We have video footage of you and Pois in the classroom with the entirety of your conversation. Your time here is up, Headmaster Grimm."

"H-How did you...?" The security system at EAH was horrid, how did Adelaide get into the mainframe? Milton swallowed hard, forcing himself to look her in the eye. "I did what I had to do to keep EAH afloat. Its reputation would be saved, this is the only way I could salvage everything I worked towards!" Milton heard sirens in the distance. "I had to ensure every story out there survives!" he hollered.

"Every story is differentโ€”it's just the narrator that's the weaver of words."

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