Frederick Pan's POV

Ali came empty-handed. "Not a clue where she went, I even had to check the science lab."

"Well, we're going to hear an earful afterwards," Holton said, rolling his eyes. Frederick and Holton didn't get along that much, but Frederick could care less. They both bonded over their hatred for Peter Pan. Guys, it's me Nadine! I need to tell you something that Ladeline and Blaise told me!

"Did anyone hear that?" Violet asked.

"No?" Frederick asked, puzzled.

"Must be all the pixie dust getting to my head."

Oh no, I forgot that none of these characters can hear Narrators! Of course, it's just this bunch. Hmm, let's see what I can do...

Suddenly, a bunch of books fell from the bookshelf next to the sofa. "What in...?" Frederick was startled and he bent down to pick them up but realized they were placed in an odd order and each chapter was marked with a letter.  I wonder if....? "Vivi, pass me a piece of paper and pen."

Violet did so and Frederick scribbled down the message, using the first letter from each book's chapter. Go under the Lifairy. After showing it to the others, they made their way to the Lifairy, though were thoroughly puzzled. "Maybe it's a message from the Nadine Ink person," Violet suggested. "And—" She stopped in her tracks once they arrived in front of the Lifairy and Ali pushed open the toasted door.

"Damn..." The place was totally fried, black char everywhere. It was horrifying to think that someone could have died in the fire. It could have been one of Frederick's Neverland friends. Focus, Freddie, he thought. "We need to go under the Lifairy."

Holton snorted. "There's no basement, dumbass."

"Wait, do you hear that?" Vanya held her finger to her lips. Everyone went dead silent as she wandered to a burnt bookshelf, leaning closer. "My mother used to play classical music when I was younger, I can hear piano notes."

"Do you have supersonic hearing or something?" Ali asked. "Wait, maybe there's a secret bookshelf thingy... Step back, I got skills that my papa taught me." He went to the bookshelf and pushed certain books, trying a dozen combinations before something clicked. "Hurray!"

"Don't shit your pants, Ali," Holton said as the bookshelf revealed a black tunnel. As everyone held their phone lights and stepped inside, Frederick was more hesitant. He was afraid of the dark, a child's fear. For all his clowney jokes, he loathed to admit his phobia.

Violet noted his discomfort. "Do you want to hold my hand?" It sounded kiddy and lame, but it's what Violet always did when they were back in Neverland. Frederick was scared of all the shadows. He nodded and slipped his hand into hers as the darkness embraced them.

The piano music got louder as they descended throughout the tunnel. "Just remember that this could be dangerous," Vanya whispered, though Frederick couldn't see her in the dark. "God, I hope we aren't going to get axe-murdered."

"Then where's the fun at?" Holton laughed.

"Good Godmothers..."

Frederick's hands become clammy, though he hoped Violet hadn't noticed. They were a strange item; on-and-off friends, or maybe not even friends at all. Ever since coming to EAH, things got rather uncomfortable between them. Violet, being an unserious flirt, brought up the idea of dating Frederick at some point. They both laughed it off, because it was crazy, Peter Pan and Tinkerbell don't end up together. No happily ever after together, just separately. Another reason Frederick hated his father; he didn't care about women's feelings, he only enjoyed the chase.

"Wait, wait, I see light!" Violet exclaimed and they started to sprint. Dangerous, considering none of them could see shit, but hell did they all need a motivator. Suddenly, the piano music was crystal-clear. They arrived in a hobbit-like library, old and vintage books and everything. The room was utterly cluttered with pages, notebooks, and other random objects.

And in the center was Daphne drinking tea with an old man.

Of course.

"What the fuck," Holton said. "How did she get here before us? You arse."

"You would not believe the amount of classical music Professor Rumpelstiltskin plays, and he's converted me, I'm afraid." Her lips were pressed into a thin smile. "Tremaine, one. Hook, zero." Daphne was unfazed, sipping politely on her tea. The man next to her on the piano was a scrawny and lean person, a scraggly graying beard getting in the way of the piano keys. "Oh, yes, this is Giles by the way."

"Giles Grimm?" Frederick asked, surprised. He had heard rumours about Milton Grimm having a younger brother, but no one had seen Giles in years, not after banishing the Evil Queen to the Mirror Realm with the help of Headmaster Grimm and Baba Yaga. What was he doing here; in the Vault of Lost Tales?

Giles peered curiously at Frederick, clapping his hands in delight. "Alas, the shadowy son arrives from the depths of Neverland, but what shall happen when the tide rolls in!" What? They all stared at him as Daphne hauled a book off the shelf, throwing it at Frederick's feet.

"Read a book or two, and you'll realize Giles is cursed with a babbling curse."

"A babbling curse, by whom?" Violet asked, glancing at Giles. Giles, ecstatic, got away from the piano and shook her hands excitedly. "Oh, hello, sir..." Then Giles proceeded to continue to talk in incoherent riddles and babbles. "It sort of sounds like the Riddlish lexicon, no?"

"Very much." Daphne leaned against the bookshelf, arms crossed. "I'm afraid he isn't much of a help if we can't understand him. Considering he lives under the Lifairy, I'm positive that he knows who our culprit is. Who the thief is."

Giles' head snapped around. "The thief twas all too clever, too cunning! Twists upon riddles and riddles upon twists! The midnight raven flies up, up, and all the way to the top!" Giles mimicked the wings of a bird with his arms. "Alas, the grass will only get bloodier, not greener—"

"Alright, before Mr. Grimm goes on with his talk of mass-murder," Ali interrupted, "is there a way to decrypt what he's saying? Get him to write everything down?"

"It's a babbling curse, it affects everything about Giles, writing is a no-go. Sure, babbling curses are similar to Riddlish, but it's not the same. Babbling curses are supposed to be irregular, an outlier." Daphne glanced back at Giles, sighing. "It's a dead-end."

Holton cocked his head. "Then why not find a way to uncurse him?"

Silence.

Daphne's jaw dropped. "Hook, that's the smartest thing you've said today. Or in your entire life, really." Before Holton could toss out an insult, Giles spoke up;

"If a cure is the thing you seek, then stroll to Heritage Hall where you'll surely have a ball !" he said eagerly. Heritage Hall? Strangely, Madam Baba Yaga was going to take them there this afternoon. He grabbed a vintage teapot and offered it to Daphne. "Would you like to go swimming in the Hatter sea?"

Daphne laughed. "Yes, thanks, Giles." Looks like she found a new friend.

︶⊹︶︶୨୧︶︶⊹︶

Vanya Ella's POV

"Did I ever mention that Lady Yaga is my niece! You know, family reunions are always a blast!" Madam Yaga exclaimed. Good Godmothers... As they walked up the steep hill towards the Heritage Hall, they heard Madam Yaga talk about her family for the seventh time. "Oh, and—"

"Yes, madam, you've mentioned it lots of times," Ali said, rubbing his bloodshot eyes. Seemed like he didn't sleep enough, but drank plenty. Besides him was Daphne, whispering something quietly to him. Actually, it looked like they were conspiring about how to commit tax fraud. Weird reference, Vanya, but probably the truest one. Why do they look kind of...? Vanya tapped Holton's shoulder.

"What's up with Ali and Daphne?" Of course, after stalking Holton Hook for a good few months, Vanya knew of his not-so-great antics. Blackmailing, manipulation, gossip, etc. But only made Vanya want him more. Vanya, you summer child, can't grasp the idea of red flags, can you? Everyone wants a bad boy these days... "They seem... well, they're not bickering for once."

"Didn't you hear? They're dating. For a few days now actually."

"What? No, I didn't not know that—"

"Oh, right, you're not an insider." If Vanya was honest, that made Holton sound like he got that information from the dark web. Vanya glanced over her shoulder to see Daphne and Ali again. She wasn't one to talk about love life considering hers wasn't very consistent either, but she would have never expected that. Serious and unserious at the same time. "Odd pair, I know."

"No, it's fine, I just wouldn't have pegged either of them to go for each other. Daphne is Daphne when it comes to anything. Ali moves on way too fast when it comes to relationships." Then maybe it was just that, a one-time thing, like a brief hookup. "Hold on, how long have you known?"

"Oh, since Day One, actually. Don't ask where I got my sources."

He's still hot. Good grief, I might shoot myself in the head.

"And we've arrived!" Madam Yaga declared before Vanya could start to stare at Holton for too long. They were on a bare plot of forest land, nothing in sight. No Heritage Hall. It seemed as if Madam Yaga had turned into the Mad Hatter, but she then said, "Wait for it..."

A beam of light struck the bare plot of land and almost instantly, a large building appeared out of thin air. It was tall and towered over them as they walked up the steps. Huge columns supported the place as they wandered inside. There were stained glass tapestries on the wall featuring motifs of every fairytale. "Now, class," Madam Yaga spoke softly, "the reason I brought you here is because whether you're a Royal, Rebel, or Roybel, it's still important to see the past destinies that came before you. Each one of you was left between a legacy gift, so go to your allotted stand and we'll meet up."

Vanya walked up to the Cinderella stained glass panel. Vanya's relationship with her mother was always so complicated, usually a mix of bubbling disappointment and failing expectations. Gingerly, she reached into her gift box, seeing what Cinderella left behind. It was a pair of glass running shoes! Even if it was glass, it was magically suited for track running, and Vanya was Coach Gingerbreadman's star track-runner.

Her eyes softened. "Thanks, Mom."

"Oh my Grimm, my mom got me an endless supply of pixie dust!" Violet squealed from the other end of the hall. She ran up to Vanya, vials of pixie dusts jostling in her arms. "Look, Vanya, look!" She was like an excited child. Suddenly, Vanya noticed something odd about Violet; her wings were gray-toned slightly, dark circles were under her eyes though hidden under blotchy concealer, and she seemed fatigued.

All symptoms that Lynari Fae had too because she was disappearing.

And now, so was Violet Bell.

"Are you feeling well, Violet?" she asked gently, so as not to rock the boat.

Violet let out a little laugh. Too practiced, unrealistic. "Of course I am! Oh, Daphne, what did you get?"

Her gift box was next to Vanya's considering they were from the same fairytale. Awkwardly, Vanya peered over Daphne's shoulder. In her hands was a green dress, with mixes of Victorian elements and modern ones. "It's the same dress that my mother wore to the Prince Charming's ball," Daphne said softly. The same ball where Prince Charming chose Cinderella over the Wicked Stepsisters. Suddenly, Daphne cleared her throat and folded the dress neatly, finally noticing Vanya staring at her. Instead of tossing out another insult, she just said, "I suppose we should join the others."

The tension in the air had lifted as they walked towards the others. Vanya saw the hook in Holton's hands and truly couldn't stifle a laugh. "My dad's a jackass for giving me this as a heirloom," Holton scowled. Frederick got a sewing kit from Peter Pan that Violet and him couldn't stop gushing about. But Ali came empty-handed, hands in his pocket.

"No gift?" Daphne asked.

"Well, it's not a big deal since I'm insanely rich and can buy anything myself, you know?" But Ali did seem a bit wounded more than he'd admit. Suddenly, Madam Yaga popped up, a tiger in her hands. Vanya screamed, startled, and tripped over her feet. Holton caught her just before she hit the floor by the hand. Immediately, Vanya's cheeks went pink, but then she remembered they were in the presence of a tiger.

"Why is there a baby tiger here?" Violet asked, a bit frightened.

"Grimm had to sign many fees and contracts, but this tiger cub—his name is Bal—is a gift from the Sultan, or Mr. Nimer's grandpapa. Poor thing wouldn't fit in the gift box, my apologies." She set Bal on the floor and Vanya backed away, her fingertips brushing against Holton's, sending jolts up her spine.

"A tiger! Thanks, Grandpapa!" Ali bent down to pet the orange-and-white striped tiger cub, stroking its fur. "What a cutie." Bal purred, its furry tail swaying from side to side.

"He's so adorable!" Daphne scooped Bal up in her arms without another thought, cuddling the tiger cub with fondness. Vanya heard Holton crackle under his breath as the girl held Bal closer to her chest. Daphne Tremaine, possibly the toughest and most intimidating rival Vanya knew, let down her walls to a tiger? Topsy-turvy, truly.

"Good to know you'll grow up to be the crazy cat lady, Tremaine," Holton laughed.

"That's my tiger, Daph," Ali said matter-of-factly, but he was more amused than offended.

"Nope, he's mine now, Nimer. Oh my Grimm, he's going to have so many playdates with Lucifer, I'll even dress them up in cute bows and everything..."

"Hold on, I just need to sign a few papers to make sure Bal doesn't bite off a few fingers." Madam Yaga sped away, giving them the chance to explore Heritage Hall alone. They needed to find a way to uncurse Giles Grimm. As they walked down the hall, Vanya snuck a look at Holton. Sometimes, parts of her brain wanted to scream 'I'm so obsessed with him!' or 'Why the hell do we like him?' or most of the time, her brain got scrambled whenever she thought of him. When exchanging these secret letters, he had asked many times for them to confess in real time.

To meet up.

And each time, she had denied or made up an excuse. As of now, he didn't even know that the 'Nessa' he had been pouring his heart out to was her. Vanya. And that was what she was scared of—he wasn't in love with her. No, he truly wasn't. He was in love with the version of her he made up in his head during their letters, because that was so much easier than reality, and that wasn't the true Vanya. He adored Nessa, not Vanya, and it was hard to decide if she was both or neither at all.

"Look, there's a mock-up Storybook of Legends," Frederick pointed out once they reached the end of Heritage Hall. The mock-up loomed over them, even having a lock and keyhole. Suddenly, an idea occurred to Vanya.

"Wait, if that's the mock-up Storybook of Legends, then what if... what if that's how we'll uncurse Giles Grimm? Though the mock-up is locked—" Before Vanya could finish, Holton walked up the Storybook of Legends, using the pirate hook to jiggle the keyhole. Click! All of a sudden, the front cover swung open to reveal a glowing light from the inside. "Holy hex."

Violet's eyes widened. "That's definitely a portal."

"The question is; do we go in?" Frederick asked, approaching it. He stuck his hand in for funsies, but then the portal wouldn't release, having a choke-hold on his hand. "Holy shit, what in the Neverland—" He was sucked into the portal, disappearing.

"Frederick!" Violet shouted, shocked. What in the world just happened?

"That answers our question! YOLO!" Ali said excitedly, jumping into the portal head-first. Are we not even going to discuss this...? Then Holton went into the portal next, diving inside, which meant leaving the girls alone.

Daphne rolled her eyes. "Those boys all share one brain cell." She stepped into the portal, Bal still in her arms, purring. Violet nodded at Vanya before hopping inside. Vanya took a deep breath, blood pounding in her ears. Here goes nothing...

Vanya leapt into the portal, the glowing light blinding her.

A/N: I'm really starting to hate how bad these chapters are, but it is what it is. Vanya and Holton's situationship goes hard 😭